Push ( temporary title )

In Benin of Africa, a car ran out of fuel and was pushed by a man sitting in the car behind - with his leg. A friend of mine took this picture. He said anything goes in Africa. This piece is still a work in progress. Just to share with you the tedious process of coaxing the painting into its place. A painting, some how possesses a mind of its own, wilfully making attempts to go against its creator. More updates wil follow while the battle between the painter and the painting continues.

Night Cafe

Oil, 110 x 85 cm, Sept 2003, collection of Colin Lim
There were two paintings that I fell in love with instantly when I was a kid receiving my first art book as present. First was van Gogh's Night Cafe and second one was the Garden of Giverny from Monnet. This replica of Night Cafe is nowhere near the master's standard. However working on it gave me the excitement that van Gogh experienced when he first arrived in Paris. He stayed in a small apartment round the corner of this cafe.

Kedai Runcit

Oil, 91 x 61 cm, April 2006

Kedai runcit, Malay word for sundry shop, holds our sweetest chilhood memory. This is a provision shop located at mid hill on the way up to Fraser's Hill. Check out more at http://life-trek.blogspot.com/2006/05/kedai-runcit.html

Malacca River

Oil, 91 x 61 cm, Feb 2006

My mother told me that the small lane on the side which cut through the blocks, was where our forefathers first set foot when they arrived from China. I am not sure about that but all I know is opposite this river bank is a Mangosteen hut; that sells delicious chendul ( a Malaysian dessert ). I still remain apprehensive of the move to Hong Kong.

Walk up to Karin

Oil, 46 x 61cm March 2006

The staircase walked up to where Karin's apartment was in Bern, Switzerland. I visited them when I worked in the Netherlands during early spring 10 years ago. While the two of us bitched and moaned about our corporate life, Alfred would just watched the migrating birds returning to their nest at the opposite clock tower. I painted this from an old photograph I took then.

Morning Walk

Oil, 78 x 61 cm, Nov 2005

This is a trek in FRIM on a Sunday morning. Brisk walking in FRIM every Sunday morning is what Jeff and I do every week to ground ourselves before facing the hectic week ahead. Jeff calls the forest his church. I am excited about the move to Hong Kong.

Walking up the aisle

Oil, 91 x 61cm, October 2005

This is one of the many footpaths in the Botanic Garden at Bukit Tinggi. The morning mist drew a light veil over the surroundings, but that only added to its mystic, teasing the padestrians with the unknowns of what lie ahead.

The Shelter

Oil, 91 x 61 cm, September 2005, private collection of Dad

I am in awe with the magnifience of the forest at Bkt Tinggi. This painting is a birthday present to my father and is now hung at the hall in my parent's house.

Subuh

Oil, 91 x 61 cm, Aug 2005

Subuh, Malay word for dawn. To me it means awakening. This is a special location in FRIM ( Forest Reserve in Kepong, Malaysia ) where the first sunray emerges from the East , gently stroking the jungle who is still sound asleep.

Midnight gardener

Oil, 55 x 55 cm, June 2005

This painting is best viewed in the dark. It was originally intended for a friend who commissioned the work but I have grown too fond of it to give it away. This is my interpretation of a garden in a moonlit night in Summer.

Old tree at Port Dickson

Oil, 76 x 51 cm, Spring 2004

We saw this magnificient tree trunk at a very remote beachhead of Port Dickson. Though fallen, it did not lose its grandieur.

Desert Symphony I

Oil, 76 x 51 cm, Summer 2004

The desert exploded into a sea of flora after a heavy downpour in Africa near Mount Kilimanjaro. Flowers bloomed and weeds stood straight, celebrating their survival, despite the long drought.

Children of the Sea

Oil, 76 x 51 cm, Winter 2004

This is painted from a photograph Ling took during her stint as a volunteer in a camp in East Coast. When Tsunami disaster struck, this particular photograph inspired me to pay tribute to the resilence of young children that was hit hard by the disaster.

Deserted farmyard

Oil, 61 x 55 cm, 2003 as a beginner in oil

This is my 2nd ever oil painiting, one of my earlier work. ( Will keep you in suspense on my 1st ever oil painting ) I was fascinated by the farmyard because it looks like a safe refuge for a child. It reminded me of the Little House on the Prairies, a TV progam that we grew up with. I remembered Lora, the 2nd daughter of the family and the mean rich girl named Nelie.

Van Gogh's Farm at spring

Oil, 61 x 55 cm, Autumn 2005, collection of Lee Jeng Shi

This was the work of van Gogh ( 1853 - 1890 ) during his healthier days. I copied it because I love its glow which spreads a joyful contendment for yet another year of good harvest.

Mother Earth

Oil, 61 x 51 cm, 2003

This is a scene in Autumn when the crop was only harvested partially. The farmers have retired for the day. The bottom part of the stalk were left deliberately so that it will decay and further fertilize the soil. I celebrate the generosity of mother earth, that seasons after seasons, provides human with nutritious grains that become an integral part of our survival.

Grandma's kitchen

Oil, 60 x 50 cm, 2003

I was inspired by the work of a Taiwanese artist and painted my grandma's kitchen. My grandma lived in the kampung house. They did not have gas stove and meals were cooked over wood fire. The most extravagant dish then was meat cut into strips and fried with soy sauce and diabetic-unfriendly dose of sugar. But it was very tasty. We ate it with cold white rice and hot milo , like any kampung kids would do.

Van Gogh's Lily

Oil, 61 x 51 cm, July 2003, private collection of Chow Yi Lin

Needless to say this is the hardest piece of work I have ever attempted. Each individual petal is unique with its own contour, shades and character.

Apple Harvesting

Oil, 61 x 51 cm, April 2005

Camille Pissaro's ( 1830 - 1903 ) earlier works intrigue me , especially those done during his earlier days when he was still associating himself with the Impressionist. I like his style and the dabs of colour. In this patining, while the man seeked out the rippen fruits in the tree, the women gathered the fallen ones in baskets. It examines my view on codependency between man and woman, and in a wider context; that both sexes are born equal. While women are venturing into arena where it was once prohibited, men should also be allowed to play maternal roles without fallen into the trap of gender stereotyping.

Coming home

Oil, 61 x 51 cm, Summer 2004

This was my first attempt at realism and I copied the work of the English master John Constable ( 1776 - 1837 ) titled The Haywain. It was a struggle for me to switch from less distinct Impressionist to the clarity of Realism but it was necessary for my training, so said my teacher. This painting marked my coming to terms with the person I am and the talent I have. I hence titlted it Coming Home.

Monet's Giverny

Oil, 61 x 51 cm, Autumn 2004, private collection of Astrid Vogelaars

Astrid and I had a pact that one day we will be sitting together sipping tea in our pokka dot dress with large sun hats, chatting about the stories of our life in the shade in the garden of Giverny . She hangs this painting in her living room in Belgium and her 10 year old daughter Helen brought it to school one day for her show-and-tell project on Claude Monet ( 1840 - 1926 )

Boat Quay

Oil, 71 x 61 cm, July 2003, private collection of Sandra Bijl

This is a wedding present to Sandra. It is a Monnet. I copied it but I turned up the red on the boat to commemorate the union of the two lovely souls.

Jamie's smile

Oil, 61 x 51 cm, Aug 2003, private collection of Jamie Tan

Jamie's Smile was the center piece of my first art exhibition titled Beauty and Passion. She was the person who challenged me to showcase my work. I in turn coaxed Vai to join me with his brilliant photography work on scenic National Park and the portraits of courougeous New Yorker living their life after the 911.