Pantai Remis Late Morning

This is a painting of a coastal village on the west coast of the Peninsula Malaysia. It is a fishing enclave which has lost its prominence due to diminishing resources in the 80s. Today, it is more of a tourist district. The huts you see are actually pergolas of traders selling a variety of souvenirs and knick knacks. This was painted on a weekday where the crowd is sparse.

Do you know the artist who drew this?

Reader KK sent me these three watercolour pieces. They are done in Malacca if I am not mistaken. If anyone has seen similar works, please get in touch with me. I would like to find out more about this watercolourist. According to KK, the name of the artist is Arthur PY Ting. Could it be Arthur Teng? I am just guessing. The latter is the renowned photographer. I don't know if he did any painting. For what it's worth, it could be a Malacca artist by similar name. Let me know if you know the artist. Thank you.

The Long and short of portraits in watercolours

Master watercolourist Long Thien Shih was spotted drawing the portrait of the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at the recently concluded Asean Bazaar at the Conlay Handicraft Centre in Kuala Lumpur recently. Portraiture is considered one of the most challenging in the aqua medium but in the hands of someone as skilled as Long, the execution appeared like a breezy cruise and corrections were similarly easy as 1-2-3. The product, as you can see, is simply marvellous. (If you are interested in portraits, you may reach Long at 019-2453049)

Maamor Jantan's current work

These are Maamor Jantan's works done in watercolour. One features a fisherman returning from sea while the other features boys playing electric sparklers during a festive season. These two works will be among those on display at the Asean Art Bazaar which starts at the Conlay Handicraft Centre. Maamor, Long Thien Shih, Rafie Abdul Rahman, Sani Mat Dom, and a few others will be having an arts demonstration. The bazaar features art and craft from ASEAN. Check it out if you are in town. (To purchase Maamor's work, get in touch with 012-601-7808 (Alice Lee)

Khor Ean Ghee's Boats

I met Mr Khor Ean Ghee, formerly Malaysian, now residing in Singapore at the 1st International Art Expo Malaysia held at the Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur recently. Khor, in his 60s, and several other Singaporean artists were at the show, which is being held from Nov 3-7. Khor specialises in watercolour and his speciality are boats. I was attracted to Khor's works because it was reminiscent of maestro Ong Kim Seng's works, especially the light and shade features of the former. I reproduced here some of his works for you to enjoy.

Red Mountain

This is an imaginary piece painted by a 12-year-old pupil of mine, Zhen. It is a scene of a mountain, painted very loosely with varying strokes and a good mix of warm and cool colours. The paper is a 300gm Chinese paper with heavy tooth. The paper has a slightly yellow tint because I have not used them for quite some time. As it turns out, the texture of the paper and the paint pigments complement each other really well. Done by a 12-year-old, this is a good piece. What do you think?