MALAYSIAN NATURALIST, MARCH 2015
Renowned artist Teh Yew Kiang talks about being enthralled by the immeasurable power of Mother Nature
MY AFFINITY towards nature started from my childhood days, where wilderness abounded. A scurrying ant, a rolling hill or a blackened sky of frightening lightning and thunder – all these never stopped to amaze and inspire me, and continuously shape my life, knowingly and unknowingly.
Since young, I realised I couldn’t excel in most things except in painting and drawing. My right-brain tendency developed naturally with the influence of a keen interest in art and nature.
It was when I joined the Malaysian Nature Society 35 years ago, freshly graduated from art college, that I had a clear direction of becoming a wildlife artist as my life’s calling. The aspiration has definitely strengthened through association with MNS’s activities and its like-minded members.
Happy birding experiences with adept birders and ornithological enthusiasts helped assimilate my specific interest in bird painting. Also, in the thick rainforest environment, sighting avian wildlife is much easier than terrestrial or aquatic ones. Hence my passion for the feathered species was deeply kindled and naturally, painting birds has become the forte in my artistic expressions.
Wildlife art, apart from mainstream art, generally emphasises accurate depiction and realistic representation of the subject matter. Besides serving as an inspiration or educational material of nature, a piece of wildlife art should also be aesthetically pleasing to the eyes and the mind.
A wildlife artist is, therefore, invariably driven by perpetual interest and sheer passion towards Mother Nature, which is the imperative source of inspiration and aspiration.
Since young, I realised I couldn’t excel in most things except in painting and drawing. My right-brain tendency developed naturally with the influence of a keen interest in art and nature.
It was when I joined the Malaysian Nature Society 35 years ago, freshly graduated from art college, that I had a clear direction of becoming a wildlife artist as my life’s calling. The aspiration has definitely strengthened through association with MNS’s activities and its like-minded members.
Happy birding experiences with adept birders and ornithological enthusiasts helped assimilate my specific interest in bird painting. Also, in the thick rainforest environment, sighting avian wildlife is much easier than terrestrial or aquatic ones. Hence my passion for the feathered species was deeply kindled and naturally, painting birds has become the forte in my artistic expressions.
Wildlife art, apart from mainstream art, generally emphasises accurate depiction and realistic representation of the subject matter. Besides serving as an inspiration or educational material of nature, a piece of wildlife art should also be aesthetically pleasing to the eyes and the mind.
A wildlife artist is, therefore, invariably driven by perpetual interest and sheer passion towards Mother Nature, which is the imperative source of inspiration and aspiration.
"Besides serving as an inspiration or educational material of nature, a piece of wildlife art should also be aesthetically pleasing to the eyes and the mind." – Teh Yew Kiang
My sporadic endeavour with philately stamp design is challengingly fulfilling, with a few series winning national or international design awards. Designing postal stamps requires thorough research on the subject matter. The knowledge gained in the process can be immensely rewarding.
In one of my stamp series, I needed to portray a family of red jungle fowl. Besides drawing references from the Internet, I wanted to have a more in-depth study of the bird and decided to do a bit of observation of the animal in the wild. Although commonly found in forests and plantations, the red jungle fowl is extremely alert and elusive. Interestingly, after searching high and low in the forest fringe and plantation estates, I unexpectedly discovered a small healthy group living in the bushes just a stone’s throw from my apartment!
Later, tipped-off by an avid birder friend, I found another colony of the bird foraging freely in a large patch of wasteland in the heart of Bangsar, oblivious to the hustle and bustle of roaring traffic.
The search finally climaxed with a trip to a forest resort’s small animal farm. One can imagine the exhilaration I felt when I saw no less than 30 of these sleek and brilliantly coloured birds, the ancestor of the domestic chicken. Semi-tamed and quite used to human presence, they gingerly came out from the forest in small family groups, feeding trustingly on the farm’s regular hand-out. It simply dawned to me what a resilient and adaptive bird species this is!
I used to paint in watercolour but now do so more often in acrylic and on larger canvas. I seldom dabble in oil, to avoid possible health hazards in the long run. Besides trying to invoke the quintessential sense of aesthetic, I also hope to instill, in my paintings, the subtle artistic flow that may help to create keener awareness and deeper appreciation towards Mother Nature.
In one of my stamp series, I needed to portray a family of red jungle fowl. Besides drawing references from the Internet, I wanted to have a more in-depth study of the bird and decided to do a bit of observation of the animal in the wild. Although commonly found in forests and plantations, the red jungle fowl is extremely alert and elusive. Interestingly, after searching high and low in the forest fringe and plantation estates, I unexpectedly discovered a small healthy group living in the bushes just a stone’s throw from my apartment!
Later, tipped-off by an avid birder friend, I found another colony of the bird foraging freely in a large patch of wasteland in the heart of Bangsar, oblivious to the hustle and bustle of roaring traffic.
The search finally climaxed with a trip to a forest resort’s small animal farm. One can imagine the exhilaration I felt when I saw no less than 30 of these sleek and brilliantly coloured birds, the ancestor of the domestic chicken. Semi-tamed and quite used to human presence, they gingerly came out from the forest in small family groups, feeding trustingly on the farm’s regular hand-out. It simply dawned to me what a resilient and adaptive bird species this is!
I used to paint in watercolour but now do so more often in acrylic and on larger canvas. I seldom dabble in oil, to avoid possible health hazards in the long run. Besides trying to invoke the quintessential sense of aesthetic, I also hope to instill, in my paintings, the subtle artistic flow that may help to create keener awareness and deeper appreciation towards Mother Nature.
