Story Behind the Painting (Part 1) - Spray of Flowers

Spray of Flowers

Watercolour on paper, 71cm x 95 cm, 18 April 1976.

Artist collection

The early 70's was one of those  peak points in my life.  Having just graduated from Universiti Sains Malaysia in Pulau Pinang, I came back home to Bintulu as a young man full of ideals and energy to perform what was expected of a graduate.  But not too soon because I had to undergo an additional  year of professional study for a teaching diploma from the University of Malaya. I started to teach at a local and only secondary school in Bintulu in 1975 called the Bintulu Government Secondary School.  In between the heavy workload of a teacher and whatever free time I had at hand, I did a watercolour painting of a spray of flowers.  These flowers were actually made by my mother from colourful  plastic straws strapped on a long wire.  She would combine the various colourful straws and placed them in a glass vase. The combined weight of the  straws long wires made them bend gracefully like real flowers.  Her artistry attracted me to do the painting in imperial size paper (see above).

 

Portrait of my Mom.