PETALING JAYA, June 2 – The scene appears serene: sacred temples, villagers going about their way, an ordinary day.

But in the background a mountain looms. No, the clouds drifting around its slopes tell a different story; in time these would be clouds of ash, for this is no mere mountain but a volcano.

The painting is Mount Agung Before Eruption (2018, 53cm x 73cm) and it won Singaporean artist Ong Kim Seng his ninth award from the American Watercolour Society earlier this year.

He painted the piece after a trip to Bali last May; barely a week after his return home, Mount Agung erupted.

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Where others may see Nature as mercurial, Ong sees balance and life lessons in the ever-changing.

Singaporean artist Ong Kim Seng is a master watercolour painter influenced heavily by nature and travel (left). 'Quick Demo' (2015, 38cm x 53cm) was painted in Bali (right)
Singaporean artist Ong Kim Seng is a master watercolour painter influenced heavily by nature and travel (left). 'Quick Demo' (2015, 38cm x 53cm) was painted in Bali (right)

Instead of danger, he views Bali as “a very mystical island, full of festivals, full of temples. Here you don’t see mountains as high as the Himalayan ranges; here you see volcanoes, many many volcanoes.”

Volcanoes are unpredictable, certainly, but that adds to their mystique. Perhaps that is why Ong, a self-taught painter, is drawn to watercolour: “It’s an unpredictable medium. Each painting when you start is a challenge because there is no turning back – there is no way you can draw in something then erase it or cover it.”

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While watercolour seems straightforward, Ong cautions that a painter has to be systematic and plan ahead.

He explains, “It’s a medium that is different from all other media – the traditional method goes from light to dark; for others, some start from dark to light. You use all types of surfaces of paper – rough, cold-pressed and hot-pressed. Even the hairs of brushes are different; some give you a good spring or a weaker one.”

Beyond the techniques and tools of the trade, it is travel that forms a big part of Ong’s oeuvre. Of all the countries visited and journeys he has made, perhaps none left a more lasting impression than Tibet, which he first visited in 1986.

Ong at Jokhang in Lhasa, Tibet (1986 )
Ong at Jokhang in Lhasa, Tibet (1986 )

He recalls, “I first went to Szechuan, then later flew to Tibet. I didn’t know about acute mountain sickness till I flew in from an area that is much lower such as Chengdu to Lhasa which almost 4,000 metres high – it’s totally different!”

Ong travelled by all means available to him then: by car, bicycle and even trishaw. He viewed Mount Everest from the north from the town of Tingri, an entirely different sight from when he saw the mountain from the south in Nepal.

He says, “It’s almost like painting up in the sky. You can never see a blue sky like that. At night it’s so clear you can almost see all the stars in the constellation.”

There is a sense of solitude in Ong’s observations, not of loneliness but of joy in going off-grid and embracing Nature.

This is a man who has lived his own version of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, and reflected upon the beauty inherent in the simplest living.

Born in Singapore, just after World War II in the rural part of the island, Ong’s bucolic childhood contributed to his lifelong love affair with Nature.

'Dusty Day in Kathmandu' (2009, 53cmx73cm)
'Dusty Day in Kathmandu' (2009, 53cmx73cm)

He says, “I lived in a kampung. My friends and I would go to jungles, climb trees, pluck fruits and run away from orchard owners!”

Ong would later start to paint after a secondary school art society outing and later hitch-hiked to Terengganu in 1975 on his first painting expedition out of the country.

He adds, “It was my second trip – four of my friends and I went to Bali in late 1975 – that was a great eye-opener. I heard so much about Bali before; I used to attend exhibitions with Bali paintings of the exotic scenery. Now I saw in full colour the volcanoes, the terraced rice fields, the people making offerings.”

While sharing easy camaraderie with a community of fellow artists, Ong is perfectly happy to be a lone wolf.

He says, “I live like any common person and I’m old now – for me to change is not easy. I can live alone and do things on my own. Others find it strange that I can travel alone and stay in very harsh conditions alone.”

'Holy Spring, Bali' (2012, 53cm x 73cm)
'Holy Spring, Bali' (2012, 53cm x 73cm)

Perhaps it’s a clear-eyed sense of his own mortality that drives Ong to keep working. He has undertaken nine treks in the Himalayan region alone, painting as he travels, never squandering a single moment.

“I believe that a person doesn’t live in this world for a long time. As my friends say, for people like me, there is no more warranty left. We live by the day, we live by the hour, we live by the minute,” he says.

If the affable painter has any goals, it is to bestow a legacy. He says, “A singer leaves his recordings behind, a writer his novels, so a painter should leave his paintings. I try to paint paintings that many people will like and appreciate for a long, long time to come. If they see the paintings, they can see the feelings behind.”

And so they can; his artwork can be found at the Singapore Art Museum, Neka Museum in Bali, Maritime Museum in Sentosa and the Hawk Gallery in Oregon, US.

Watercolour Painting Workshop by Ong Kim Seng
Theme: Painting light and shade in watercolour effectively
Date: Sat, June 15, 2019
Time: 9am-4pm
Cost: RM600 per pax (lunch provided)
Venues: Taman Aman ("live" watercolour painting demonstration) and Awegallery, PJ (lunch & talk)

To register, text or WhatsApp 013-3888048 (Dora) or email [email protected] (limited to 20 seats only)

Web: www.ongkimseng.com
Facebook: ongkimsengfanpage
Instagram: kimsengartist