Relocating from Singapore to Tokyo and then to Hong Kong within a year in 2007 wasn’t easy for my family of four. But realizing we might stick around for at least a few years allowed me to settle in.
I picked up brushes and canvases from the art store in Wan Chai and began the artistic journey that I had originally contemplated while living in the US in 2000. My first exhibit in Hong Kong was at home with the help of a few friends. I sold a couple of my favourite paintings and that nudged me forward. It was a tough journey but I never wavered.
In 2013, I was awarded an Honorary Prize for “Best Impressionistic Style Painting” at the Master of Art International Art Prize in London. I literally fell off my seat as I wasn’t expecting any recognition, let alone an award. In the meantime, I took a graphic design course and started to write freelance for Hong Kong Living as I wanted to make the most of my Masters in English Literature. I aIso undertook an internship at an art magazine, ArtAsiaPacific, and learned a lot about the publishing world. I won the Justice Centre Choice Award for the Human Rights Art Prize 2015 for my acrylic painting, “If Only I Could Fly”. Using this success, I applied and exhibited at various locations in Hong Kong, Osaka, and Kuala Lumpur.
Now as an editor for Southside Magazine at Hong Kong Living, I have come to realize the value of time and doing what we enjoy in life. And yes, I still paint on the weekend. You see me socializing less but hey, I’m enjoying the journey!