As a five-year-old child, I recall watching my sister paint with oils, and then my grandfather Lee Kah Yeow — a renowned artist in Southeast Asia — paint with black ink and wash on rice paper. Their work captivated me, from the bold sweeping brush strokes illustrating mountains and pine trees to the bright hues of painted lotuses, peonies, and pine trees. Since then, I find myself looking at the world through a different lens. Throughout my childhood and adolescent years, I received instruction from various prominent artists in Malaysia, including Chia Yu Chian (http://www.lagaleriedumonde.com/artist/chia-yu-chian/), Phoon Poh Hong, and Yap Hong Ngee.

My work is influenced by my desire to commit onto paper — using different mediums — the beautiful expressions of the people I love as well as of the people I encounter in my travels from Turkey to India and Laos. These individuals represent the diverse world in which we live, but sometimes fail to stop to notice and appreciate. I find serenity and timelessness in drawing and painting; it helps to balance my otherwise less creative life as a social scientist. I continue to find time to hone my artistic skills by participating in courses offered by instructors at VisArts in Rockville, Maryland, and The Art League in Northern Virginia, which have included Mark Collins, Robert Liberace, and Priscilla Treacy.

I have exhibited my work throughout different places in Montgomery County (Maryland) at the Universities of Shady Grove, the Rockville Mayor and Council’s office, Connie Morella Library, Black Rock Center for the Arts, and the Kentlands Mansion. These events have been organized by different groups including Leadership Montgomery and the Art League of Germantown.