Viewing old Penang through new eyes
LOUIS Gan Yee Loong, 27, has made a name for himself in art circles with his mural "Brother and Sister on a Swing" in Gat Lebuh Chulia.
Gan, 27, has now gone one step further with his exhibition entitled "Nostalgia Penang", currently ongoing at Galeri Seni Mutiara until May 25.
At this early stage, he has already snagged his first solo, which is testament to his extraordinary talent.
Born with hearing and speech disabilities, Gan is a freelance artist.
He has a preference for watercolours, with acrylics coming in a a close second, and he has also dabbled in oils.
For his solo, Gan has selected 42 pieces in watercolours, all painted this year. The paintings, of predominantly heritage buildings, show a maturity beyond his years.
"I have seen old buildings in other places in the world but the heritage buildings in Penang are unique and I find a need to paint them in my own style.
"The age of the artist does not matter; what is more important is the interest and passion and, of course, the direction of the artist concerned," he said.
With no formal education in art as his parents could not find an art teacher able to work around the communication difficulties, Gan learnt his rudiments on the Internet, particularly through YouTube, and found his forte through research and study.
"I believe in the axiom 'practice makes perfect' and learning through the Internet has helped a lot to develop my own style and choice of medium.
"I drew cartoon characters when I was young. Winning a prize in the Japanese-Malaysian Junior Art Competition at 16 spurred me to further develop my skills," said the artist through his older brother Yee Haw at the launch of the exhibition.
A closer look at his paintings reveals the presence of cars in all his cityscapes, for which he has this explanation: "The cars were there when I painted the scenes on the spot. I painted the scenes as they were. They were not implanted."
Gallery owner Koay Soo Kau said he met Gan two years ago and was impressed by the young artist's skills, which led to this exhibition.
"A young, good and accomplished artist who uses the wet-on-wet technique, which shows his ability to give a transparent character to the watercolour.
"Gan loves to show light and shadow, a characteristic typical of of most watercolourists.
"He also has a good eye for finding the best angles to show the buildings, and the presence of motorcars, reflects that George Town is infested with cars!" he said.
Koay said Gan had showed that a hearing disability was no deterrent to the pursuit of one's dream.
Guest-of-honour was Auto-City Penang founder and Auto-City Group managing director Gary Teoh Kiang-Hong.
The gallery is at 118, Lebuh Armenian. Visiting hours are from 11am to 6pm daily. Admission is free. For details, call 016-444 0167.
Lebuh Armenian.
~News courtesy of New Straits Times~
LOUIS Gan Yee Loong, 27, has made a name for himself in art circles with his mural "Brother and Sister on a Swing" in Gat Lebuh Chulia.
Gan, 27, has now gone one step further with his exhibition entitled "Nostalgia Penang", currently ongoing at Galeri Seni Mutiara until May 25.
At this early stage, he has already snagged his first solo, which is testament to his extraordinary talent.
Born with hearing and speech disabilities, Gan is a freelance artist.
He has a preference for watercolours, with acrylics coming in a a close second, and he has also dabbled in oils.
For his solo, Gan has selected 42 pieces in watercolours, all painted this year. The paintings, of predominantly heritage buildings, show a maturity beyond his years.
"I have seen old buildings in other places in the world but the heritage buildings in Penang are unique and I find a need to paint them in my own style.
"The age of the artist does not matter; what is more important is the interest and passion and, of course, the direction of the artist concerned," he said.
With no formal education in art as his parents could not find an art teacher able to work around the communication difficulties, Gan learnt his rudiments on the Internet, particularly through YouTube, and found his forte through research and study.
"I believe in the axiom 'practice makes perfect' and learning through the Internet has helped a lot to develop my own style and choice of medium.
"I drew cartoon characters when I was young. Winning a prize in the Japanese-Malaysian Junior Art Competition at 16 spurred me to further develop my skills," said the artist through his older brother Yee Haw at the launch of the exhibition.
A closer look at his paintings reveals the presence of cars in all his cityscapes, for which he has this explanation: "The cars were there when I painted the scenes on the spot. I painted the scenes as they were. They were not implanted."
Gallery owner Koay Soo Kau said he met Gan two years ago and was impressed by the young artist's skills, which led to this exhibition.
"A young, good and accomplished artist who uses the wet-on-wet technique, which shows his ability to give a transparent character to the watercolour.
"Gan loves to show light and shadow, a characteristic typical of of most watercolourists.
"He also has a good eye for finding the best angles to show the buildings, and the presence of motorcars, reflects that George Town is infested with cars!" he said.
Koay said Gan had showed that a hearing disability was no deterrent to the pursuit of one's dream.
Guest-of-honour was Auto-City Penang founder and Auto-City Group managing director Gary Teoh Kiang-Hong.
The gallery is at 118, Lebuh Armenian. Visiting hours are from 11am to 6pm daily. Admission is free. For details, call 016-444 0167.
Lebuh Armenian.
~News courtesy of New Straits Times~
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