Beauty in the eye of former farmer
ONE story Perak-born artist Hon Peow, 86, is fond of telling is how he was flattered by a visitor during an exhibition in China.
It had to do with a 2017 piece called 'Serene Old Tree' from his 'Rain Trees from Taiping' series, a set of four ink paintings depicting an old rain tree with flowing branches and epiphytes growing in between.
So impressed was the visitor with the way Hon had captured its weather-hardened resilience that it was suggested the piece be renamed 'The God of Trees'.
A visitor taking a selfie at an interactive section depicting the life of rubber tappers.
But rain trees are not the only strength of the graduate of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore.
In his current solo exhibition of 60 Chinese ink paintings at Wisma Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM), landscape and fields, flowing streams and bridges, flowers and birds, misty lakes, rubber plantations, swaying coconut trees and banana groves have all become subjects for Hon's brush.
Named 'Depicting the Beauty of Nature', the exhibition is divided into several sections.
On the ground floor is his 'Rubber Tree' series depicting the Hevea brasiliensis, either singly or in groves, with milky white latex flowing into cups.
An art lover admiring Hon's collection from his 'Rubber Tree' series at the exhibition titled 'Depicting the Beauty of Nature' at Wisma Sokka Gakai. — Photos: KAMARUL ARIFFIN/The Star
The beauty in these pieces lie in their tree trunks bearing the scars of V-shaped grooves like beautiful tattoos.
The mezzanine hosts 'Rain Trees from Taiping' inspired by Perak's Taiping Lake Gardens where Hon loves to take morning walks.
On how he manages to capture fissures in tree barks so well in his paintings, Hon said he would stop to touch the trunks of trees to get a real feel for their depth and texture.
On the first floor is his nature showcase. Of note is a piece called 'The Musang King', with squirrels raiding a durian tree.
The exhibition at Wisma Kebudayaan SGM in Kuala Lumpur features 60 of Hon's paintings based on his lived experience as a farmer in Taiping.
Although Hon was trained in Western oil painting, he did not pursue a career as an artist until he was in his 40s.
He first chose to make a living as a farmer on his 4ha estate in Taiping, where he tapped rubber, reared grass carp and removed old trees for replanting.
The estate has now been replanted with palm trees and managed by his eldest son Keng Chong, 55.
Hon no longer works at his farm, but conducts Chinese ink painting classes in Perak, Kedah and Penang.
'Those years as a farmer helped me find my topics and discover my inner self,' he said.
'Depicting the Beauty of Nature' is on until Aug 10 at Wisma Kebudayaan SGM in Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
Opening hours: 11am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Admission is free.
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