OXYGEN levels begin to decline as the ground continues its incline, challenging every visitor to this remote region physically and mentally. The body is weary. Each step feels heavy. Appetite vanishes while altitude sickness is ready to claim another victim. Just breathing is already a labour let alone traversing the harsh Himalayan terrain.
In the late 1970s, a period when not many from Southeast Asia could claim to have reached the Mount Everest Base Camp, one man from a small island republic persevered on the arduous journey, committed to an unusual goal.
“My objective was to paint watercolour at an altitude above 4,000 metres,” recounts Singaporean artist Ong Kim Seng from across our table at a cosy Petaling Jaya café. Continuing with a broad grin, he adds: “And I did it in 1978. I went on a trek to the Everest base camp and on the way I painted 28 paintings. I camped, I painted, I camped, I painted until I reached an altitude of 5,000 metres… it’s a different scene altogether. Your physical condition changes so how to paint? And the colours are different because your brain works differently. It’s a bit like being colour blind. So it was a great challenge.”
RISING TO A CHALLENGE
For the longest time, Ong, who paints en plein air (in open air), had focused on old buildings in Chinatown, the Singapore river and painting other landmarks in his homeland. But then it dawned on him that he needed to break free from the same pattern.
Smiling, he confides that he recalls pondering that, “…there must be some way I can get myself recognised, not just in Singapore but in the whole world. So I had to do something that’s different from the others. What constitutes a successful painting is when people look at it and say how did he do that? How did he get this kind of lighting or this technique?” And that’s what he wanted to achieve.
A turning point came when he met someone from Nepal and started learning about the Mount Everest region. It became his goal to paint in a place where artists couldn’t easily gain access and he trained for a year to get in shape for the demanding expedition.
Upon returning from his trek, he gave talks to the arts community to increase his exposure. Ong recalls the buzz, saying: “It was packed! In those days, almost nobody went to Everest.” People flocked to hear his experience in the Himalayas, even non-painting enthusiasts.
That, of course, was some 40 years ago. Back then, Ong, a self-taught artist, was juggling a full-time job to pay the bills while indulging in his passion for painting. He was so enamoured with the serenity, solitude and raw beauty of the Himalayan region that it spurred him to return, again and again. “From there, there was no stopping me — I’ve been nine times!” With a trailblazing spirit of boldness and perseverance, his dream to be recognised at home and overseas edged closer to reality.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
This realist painter is renowned for his post-impressionistic landscapes, foliage, masonry and architectural form that he bestows with a beautiful luminosity and calmness. Some of his signature work includes naturalistic depictions of timeworn streets and remote villages in exotic locales such as Nepal and Bali, pieces that have earned him not only awards but also a name at art auctions.
In 2017, Ong achieved a new personal record when his painting based on a street scene in Bhaktapur, Nepal, sold at a Sotheby's Hong Kong auction for HK$725,000 (RM384,105), double the pre-sale estimate.
During his lifelong career, 74-year old Ong has accumulated an impressive list of awards and accolades; one of his proudest being the Cultural Medallion for his contribution to visual arts in Singapore. He must have beamed just as widely when he was conferred membership into the prestigious 138-year old American Watercolour Society (AWS) back in 1992, the first Asian artist outside the USA to be admitted.
Years later, AWS awarded him the distinguished Dolphin Fellowship, a highlight of his career, and to date, he has won nine awards from AWS for his paintings. So highly venerated is Ong’s work that his collectors include notable leaders of Asian countries, and even Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
Despite all this recognition, the ardent traveller maintains a painting philosophy that keeps his feet on the ground. “The world is changing, the medium is always advancing. After visiting so many countries and meeting other artists, even if you consider yourself good, there’s somebody else out there better than you. There’s no such thing as you’re the top. No matter how good you are, you still need to practice,” emphasises Ong.
PAINTING A STORY
The sun’s rays beat down on the street that fills our view from where we’re seated. It’s the kind of day that’s great for observing and learning how light and shade can affect a scene. Ong is in town to give a painting workshop, his first in Malaysia for the public, organised by AweGallery.
In a verdant corner of his daughter’s café, the former President of the Singapore Watercolour Society shares with me how he moved from oil painting to watercolour after finding it to be more portable and less cumbersome for painting en plein air.
“But watercolour dries very fast so it also creates a big challenge because there’s no room for correction,” explains Ong. “You have to finish the painting there and then. There’s a lot of decision-making with watercolour painting. The more I painted watercolour, the more I loved the medium because it is so versatile,” enthuses the veteran watercolourist.
Initially, he made a big blunder, not realising that he shouldn’t use the tubes of watercolour paint in the same way as oil painting. During the course of painting on location, he met a group of watercolour painters, he observed them, and through trial and error, came to learn the proper techniques.
As a plein air artist, Ong enjoys being exposed to nature, even though vulnerable to weather conditions and to changing light and shade, which can trigger a great deal of decision-making during painting. He adds: “At the same time, you’re immersed in this natural condition whereby it also inspires your thinking and your creative ideas of adding to your painting.”
As years went by, the younger Ong honed his skills by learning to create his own interpretation. “You get to paint what you want to see, rather than what you see. Maybe you move a tree away if it’s blocking something. You make the building higher because you want a better composition,” he cites as examples.
As he speaks, his fingers trace the table like a paintbrush on a canvas, channelling his thoughts. He stresses the importance of focusing on a subject matter, for instance by making a building lighter or brighter than others.
“It’s like a story. When you’re painting, you’re also narrating a story. You’re telling people what you want to say. Ask yourself which is the most interesting element. From there you spread to other supporting subjects.”
As I nod silently, he suddenly turns and gestures to the street outside. “Look out here. To anybody you see nothing much.” It’s true. All I see is a grey, mundane street seemingly devoid of any redeeming qualities, weighed down by a row of concrete shop lots and parked cars.
The sprightly artist continues: “But to me I would make changes… more silhouette… blur this out… there’ll be 2 or 3 people crossing the road, there’ll be less cars and so on. I’d create a subject matter which is the roast duck stall, my focal point. It’s how you interpret the scene that makes it lively and interesting.”
STRUGGLES BEFORE SUCCESS
Talking about painting lights up his youthful face, his eyes twinkling with wisdom and vigour. Art has brought him joy throughout most of his life, starting from a young age when he began doodling like most kids. But most kampung kids don’t get top marks in art and win prizes at primary school level.
His natural talent was nurtured at school by supportive teachers and peers, which made up for the severe disapproval he faced at home from his widowed mother. Her intolerance to his artistic inclination was so strong that she would sometimes tear up his artwork. Her fear was that if her only son pursued a career as an artist, he’d always struggle financially, just as she herself struggled to make ends meet.
But young Ong never stopped painting. After leaving school, he took on regular jobs in different fields for self-survival, while deep down yearning to become a successful full-time painter. That opportunity arrived in 1986 when he became jobless, compelling him to turn his side gig into a proper profession.
Recalls Ong: “That switch was very stressful.” Close to turning 40, the father of three was the breadwinner with an elderly mother to care for as well, while facing uncertainty about sales. Art galleries and friends believed in his talent and gave him some assurances, reminding him that he’d have more time to paint and hone his craft.
Till today, Ong maintains a daily painting regime. His reason? “I still want to find out the unknown,” he replies with a slightly faraway expression. “To be an artist is to find your unknown self of what you can do, within you. It may be in the form of colour, or the stroke, or developing a style that is going to come, something spontaneous.”
Concluding softly, he muses: “In life, we tend to stretch ourselves to find out something and that’s what we call adventure. Life isn’t just about making money, eat and sleep. There’s something beyond that — beyond what you can do.”
Details on the artist at www.ongkimseng.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ongkimsengfanpage
Instagram: @kimsengartist