07/12/2025

ON SUNDAY December 7, 2025 theSunday Special III

Echoes … A close-up of the layered coloured pencil technique Kow is known for.

Sempiternity

In my artwork, I am not only the artist but also the mediator between the subject matter and the viewer”

success rely on our artistic identity and creativity. Consistency and perseverance are the key,” she said. The Malaysian art scene has evolved tremendously compared to what it used to be, with artists like Kow getting recogni tion and being given opportunities despite working with an unconventional medium that is not paint on canvas. She has shown her work not only lo cally but also in multiple international H[KLELWLRQV LQ $PHULFD 7DLZDQ 6RXWK Korea and other countries. It is now far more receptive to a wide range of art forms, genres and media. Through social media, the Malaysian public is far more open-minded and educated DERXW DUW ,W LV GH¿QLWHO\ D YHU\ JRRG time to be a local artist. “It has to work both ways. To be an accomplished artist does not mean that one can sit and wait for opportunities to drop onto one’s lap. (̆ RUWV KDYH WR EH PDGH ,I \RX DUH DQ DVSLULQJ DUWLVW ZKDW GH¿QHV \RX LV \RXU DELOLW\ WR H[SUHVV \RXU WUXH LQQHU YRLFH through your work. “By staying true to your

Sharon

She then uses the basic gridline method to enlarge and transfer the whole compo sition onto the drawing paper, working out the outline for proportion without drawing every little detail of the subject. From then on, she slowly builds up the colours and tones, which generally take DERXW ¿YH WR VL[ OD\HUV RU HYHQ PRUH IRU some intricate pieces. “The need to use both logic and emotion LQ P\ DUW FDQ EH H[KDXVWLQJ 7KURXJK WKH years, I have learned to free my mind and let my hand and heart do the work. The most important part of the whole process is creating the overall composition. “Values, light and shadows are vital in all my artworks; how I envision them and the stories behind them are most impor tant to me. The process of transferring the idea onto the paper is just a matter of acquired skills and techniques,” she said. Inspired by the culture Malaysia’s rich culture, nature and tra ditions have mainly influenced Kow’s DUWZRUN 0DQ\ RI KHU VXEMHFWV H[SORUH human connections through still-life objects. Living in a multiracial country, Kow always tries to focus on subjects that everyone, regardless of race and creed, can relate to. She avoids anything that is too compartmentalised or subjects that only a particular group of people can understand.

“In my artwork, I am not only the artist but also the mediator between the subject matter and the viewer. I want people to look and immediately be able to recognise and perhaps even relate to it emotionally. When viewers start to react by looking deeper and questioning, I know I have succeeded. And that is my biggest reward of all,” she said. Being a full-time artist is not always easy, especially in a niche medium. Kow, who has been a signature member of the Coloured Pencil Society of America (CPSA) for almost 10 years, considers her self fortunate to have embraced art later LQ OLIH DW D VWDJH ZKHQ VKH LV ¿QDQFLDOO\ stable. But she agrees that it is increasingly FRPSOH[ WR VXVWDLQ D OLYHOLKRRG VROHO\ DV D full-time artist today. The old notion that one must be a tortured, obsessive loner working end lessly to be a “real” artist simply does not hold today. For her, there is no shame in pursuing other work to pay the bills. Most of the time, survival itself enables the artist to keep creating. “Time management is an important and necessary daily discipline in life. We need to make time for family, friends and our spiritual and physical well-being to really connect with our creative selves. When the mind is calm, the vision be comes clear. There are challenges and hurdles. As artists, our art career and

subject matter, medium and vision, you create a body of work that be comes recognisably yours. Equally impor tant is developing a distinctive style.

Consistency in your artistic voice is what will make your art stand

out among oth ers,” she said, leaving words of wisdom to all the new local artists.