Ong Hwee Yen

Artist Statement

"Painting is my second wanderlust... breaking me free to realms where my footsteps dare not thread."

Yen paints landscapes, scenes, inspired by travels, dreams, in an impressionist style, characterized by strong colours and organic forms, with leanings towards surrealist expressionism and recently, abstractism. As a child, she harboured thoughts of being an artist but given the prevailing typical Singaporean parent sentiment at the time, she went the conventional route and maintained her penchant for creativity, from music composition to travel photography and writing and eventually back to the active exploration of art in 2005. Her favourite artists are Cezanne, Edvard Munch, Van Gogh, Chagall and Kandisky, and their post-impressionist modernist influences come through in her artwork.

Largely self-taught, Yen gained much from attending art workshops and interaction with experienced art practioners, from studying art history and the journey of masters, learning from their works and techniques. Increasingly, it is everyday life that is the teacher - places, people, things that move her into translating those feelings on canvas.