'Scratching the Sky' loosely translated from the malay word 'Cakar Langit' lends itself to various interpretations. Whether it's 'scraping' or 'grazing', the act of translating my painting is as fluid as the Malay language itself. Meaning is defined alongside purpose, spirit and ultimately, intentions.
Forms, colour, rhythm, strokes and grace are visible to my paintings. The ‘form’ is interesting for me in the overall harmony. ‘Colours’ tell the story of my feelings and certain moments in my life. ‘Rhythm’ symbolizes my culture and identity. ‘Strokes’ reveal the message of what I am sharing. ‘Grace’ is the understanding and acceptance that exist in my soul.
For me, whatever that is visible starts from the inside and from there I paint to share what is concealed in the depths of my heart. Amongst the forms that keep appearing in my paintings is a sharp form which curls and gracefully merges into the background. The sharpness of the form symbolizes the amount of knowledge that has been acquired so much till the end dissipates. The less visible it is, the more narrow it becomes like a lethal knife.
The curled formations instil a sense of something fresh and emerging. Taking inspiration from the natural world, a new plant curls as it grows before forming into leaves ready to take shape into a tree.
The final form ends and merges into the background representing the fact that knowledge and understanding, alongside our actions – all come from a single source afterwhich we all return to nature.
Colours tell the stories of my feelings and specific moments in my life. White and yellow symbolizes the finer aspects of my life. Red symbolizes both the intensity and anguish that comes with love, while the rest of the colours complement the environment of the natural world.
I often paint with the brush, my fingers, palms, the palette knife to achieve an effect that is closest to what I am feeling and what I am inspired by. The brush, my fingers and palms are used for the broader strokes and bigger landscapes – what I am seeing from a vantage point. The palette knife and smaller brushes are used for the finer strokes which I paint till I achieve a sense of union between my body and my soul.
I wish to share that everything starts from a singular source which is manifested into multiple forms as wide as our imagination, and as much as our understanding is able to humanly comprehend.
