Ch’ng Kiah Kiean

ANCHORED BY HIS close observation of his surroundings, Penang-based artist, Ch’ng Kiah Kiean uses expressive lines and tones to create urbanscapes that tell of George Town’s changing history. I reached out to chat with him while I visited the city earlier this year. 

Having been sketching Penang for over 30 years, my time with Kiah Kiean was both humbling and enlightening. It’s a joy to see someone still very much in love with the old world charm of George Town, and who is constantly pushing their own art practice. As co-founder of the Urban Sketchers chapter in Penang, he continues to meet fellow sketchers weekly to capture the city he calls home. 

Q: How did your art journey begin?

I’ve always loved art when I was young, and my parents encouraged me by sending me to art lessons outside of school. I had two teachers, Dato’ Tan Chiang Kiong and Mr Tan Lye Hoe. Both of them were a huge influence on my development. I clearly recall my second teacher didn’t teach technique, instead he inspired experimentation. He told me to keep trying and challenging myself. It’s what helped me develop my own technique much later.

I also attended Chung Ling High School, where I was an active member of their Art Society. It was pretty much peer-led, with seniors teaching juniors. Every Saturday we would meet for our sessions, which included live drawing or pottery. We’d hold exhibitions in school too. The school only offered Science or Commerce subjects, so my time with the Art Society every week felt very precious to me. It made me even more determined to make the best of it. 

Q: I read that you were trained as an architect. Has that influenced your art? 

Yes, I studied architecture at USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia), and worked as a design architect after graduating. I did a job with a friend, who specialised in traditional architecture conservation, i.e. projects like restoring the roof of Chinese temples. It was interesting, the restoration work required me to climb up and take photos, with details that allowed me to see these old designs from a totally new perspective. In some sense, it probably added to my admiration for the old and the desire to capture these fading traditional buildings.

Q: How did you find urban sketching?

Actually, as early as my high school days at Chung Ling School, a few of us from the Art Society would meet on Sunday mornings to do on-location sketching. We’d ride our motor bikes and go around George Town, sketching outdoors and having fun. That’s probably where I grew to love sketching on-site.

Even after graduating, I was in the Penang Watercolour Society and we would try to meet every weekend, but most times it was just my friend, Khoo [Cheang Jin] and I. Eventually, we co-founded Urban Sketchers Penang, after I came across the Urban Sketchers movement on Flickr and Blogspot. I contacted them and eventually got invited to start the Penang chapter.

Q: Very cool. How is the Urban Sketchers group in Penang?

It’s not as big as the one in Singapore. We set up in 2010 and still meet every Sunday to sketch outdoors. Depending on the venue, we usually get about 20 regulars that show up.

I have received invitations to be part of their Symposium, which is their annual event. At first, I couldn’t afford to go, but I eventually attended my first in Barcelona in 2013. It was my first trip to Europe, and I conducted a demo to show my method of using dry twigs and Chinese ink. 

Q: What tools do you use for your sketches?

When I look back over my 30 years of art making, I can roughly divide it into three periods. First, I started with pencil and graphite, drawing scenes of places in Penang that have since disappeared. Next, it was during a visit to Taiwan where I saw a  fellow urban sketcher friend, Professor Chen, using twigs. He shared his method with me, showing me how he draws with an ink-stained twig, putting ink in a little jar with a sponge to avoid spills. I was fascinated and loved how it made my lines feel like calligraphy. Then came a time when I experimented with chinese ink and watercolour, which added a new dimension to my sketches.

To me, it’s a constant journey of problem solving and experimenting. For instance, when I was in Switzerland, I was sketching and found the mountains and its depth of field extremely difficult to capture. With diluted ink, it looked too perfect, so I began a process of experimenting, wetting the paper and using dry ink to create lighter tones. When you manage to solve the problem you are dealing with, it is very satisfying. 

Earlier on when I was still working in Graphic Design, I found myself with leftover long format cartridge paper from a project that I didn't want to let go to waste. I decided to use this scrap paper for my sketches. Before then all my sketches were in the quarter imperial format (28 x 38 cm) and were all complete street scenes. Now with this longer paper that I wasn’t used to, I needed to rethink my approach to capturing the Penang street scape. This really challenged my idea of composition, of how to decide what I should include and exclude. It was challenging but also very freeing - I didn't need to draw the whole building, and I could let my lines flow in any direction of my choosing.

Challenges are good.
It forces you to change, move and adapt.
I don’t have a fixed style.
I think it takes about five years to familiarise yourself with a style and all throughout the process you are problem solving and trying new things.

Q: What draws you to a scene? What do you look for first?

A major element in my composition is rhythm. When I look at a scene, there’s music between the space and the subject. My task as an artist is to try and catch the rhythm and make it flow. When I sketch, I need to ensure harmony between the light and dark parts of the image. Using heavy or light lines, I create the sense of space. 

Q: Are there any moments that you look back on and feel proud about your art journey?

For me, my first solo exhibition in 2000 and when I published my first book, Sketches of Pulo Pinang (e-book available here) stand out as significant moments to me. Many areas that I used to draw are now demolished. I guess it’s my way of charting the history of this place that I love. 

Q: What drives your passion? 

To focus on my sketching, that is a real happiness. There is a great satisfaction when you know the lines on the paper, the angles and perspectives you draw are good and correct. The process is the most valuable. 

Q: I see you have put all your published books online for free. Is there a reason for that?

Yes, storage was a big problem for my books, so I decided not to have physical copies anymore. Instead I made them into e-books and compiled them by country and series/type. They’re free to download.

Q: That’s so generous. Are you not worried about someone copying them?

Well, many people can copy but what is truly you? My belief is that you need to stay true to yourself. It is an inner search. Being an artist is a fun but lonely process. You can survive as an artist but have to accept that you will not be financially rich. It is the search for yourself that will make it meaningful.