What strikes me the most about Tan Gaik Hoon’s paintings and most likely you too, is the richly layered and textured stories she manages to tell through her artful and sophisticated use of acrylics while threading throughout each painting some really spectacular colours.

Her attention to detail is exceedingly intricate and she will frequently “hide” small objects in her paintings like kittens or birds. Her paintings are a superbly genuine visual feast and give the appearance of movement even when stationary hanging on the wall.

The more you look at them the more you notice you are conjuring up sweet nostalgic whiffs of an epoch of yesteryear. And you can certainly see and appreciate the level of skill involved as well as the complete command this artist has over her original and highly structured compositions.

Gaik Hoon loves to go into the rural kampongs to observe the interaction of the women and how they work, play and care for their families. It is a simple, rustic life that is full of richly lush beauty and Gaik Hoon displays the ability to highlight the essence of the historic Nyonya and their unique lifestyle.

Gaik Hoon’s mastery of her craft is obvious. Her uncanny ability to capture people in mid motion or as they speak among themselves makes viewers feel as if they are in the same paintings and participating too.

This article was written by Marybeth Ramey
This article has been edited for Expatgomalaysia.com
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