Art Research - A Sarawak Malay artist

Art Research - Othman Borhan.

Othman Borhan and his 1st prize winning batik painting during the Miri Art Competition., 1969.

Othman Borhan on a photo trip at Lemanak river,
circa early 80's
(Photo credit : Hamni Juni)

 There are not many Sarawak Malay artists who left a legacy in the Sarawak's fine art scene. I have come across one who was a successful artist in the 80's but did not continue to produce more works due to his early demise. I share here some research I did on Othman Borhan who was a contemporary of mine in the late 60's when we took art lessons in form six at Tanjong Lobang School under the illuminating guidance of our art teacher and himself an accomplished artist, Mr Voong Kiat Fui. Check out the story more by following this link....>>>http://beingmy2.blogspot.com/search/label/Othman%20Borhan

Watercolour painting by Othman Borhan.

( Note: This story is a re-post from my Facebook,  dated, 14 March, 2020.) 

In the year 1981, an artist I became

The Digital era 2012 and beyond
To see more of my works and adventres in art online, please follow the links below:
# mygalerimood.blogspot.com

Batik pieces for sale,
early 2000's

In the year 1981, an artist I became.  It has been a long journey and it is not going to stop.  There is however a very important milestone in my passion for art.  It was in Kuching, Sarawak that I decided to celebrate my love for art and poetry in one exhibition.  I organised an exhibition never seen before in the capital city.  In the exhibition, my paintings were displayed together with other poetry works of mine. The poems were stenciled, drawn and and some recorded and the readings played as background sound and music for visitors to the exhibition.  The exhibition was a real success thanks to the great help of my artist friends in Kuching and the Sarawak Museum which provided the exhibition space. My adventures in art started very early while I was in lower secondary school in Bintulu (1963-1966), however it was at Tanjung Lobang College (1967 -1970) that my art training received a firm foundation.  In the 70's I was busy doing further studies at Pulau Pinang but continued to put some of my artistic talents to good use in making shadow play puppets, a minor option I took.  In the university years I found great escape in doing pen sketches of myself in different moods.  In the 80's I concentrated on making batik works which were mainly for sale. In the 1990's I did a few abstracts and this trend continued into the 2000's .  My abstract paintings have one very important thing in common.  The paints I used were left overs which I recycled in the form of abstract works.  When the Internet arrived and the digital age is here to stay, I toyed around with digital art which I called 'rendart' or art rendered digitally.  I am blessed to have acquired the skills of an artist to interpret the world around me and which has made me feel  'an artist at heart'.  Art is a need and I am most satisfied when I can express myself to fill the need  intuitively, intellectually and culturally.

Happy Malaysia Day, Sarawak.

( Note: This is the 10th  post on what it is meant to be a Malaysian as part of my writing contribution to Malaysia Day which will  to be celebrated on the 16th of September.)

1981 - First Solo Art and Poetry Exhibition , at Sarawak Museum, Kuching.
My artist friends and lovers of art who assisted in organising the exhibition.

Exhibition booklet for the first solo exhibition, 15 -17 October,1981.
This booklet is kept by the Library of Congress, follow the link below:-
# https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=pameran+lukisan+dan+puisi+mood&searchCode=GKEY%5E*&searchType=0&recCount=25&sk=en_US

As a young artist at Tanjung Lobang Beach, Miri. 1968.
At Tanjung Lobang College I received a firm foundation in Art.

At my first solo exhibition in 1981.