That might explain why Siva tossed away many of the paintings he did during the pandemic. This self-taught artist, who proudly claims he is a graduate of the “University of YouTube”, picked up his craft after taking a long break.
“I felt like I lost my touch. My fingers were not used to holding the brush and making strokes anymore. I didn’t like the paintings I did,” the retired copywriter shared with FMT Lifestyle.
That was six years ago, and today, Siva is part of a group of Malaysian artists whose works will be showcased in Germany next year during Berlin Art Week and the interdisciplinary Festival eXoplanet by Theatre Magdeburg, with support from the Steinbeis Foundation.
The other participating artists are Lee Cheow Hee, Tian Chua, Daeng Ramli Akil, Nor Azlan, Habsah Abang Saufi, and James Yip. Their artworks are currently on display at the newly launched Steinbeis University Asean Regional Hub Centre in Berlin.
Siva, who’s known for his detailed landscape and nature paintings, will be working on a series of new paintings, focusing on the charms of small Malaysian towns. “They are very romantic, very retro, and bring us to the past,” he said.
For Siva, painting is about preserving disappearing worlds – old kopitiams, weathered shoplots, pasar malam scenes, fishing boats, roti men balancing loaves of bread on bicycles, and sleepy mining towns.
“People living in cities are tired of seeing buildings all the time. When you come home and see a beautiful scenery with trees and ponds and water flowing, it relaxes you,” he said.
Born in Gopeng and raised in an estate, Siva grew up surrounded by limestone hills, mining ponds, rivers, waterfalls and dense greenery.
Long before the gallery shows, he was a five-year-old drawing on sand under a large tree with sticks alongside his siblings and neighbourhood children.
“My paintings and drawings were much better than the rest,” he recalled with a laugh.
His elder brother and sister, both talented in art and crafts, took him under their wing. Teachers trained in British art traditions later introduced him to classical landscape painting styles.
But like many children from small towns, Siva was told that art could never become a real career.
“My school friends told me ‘art will never take you anywhere’. But I didn’t listen to them and I continued painting because I just love it,” he enthused.
Unfortunately, painting disappeared from his life for decades once he started working as a copywriter in an advertising agency. It only returned after retirement.
Today, his paintings can take anywhere between one to three months to complete. He approaches them almost meditatively. “It starts flowing like a diesel engine. Once the diesel engine starts warming up, then you can’t stop me,” he said.
His commitment to detail also comes from honesty .“When I simply splashed paint around, it didn’t look good to me. It felt like I was being dishonest to myself,” he revealed.
That attention to detail has earned him a loyal following. Many of his paintings are sold almost as quickly as he finishes them through recommendations from friends and collectors. In fact, he admitted he barely has any paintings left in his own possession.
Even after suffering a heart attack last year, Siva continues painting daily but at a gentler pace.
And there is still too much left for him to paint – seascapes, Indian mythology, forgotten towns, and countless more stories waiting to be captured.
“As long as I have my last breath, I’ll keep going,” he said. “There are still so many things I want to paint.”
For younger artists hoping to follow in his footsteps, Siva offers simple advice: “Don’t paint for money. Paint for the love of art. And learn the basics first. Everybody is an abstract artist now. But don’t do that.”