About Singapore Impressionist Landscape Artist Ong Hwee Yen

Oil acrylic paintings of travel landscapes, places, people, things by Singapore artist, Ong Hwee Yen, an impressionist painter.

Commissions & art teaching available.

“Painting is my second wanderlust..
breaking me free to realms where my footsteps dare not tread. ”

I paint landscapes, scenes, inspired by travels, dreams, in an impressionist style, characterized by strong colours and organic forms, with leanings towards surrealist expressionism and abstractism. As a child, I harboured thoughts of being an artist but given the prevailing typical Singaporean parent sentiment at the time, I went the conventional route and maintained my penchant for creativity, from music composition to travel photography and writing and eventually back to the active exploration of art in 2005. My favourite artists are Cezanne, Edvard Munch, Van Gogh, Chagall and Kandisky, and their post-impressionist modernist influences come through in my artwork.

Largely self-taught, I gained much from attending art workshops and interaction with experienced art practitioners, from studying art history and the journey of masters, learning from their works and techniques. Increasingly, it is everyday life that is the teacher - places, people, things that move me into translating those feelings on canvas - especially in the world now where each day and its littlest things are the essence of life itself to be treasured.

Exhibitions
2022 - "Methods of Abstraction; The Exquisite Discernibles & Inedible Marks" group exhibition - One East Asia (virtual)
2019 - "ENSEMBLE: coming out into Abstraction" group exhibition - The Arts House
2018 - "DREAMembrance" art exhibition - That Spare Room
2017 - “Artscape” 1st ed – SOTA Gallery
2016 - “Sudah Makan? (Have you eaten?)” group exhibition – Fullerton Hotel
2016 - “Art Apart Fair” 7th ed – Parkroyal Hotel
2015 - “Mosaic” group exhibition – Volvo Art Loft
2014 - “Exchange” group exhibition – MyArtSpace
2012 - “Bridging Cultures” opening exhibition – Rosella Gallery
2012 - “Spain Camino Series” solo exhibition – Bilbao Restaurant
2010 - “Colours with Passion” group exhibition – Tembusu Art Gallery
2010 - “Breakthrough” group exhibition – Fill Your Walls Gallery
2009 - “Alfreso Art Fair” – Clifford Square
2009 - “6 PerspectEVEs” group exhibition – The Art Loft @ Volvo

Publication
2011 - “International Contemporary Artists Vol III” – I.C.A. Publishing

Education
2018 - Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Certificate in Western Abstract Painting)

It all started with a dalliance with van gogh..

Don't we all when starting out as novice painters of western art? Falling in love with the starry nights, the vibrancy of the palette, drawn by the energy and impassioned artworks of the most famous painter of them all. At least Yen did, and went on to discover a whole new world of impressionism and expressionism.
But Van Gogh remains unique, described as post-impressionist but not yet modern art, one can never peg him as either as there were none like him and none after.
Yen was perhaps one of millions inspired to pick up the painting brush by this great man who poignantly was not recognized professionally in his equally well known dramatic lifetime.

While Van Gogh painted in Arles France (Yen had the privilege of traversing to for a tribute), Yen painted in our very own backyard. Yes, Singapore. The place Yen calls home after years of backpacking and art-ing around the world.
Her DREAMembrance series, exploring the interplay between dreams and memories, are vignettes of local landmarks in impasto abstract style, a nod to the man who first inspired her in the beginning.
Recently, the wanderer has found a permanent home for her studio in eastern Singapore. The little enclave called Joo Chiat with the ubiquitous peranakan houses is becoming very lively with exquisite culinaries sprouting alongside traditional works and nonya eateries. In this charming place, Yen discovers nooks and corners to love to bits every day and to put into her paintings as her art journey continues..