The Art of Khik Weng Keat

  Scaly Success Story , acrylic on canvas, 2021. 24" X 18" Reptiles are animals which have dry, scaly skin and lay their eggs on dry land. They were considered as one of the animal kingdom's greatest success stories as they had evolved to adapt to extreme climates and conditions. There are about 6,560 species of reptile, which are divided into main groups including crocodilians, lizards, snakes and chelonians (turtles and tortoises). Saltwater Crocodile The saltwater crocodile ( Crocodylus porosus ) is the largest crocodilian, measuring up to 6 meters or more in length. A powerful ambush predator, its jaws had the strongest bite of any living animal. Unlike most crocodiles, the saltwater crocodile also inhabits brackish and salt water habitats like mangrove swamps, river deltas and even open beaches. It can be found from eastern India to Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Reticulated Python The reticulated python ( Malayopython reticulatus ) is a massive snake commonl...

  Polychrome Parrotdise , acrylic on canvas, 2021. 20" X 30" There are roughly 398 living species of parrot in the world today, inhabiting mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The greatest diversity of parrots are from the Southern Hemisphere, mostly from South America and Australasia. Many parrots are vividly-colored, and some are multi-colored. Parrots are among the most intelligent birds, and the ability of some species to mimic human speech increases their popularity as pets. The scarlet macaw ( Ara macao ) has red, yellow and blue feathers. Its range extends from southeastern Mexico to northern and central South America (including Brazil). It is the national bird of the Central American country of Honduras. Like its relative the blue-and-gold macaw, scarlet macaws are popular birds in aviculture as a result of their striking plumage. The scarlet macaw can live up to 75 or even 90 years in captivity, although a more typical lifespan is 40 to...

  Poultry Galore , acrylic on canvas, 2021. 30" X 20" Poultry is defined as domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, meat or feathers. The most typical poultry birds include chickens, ducks and turkeys. The chicken breed featured in the painting is the Brahma chicken, known for its heavily-feathered legs and surprisingly large size which made it one of the world's largest chicken breeds. The Brahma breed was first developed in the United States from the crossbreeding of birds imported from China and Southeast Asia and was the principal breed raised for meat in America from the 1850s until the 1930s. Brahma chickens grow very large, with roosters recorded weighing 8 kg (18 lb) and hens 6 kg (13 lb).  Brahmas come in three color varieties: light, dark and golden buff. The hen in the painting is of the light variant, while the rooster is of the dark-golden buff variety. The chicks of the breed also reflect the color difference, with some chicks displaying dark or mi...

  Grace and Balance , acrylic on canvas, 2021. 30" X 24" Flamingos are a symbol of seemingly effortless grace and balance. These pink, long-legged birds are usually depicted as standing on one leg for a very long time even while sleeping, making them a symbol of balance. Not only are flamingos symbols of beauty, they are also symbols of something beyond beauty, and that is elegance. While beauty may be a product of nature, elegance is a product of design. Flamingoes are known for their graceful motions during flight. They are also symbols of vibrance because of their spectacular bright pink color. While they are born gray, as they grow up, they become shades of pink, hot pink, and sometimes reddish orange. This is due to the abundance of beta carotene in their diet, which is mainly comprised of algae, larvae, and crustaceans. In fact, the name "flamingo" is derived from their vibrant color. It means “flame-colored” in Spanish and Portuguese. Other water birds presen...

Some of the artist's paintings are being featured at the Malaysian Art Ecosystem Festival (MAEF) 2021 at the Putra World Trade Center in KL! The exhibition takes place from 3 to 5 December 2021. Some of his featured paintings include  G7: You Can Count on Us and The Mollusc Throne .

The Watering Hole,  acrylic on canvas, 2021. 30" X 24" The painting depicts a large group of African animals gathering to drink at a watering hole. The overall composition of the animals' activity in the painting is based on the idea of the "waterhole truce" put forward by author Rudyard Kipling (author of The Jungle Book ), where animals observe a sort of truce around watering holes and prey animals do not have to be on guard from predators in the vicinity, as they share the watering hole.  The African animals featured are elephants, giraffes, lions, zebra, rhinoceros, impala, ostriches, Cape buffalo, wildebeest, baboons, cheetah, leopard, warthog, meerkat, aardvark, hippos, crocodile, shoebill and red-billed hornbill. Flamingoes and storks frequent African waterholes as well. Giraffes spread their legs when drinking to increase their stability when lowering their head down. Predators like lions normally use watering holes as prey gathering sites before hunting...

 FANTASTIC BESTIARY "Monsters are tragic beings. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy. They do not attack people because they want to, but because of their size and strength, mankind has no other choice but to defend himself. After several stories such as this, people end up having a kind of affection for the monsters. They end up caring about them." — Ishir⁠ō Honda Minotaur Half Man, Half Bull , acrylic on canvas, 2021 The word minotaur derives from the Ancient Greek Minotauros , a compound of the name Minos and the noun tauros  "bull", translated as "(the) Bull of Minos". This monster had the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "part man and part bull". He dwelt at the center of the Labyrinth, which was an elaborate maze-like construction designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus, on the command of King Minos of Crete....

  G7: You Can Count On Us , acrylic on canvas, 2021. 60" X 36" Production period: 23 June - 29 July 2021 INTRODUCTION This painting is loosely based on a satirical cartoon made by Chinese government-appointed propaganda cartoonist cartoonist Bantonglaoatang entitled "The Last G7", which is based on Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper". The original cartoon's intention is to mock the organization's "malicious" attempt to rally its allies and lay a siege on China's global status, and it went viral on Chinese social media during the 47th annual Group of 7 (G7) summit which was held in June 2021 in Cornwall, UK.   Because the countries were represented by animals in the cartoon, the artist is inspired to jump in and apply his talent to paint a slightly changed version of the cartoon.  SYMBOLISM FROM THE ORIGINAL The countries are represented by the following animals (left to right): ⦁ Germany = Black hawk-eagle (changed to a black...

BLASTS OF THE PAST An early dinosaur portrait series made by the artist. Blasts of the Past , acrylic on canvas, 2020. Set of 9, each piece 8" X 8"  Spinosaurid Spinosaurid head , acrylic on canvas, 2020. The Spinosauridae is a family of carnivorous dinosaurs. They lived primarily in the Early Cretaceous period and are known to have eaten fish. This reconstruction of Spinosaurus makes this dinosaur a dangerous and deadly predator.  Torosaurus Torosaurus head, acrylic on canvas, 2020. Torosaurus (name meaning "bull/pierced lizard") is a three-horned herbivorous dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period. Looking quite similar to its contemporary cousin, the Triceratops , these dinosaurs were thought to have been the same species. Parasaurolophus Parasaurolophus head, acrylic on canvas, 2020. Parasaurolophus is a plant-eating dinosaur which is a member of the hadrosaur family. Like some hadrosaurs, Parasaurolophus had a bony and hollow crest on top of its head, which mi...