The Art of Khik Weng Keat

Miracle in the Sands , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 20" X 16". This scene is inspired by an episode of the documentary Prehistoric Planet , being set in an oasis which is formed when water rises to the surface of a desert, which in this painting is in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia during the late Cretaceous period around 75 million years ago. Water sources like these may have been a magnet for animals that travel through the desert. Therizinosaurus  (top left, meaning "scythe lizard") is one of the largest maniraptorans and is from a special family called the therizinosaurs, one of the few families of theropods which transitioned to a more herbivorous diet. The first fossil of  Therizinosaurus , a set of massive claws measuring above 50 centimeters in length, was discovered in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Velociraptor is a dinosaur best known for having a large claw on each foot. It could sprint and leap great distances with its powerful hind legs. It is one of the dinosa...

  Dynastic Turf , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 20" X 16". The painting depicts a scenery from the Late Cretaceous period in North America, some 66 million years ago, before the most famous mass extinction. Based on recent research, extreme volcanic activity may have contributed to the extinction event, and dinosaur biodiversity declined well before the asteroid impact which put an end to the Cretaceous period, but it included some of the most well-known and well-studied species.  The area is covered in plants which include some modern forms we know today including magnolia flowers, ferns and Araucaria trees. Flowering plants first appeared in the early Cretaceous, but they have not evolved their modern essential reproductive structures yet. During the later part of the Cretaceous, tyrannosaurids became the dominant apex predators, particularly in the northern hemisphere. Tyrannosaurus rex is the most famous member of the family. With a strong, muscular neck and a pair of pow...

Weng Keat's artworks were featured at the CIMB's Hotel Art Fair for Artober 2022 at the element Hotel in Ilham Tower in KL! The exhibition takes place from 25 to 27 April 2022. Among the artworks sold during the soft opening/preview were: Bears and Lights , acrylic on canvas, 2021 ( Majestic Menagerie V ) Galapagos Tortoise , acrylic on canvas, 2021  ( Majestic Menagerie V ) Snow Leopard , acrylic on canvas, 2020  ( Majestic Menagerie III ) Bearded Vulture , acrylic on canvas, 2020 ( Avian Assortment II ) Carnotaurus Head , acrylic on canvas, 2020 ( Blasts of the Past ) Resplendent Pair , acrylic on canvas, 2020  ( Avian Assortment II ) Toco Toucan , acrylic on canvas, 2020 ( Avian Assortment II ) Owls By Day , acrylic on canvas, 2020 ( Avian Assortment ) Golden Pheasant , acrylic on canvas, 2020 ( Avian Assortment ) Flamingo Dance , acrylic on canvas, 2020 ( Avian Assortment II ) Lilac-Breasted Roller , acrylic on canvas, 2020  ( Avian Assortment ) Royal Flycatcher ...

  Deer-est Herd , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 16" X 20" Deer are among the most common and widespread hoofed mammals. Male deer have antlers, which they shed and regrow each year, and the antlers are an important feature to attract mates and intimidate rivals. A deer's developing antlers have blood vessels underneath a layer of skin called velvet, which can help to regulate the animal's body temperature. There are 36 species of deer. The moose (top) is the largest and heaviest species of deer. Most adult male moose have distinctive broad, hand-shaped antlers; while most other members of the deer family have antlers with a branch-like configuration. Moose typically inhabit forests in the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates, especially North America and northern Eurasia.  The elk or wapiti ( Cervus canadensis , center left) is also one of the largest species of deer and one of the largest land mammals in its native range of North America, as w...

  Beetle Boot Camp , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 24" X 24" Beetles and their smaller cousins, weevils, make up the largest subgroup of insects, consisting of half a million different species making up one third of all animal species. The front two wings of a beetle are hardened and strengthened into a protective covering called elytra. The elytra of some beetles come in a myriad of radiant and mesmerizing colors. There are more than 6000 species of ladybirds (or ladybugs). Many species of ladybird have bright and contrasting colors and patterns, such as red with black spots, as a warning sign to potential predators. Three species are depicted in the painting: the red, seven-spotted ladybird ( Coccinella septempunctata ), the yellow, ten-spotted ladybird ( Adalia decempunctata ) and a black-colored Asian ladybird ( Harmonia axyridis ). The black ladybird has a genetic condition where the color of the spots and background on the elytra are reversed. The red soldier beetle ( Rhagon...

These paintings by the artist is part of a study based on architecture from September to October 2018. They are primarily based on building paintings done by Vincent Van Gogh. A recreation of  Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen  by Vincent Van Gogh, 1885 A recreation of  Old Church Tower at Nuenen, ('The Peasants' Churchyard')  by Vincent Van Gogh, 1885 A recreation of  The Yellow House ('The Street')  by Vincent Van Gogh, 1888 A recreation of  The Church of Auvers by Vincent Van Gogh, 1890 A recreation of White House at Night by Vincent Van Gogh, 1890

Life in the Freezer , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 20" X 16"  The Pleistocene epoch (2.5 million to 11,700 years ago) was marked by at least four ice ages, during which ice sheets spread from north to south, covering much of the northern Hemisphere including Europe, northern Asia and North America. For most animals, the conditions were inhospitable for life, but several large and spectacular animals have evolved adaptations such as thick fur and thick layers of fat to specially suit to the freezing cold conditions of the Pleistocene ice ages. The painting depicts a scene in a tundra landscape in Siberia. Undoubtedly the most famous ice age animal is the woolly mammoth. A distant cousin to the Asian elephant, it weighed six tons and was as tall as the modern-day African elephant. The curved tusks of a woolly mammoth can measure up to 5 meters (16.5 feet) long. It had two layers of fur, where the length of each hair in its winter coat can grow up to a meter long. The fur layers hel...

  Beneath Primal Waves , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 20" X 16"  The painting is based on a postcard drawn by the artist in 2010. It depicts the spectacular marine life in the late Jurassic of Europe. At the time, the oceans were warmer than they are now and just like today sustained a variety of life. The background of the painting is in a shallow sea, near to the coast. The sea floor is filled with sponges and crinoids, also known as sea lilies and are related to starfish. A myriad of unusual invertebrates swam there and have been preserved as fossils. The most notable invertebrates in the clear ancient sea are the ammonites - relatives of squid and cuttlefish with a coiled shell - and the belemnites - squid-like cephalopods with long, bullet-shaped shells. On the ocean floor are a pair of horseshoe crabs, a type of arthropod that existed long before dinosaurs evolved on land, and are still around today. The tiny shrimp-like creatures in the picture are Dollocaris , an ancient ...

  Field of Titans , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 20" X 16" The painting is based on a postcard drawn by the artist in 2010. It depicts a landscape in the late Jurassic period, filled with dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles. The plants in the landscape are characterized by ancient plants such as conifers, horsetails and cycads, as grass and flowering plants had not evolved yet at the time.  The dinosaurs and prehistoric reptiles in the artwork are the long-necked Diplodocus , the carnivorous Allosaurus , the armored Stegosaurus , a pair of Dryosaurus , a small Coelurus and a pair of flying pterosaurs called Harpactognathus .  One of the Diplodocus feeds on the conifer trees while the one in the foreground, a juvenile, defends itself from an Allosaurus . The Stegosaurus watches over a clutch of eggs. The Coelurus had a dragonfly in its jaws.  Harpactognathus is a species of long-tailed pterosaur discovered in the Morrison Formation, known for having a wealth of famou...

Gregarious Glires , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 24" X 31.5" The glires are a family of mammals consisting of rodents and lagomorphs (rabbits, hares, and pikas). Rodents or gnawing mammals are by far the largest mammal group, comprising of around 1700 species, and almost one of every two mammal species in the world is a rodent. About 75 per cent of rodents are mice and rats. Lagomorphs, or "leaping forms", refer to the family's long, muscular back legs which are ideal for running at high speeds for danger. There are at least 50 species of flying squirrel, and most species were found in Asia. The southern flying squirrel ( Glaucomys volans , pictured) is one of three species of flying squirrel found in North America. It is found in deciduous and mixed forests in the eastern half of North America. Flying squirrels glide in the air on furry flaps of skin called patagia (singular: patagium) which are stretched between their front and hind legs. Southern flying squirrels...

  Interspecies Teamwork , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 24" X 24" This painting is inspired by a popular Chinese nursery rhyme about pulling carrots (拔萝卜) . In the painting, six animals help each other to pull a colossal carrot: a hamster, rat, rabbit, monkey, kangaroo and elephant, in a carrot patch. The animals are arranged according to their size, with the hamster, the smallest of the six animals, being the first to pull the carrot and is helped by larger animals in increasing size until the elephant, the largest and strongest of the group, which is placed at the very back.  The artist intends to convey the message of teamwork among different groups, and that many hands make light work, no matter how strong one is.

  Flightless Wonders , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 24" x 31.5" All birds have wings, but not all of them can fly. These birds are mostly big and heavy, with some being the heaviest and tallest birds to walk the earth. They bear various features different to other birds. For example, ratites, the family which contains the ostrich, emu, cassowary and rhea, have downy feathers which lack the smooth, flat, airproof surfaces which other birds have for flying. They have sturdy, strong legs that allow them to run fast. The world's biggest and heaviest bird, the ostrich (left) is also the only bird with just two toes on each foot. It is also the fastest running bird, reaching speeds of up to 60 km per hour (37 mph). There are three species of rhea, which is a type of ostrich-like flightless bird that lives on the plains of Brazil and Argentina in South America. The greater rhea ( Rhea americana , top right) looks like a small ostrich but has more feathers on its neck, larger wings a...

  High-Flying Hunters , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 31.5" X 24" Birds of prey are characterized for their sharp, hooked beaks and curved claws called talons. Most are masterful flyers, able to stay in the air for hours while searching for prey with incredibly sharp vision. There are around 295 species of birds of prey, and they range across a huge variety of habitats, from mountains to rainforests. The golden eagle (top) is often called the "king of birds" throughout its range. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle, ranging throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It hunts small mammals such as rabbits and squirrels as well as small birds. It lives in nests called eyries atop high cliffs, where pairs return to breed or raise their young year after year. For centuries, this species has been one of the most highly regarded birds used in falconry, the activity where humans keep and use birds of prey to hunt. Because of its hunting prowess, the golden eagle is rega...

  Diverse Wildlife , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 31.5" X 24" Malaysia is one of the world’s megadiverse countries. It is also ranked 12th in the world, according to the National Biodiversity Index, which is based on estimates of country richness of life and species endemism. The country is home to over 15,000 species of flowering plants, 1,500 species of terrestrial vertebrates and about 150,000 species of invertebrates. The hibiscus is the national flower of Malaysia. The  Hibiscus rosa-sinensis  species comes in a wide range of colors including red, orange, yellow, pink and even purple. The red-colored hibiscus is regarded as the national flower, as the color red represents courage and the five petals symbolize the five principles of the  Rukun Negara . In the painting, four hibiscus flowers are depicted in the colors featured on the Malaysian flag: red, white, blue and yellow. The tiger is Malaysia's national animal. Fewer than 150 wild tigers remain in Malaysia's fo...