The Art of Khik Weng Keat

  Marine Mobile Homes , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 18" X 24" Several marine animals have hard shells as a means of protection. These shells are usually made of calcium carbonate, which is the same material that makes up the bones of most animals. The shells were once thought to be the "mobile homes" of these animals where they could hide inside, but these shells are actually more than what they seem. A sea turtle's shell is made of bone and is covered with a hard layer of keratin, which is a material which also makes up the hair and fingernails of mammals. The turtle shell is made of two pieces, the top layer which is called the carapace, and the bottom part is called a plastron. They are fused on each side by a structure called a bridge. The carapace is made of smaller individual pieces called scutes, which are similar to scales. Hitching a ride on the turtle's back in the painting is a periwinkle snail, which is feeding on parasites on the turtle's shell...

  Seahorsing Around , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 18" X 18" The fish in the painting are members of the  Syngnathidae family which covers seahorses, sea dragons and pipefishes. The family's name is derived from the Greek words for "fused jaw", which refers to the family's long snouts and small mouths. Fish of this family are commonly found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide. They do not have pelvic fins and had thick plates of bony armor which make their bodies rigid. This fish family is also known for its unique parental strategy: after the females lay eggs, the males then fertilize and carry the eggs until they hatch.  The 54 species of seahorses belong to the genus Hippocampus . The species shown in the top left of the painting is a spotted or yellow seahorse ( Hippocampus kuda ). It is widespread throughout the Indo-Pacific region, where they can be found in various shallow-water habitats such as estuaries, lagoons, harbors, and coastal seagrass bed...

  Prosperous Abundance , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 18" X 24" An ancient Chinese tale tells of a huge school of Koi fish swimming upstream the Yellow River in China. Gaining strength by fighting against the current, the school swam through the river until they reached a waterfall at the end of the river. Many of the fish turned back, but the remaining Koi continued swimming against the waterfall and attempted to reach the top of the waterfall by leaping all the way. After a hundred years of jumping, one Koi finally reached the top of the waterfall, where it was noticed by the gods at the Dragon Gate for its perseverance and determination and they turned it into a golden dragon, the image of power and strength. According to Feng Shui, fish represents wealth and prosperity because the actual word in Chinese for fish (魚 yú) also translates to “abundance” (裕 yù).  Because of the dragon legend, Koi fish are known as symbols of strength and perseverance, as seen in their determin...

  Auspicious Stripes , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 20" X 16" The artist welcomes 2022, the Year of the Tiger, with a painting based on his original concept of making maximalist illustrations of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. The two tigers' colors are based on the color of the tigers in the original drawing. According to Chinese culture, the tiger is revered as the king of the beasts. The tiger represents the greatest earthly power, as well as protection over human life. It chases away the so-called "three disasters": fire, thieves and ghosts. Ancient Chinese people also believed that tigers turned white after they have lived for five centuries (500 years) and that tigers could live for an entire millennium (1000 years). There is a group of five tigers of different colors in Chinese mythology which maintain the balance of energy in the cosmos, preventing the universe from falling into chaos. Lucky colors for people who are born in the year of the tiger include ...