The Art of Khik Weng Keat

  Dinosaur Ark: Survival is Everything , acrylic on canvas, 2025. 24" X 16.5" This painting is inspired by comics that depict the dinosaurs getting wiped out by a large flood similar to Noah's flood because "they didn't get on the ark" or had disastrous results after   successfully "building" one . In the painting, several pairs of dinosaur species boarded an ark (that is falling apart) in an attempt to escape massive storms and a meteor shower, as "survival is everything". Several types of flying reptiles, marine reptiles, swimming dinosaurs and other creatures are seen following the ark. This artwork is one of the artist's attempts at incorporating paleo-art with "genre" art, which is combining prehistoric animals with anachronistic aspects.

  Dino-Go-Round , acrylic on canvas, 2024. 24" X 16.5" This painting is inspired by the Blue Sky Carousel at Genting Skyworlds, and features a prehistoric-themed carousel with prehistoric animals in the place of popular carousel animals. Dinosaur heads are used as the decorations at the top. The "customers" in the artwork are various species of prehistoric primates.  This artwork is the artist's first attempt at incorporating paleo-art with "genre" art, which is combining prehistoric animals with aspects of contemporary lifestyles.  

  Mesozoic Mariners , acrylic on canvas, 2024. 24" X 16.5" The artwork depicts a Tyrannosaurus swimming past a scenery of marine life from the Mesozoic era. The artist intends to show the breaking of the boundaries between two different worlds, as the T. rex , a land creature, is shown to be able to swim. This act has been backed by fossil evidence - scientists found both ripple marks and mud cracks in a riverbed, indicating the dinosaur was swimming against a current, and noticed distinct claw marks that stretched 50 feet apart from each other, showing the T. rex  may occasionally have paddled long distances through water. Additionally, the dinosaur's hollow bones would have allowed it to swim. The aquatic creatures in the artwork include: Globidens , a mosasaur Platypterygius , an ichthyosaur Hydrotherosaurus , a plesiosaur Macropoma , small members of the coelacanth family Psephoderma , turtle-like placodonts Hybodus , a primitive shark Pachydiscus , an ammonite ...

The artist prepares several 8" X 8" paintings in preparation for an exhibition, showcasing land and sea animals as well as dinosaurs. DENIZENS OF THE DEEP Denizens of the Deep: Humpback Whale , acrylic on canvas, 2021.  8" X 8" Denizens of the Deep: Octopus , acrylic on canvas, 2021.  8" X 8" Denizens of the Deep: Jellyfish , acrylic on canvas, 2021.  8" X 8" SAFARI SIGHTS Safari Sights: Lion , acrylic on canvas, 2021.  8" X 8" Safari Sights: Elephant , acrylic on canvas, 2021.  8" X 8" Safari Sights: Giraffe , acrylic on canvas, 2021.  8" X 8" PREHISTORIC POP ICONS Prehistoric Pop Icons: Brachiosaurus , acrylic on canvas, 2021.  8" X 8" Prehistoric Pop Icons:  Triceratops , acrylic on canvas, 2021.  8" X 8" Prehistoric Pop Icons: Tyrannosaurus Rex , acrylic on canvas, 2021.  8" X 8"

  Drifting Biome , acrylic on canvas, 2023. 30" X 24" The painting is inspired by a scene from the second season of Prehistoric Planet . It depicts ammonites of various shapes and sizes gathering around a larger ammonite which shell is covered in algae and corals. As a "drifting biome" it provides plenty of food and places for the smaller ammonites to breed and interact. Parapuzosia is the large ammonite in the painting. The largest known species of ammonite, its shell alone measured almost three meters (9-10 ft) in diameter. As an open water organism, the ammonite drifts along the current, searching for food. The large ammonite in the painting is covered in algae and corals, which turns it into the titular drifting biome. The biome attracts a large variety of smaller ammonites with different types of shells. Baculites is a type of ammonite which had an almost straight shell that resembles a curved stick. The two-meter (6 ft) long Diplomoceras had a shell shaped lik...

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...

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...

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...

JURASSIC JAM-PACK II Dinosaurs throughout the Mesozoic era come in various shapes and sizes, from small theropods the size of turkeys to large herbivores bigger than a school bus. Dinosaurs evolved a wide range of forms to fill in various ecological roles which are similar to the natural world today. The assortment of the unique families of dinosaurs made the Dinosauria a very interesting group for scientists and popular culture to tap into. Jurassic Jam-Pack II , acrylic on canvas, 2021. Set of 9, each piece 8" X 8"  Centrosaurus Centrosaurus , acrylic on canvas, 2021.  Centrosaurus (name meaning "pointed lizard") is a large ceratopsian (horned dinosaur) that lived in the late Cretaceous of Canada, North America. It is noted for the single large horn on its snout, as well as smaller horns above the eyes and hornlets like hooks on its neck frill, which have openings to keep the weight down. Ceratopsians like Centrosaurus  normally travel in large herds.  Ceratosauru...

FIRST JOURNEY This collection showcases the first leg of the journey of vertebrate evolution from their first appearance in the seas to their domination of the lands. The entire saga of the First Journey took place in the Paleozoic era, the era which preceded the Age of Dinosaurs (the Mesozoic). The evolution of vertebrate life had most of its milestones in the Paleozoic, with a wide range of body features and forms evolving throughout the era. First Journey , acrylic on canvas, 2021.  Set of 9, each piece 8" X 8"    The artworks are arranged in this manner to create a sense of connection in the steps of the "journey". The Forerunners: Cambrian Sea The Forerunners , acrylic on canvas, 2021.  The First Journey begins in the Cambrian period (541 to 485 million years ago). Earlier, life had began to evolve in the oceans in the Precambrian, and early biodiversity had reached a significant point called the "Cambrian Explosion" which oversaw the variety of lif...