Glimpses of Eternity

Apollo Hui
Originally uploaded by mincaye.

All my understanding of art, I owe to this man, Mr Apollo Hui.

I spent some four-and-a-half years learning watercolouring under him, first in his little kedai runcit in Taman Segar, then for a shorter while, in his art studio in the Bangsar Shopping Centre.

His favourite paintings were of nature scenes, and he developed a certain spatula technique that I daresay I've never seen in other paintings, not in the way and to the extent that he uses it.

In painting, he demonstrated a masterly knowledge of the art, and his expressions, whether on paper, canvas, or board, flowed so naturally that it seemed he was 'one' with the brush and the colours.

One doesn't always meet people with such passion for what they do. He's a rare exception, who, in retrospect, gave me glimpses of eternity, awe and beauty in a temporal, mundane and often ugly world.

This is my tribute, however meagre it may be.