Acclaimed Malaysian artist’s ink wash paintings capture the expressive spirit of animals on land and under the water.
The inking process looks deceptively simple but each stroke can prove to be temperamental and challenging but gives great satisfaction when achieved.
Soo Beng Lim migrated to Sydney, Australia 33 years ago from Malaysia. He has worked both as a commercial artist and fine artist. Some of his earlier paintings were stamp illustrations for the opening of a dam in Malaysia. He also had the honor of his painting of a rice plantation scene being presented to the late Malaysian Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman.
His most recent passion is the ink wash technique of watercolor painting. He finds it enhances the furry effects in soft-coated animals. “The inking process looks deceptively simple but each stroke can prove to be temperamental and challenging but gives great satisfaction when achieved,” Soo Beng says.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Soo Beng about his beautiful animal ink wash paintings.
Soo Beng Lim’s Journey to Creating Ink Wash Paintings
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A fascination with art from an early age
“I first became interested in art at the age of six when my dad showed me how to draw a Disney character using a grid guide,” Lim says. He soon taught himself how to draw, then paint. Throughout his school years, he explored various mediums including acrylics, batik, and watercolor.
He became a professional graphic design after graduating from Art College in Malaysia. Just eight years ago, Soo Beng ventured back into painting after he retired from his professional career.
Becoming a master in ink wash technique
Lim’s greatest hope is to become a recognized master for his ink wash paintings. Currently, he’s working on animal paintings featuring oxen, cats, roosters, chickens, turtles, geese, lions, eagles, bears, zebras, monkeys, koalas, and more. His work can be found in select galleries in Australia and New Zealand. It’s also available online.
To see Soo Beng’s most recent ink wash paintings and drawings, view his paintings at Saatchi Art >
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