18th November 2025 Beena
Last weekend, I went on an unexpected emotional journey at an art demonstration class held at Wesberly Gallery. The session was led by Madam Ng Paik San, a versatile artist who creates works based on her own thoughts across various media.
That day, she held a simple workshop on watercolour painting of a rose, in which all the participants contributed to completing the rose. The second piece was an acrylic work, an abstract style of flower petals. She had us paint the petals as well, using acrylic paint. In the end, many of us who initially felt hesitant became comfortable painting in front of others. At the close, she shared how she had overcome the grief of losing her husband six months earlier. When she shared this personal struggle, some of us were able to share our own grief. She said that without her art, she thinks it would have been very difficult to get through her grief.
Asians often find it hard to share personal stories, and it was brave of Madam Ng to do so. Every time I start to paint, I feel fear about the result, but I never show this fear to others. For Asians, sharing our failures is generally discouraged. We tend to only talk about our successes. However, I believe that life is mainly about failures. Without those failures, we cannot achieve success. I would love to hear others’ thoughts and experiences regarding this idea of success and failure. Please feel free to share your stories in the comments. I have posted her work here as a series.