Capturing city’s beauty on canvas

Xxxxxxxx: Penang Water Colour Society President Khoo Cheong Jin sketching the Penang State Assembly Building.

THE Penang State Assembly building became the subject of artistic expression when a group of artists gathered for a sketching and painting session.

The group of 20 were mostly Penangites with a few visiting friends from Taiwan.

They spent the morning drawing the building which dates back to the early 19th century and is noted for its classical Greek and Palladian-styled architecture.

Some sketched in pencil and ink while others daubed vibrant hues of watercolour and oil onto the canvas.

The event was held at the invitation of State Assembly Speaker Datuk Law Choo Kiang who also gave the group a brief tour of the grounds.

“We’re trying to make this heritage building more accessible to the public,” he said.

Ch’ng Kiah Kiean, one of the founders of Urban Sketchers Penang, was thankful for the privilege extended to the artists.

“The public doesn’t normally get to enter the building grounds.

“The building was rather challenging to sketch due to its unique architecture, but we enjoyed the drawing session,” he noted during the gathering recently.

Ch’ng said the group usually gathered on Sunday mornings to go around sketching and painting scenes around Penang. Their objective is to “show Penang to the world, one drawing at a time”.

Also present were Kebun Bunga assemblyman Cheah Kah Peng, Air Itam assemblyman and Penang State Museum Board chairman Wong Hon Wai and Penang Water Colour Society president Khoo Cheong Jin.