PAINTING AGAINST THE ODDS
Despite living in a world that was not always kind to her, Mdm Tan has always found beauty in it.
At just four years old, she would sit on her potty by the kitchen door and peel paint from it. As she peeled, she would start to imagine shapes – a line would become a river, a chip of paint would become a person or a tree.
By Primary 2, her budding talent was recognised when one of her artworks was displayed on the classroom wall. That same year, she also received a certificate in a colouring contest – her very first award, she recalled proudly.
But as much as her affinity for art grew over her schooling years, pursuing it after O-Levels was never a straightforward path.
Nearing secondary school graduation, she had her sights set on the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), but her late mother, being a practical woman, was worried whether pursuing art could ever pay the bills.
“She preferred that I go to JC (junior college) to study science or maths instead,” she said. “She always said I couldn’t earn a living if I studied art.”
Despite her mother’s attempts to dissuade her, Mdm Tan refused to give up exploring and expressing her love for creative art, admiring Peter Rabbit illustrations at the library and drawing numerous illustrations to imitate the artist Beatrix Potter’s style. Seeing this, her mother eventually gave in.
However, Mdm Tan was clear about describing her mother as a practical woman rather than a discouraging one. “At first, she might suggest something, but if (we) can explain our plan clearly, she will let (us) try.”
In the end, Mdm Tan was allowed to pursue her studies at NAFA on one condition: that she also mastered typing.
These days, hardly any of us thinks twice about the act of typing, whether it’s on a keyboard or a touch screen. But in the 1980s, typing was a valuable skill that could help one secure office or administrative work in various industries.
“(My mother) made me sign an agreement. I cheated a bit. She wanted me to master the advanced typing course, but I only did elementary,” Mdm Tan said with a laugh.
