Sit Down With Our December '21 Featured Artist
Yeap Fong Ray
Instagram / ruiism.art
Portfolio / Behance
Featured Artist / December '21 ScrawlrBox
My name is Yeap Fong Ray from Malaysia. Passionate art lover who loves to express the world by using own visual language. I’ve been learning art for only few years and it totally changed the way I think and how I see the world. Most of my works are painted in an expressive way which represent my inner thoughts that are constantly seekingfor freedom in different kind of aspects in life. Sometimes I do some doodle arts to relax my mind and just let my hand do the work.
Do you remember what it was that first interested you in art?
I was influenced by Japanese Manga and animation like Naruto and Studio Ghibli. Especially Studio Ghibli, the music and all the illustrations are truly mesmerizing. I can still remember the first time I watched “Spirited Away” it totally blew my mind, those mythical creatures really made me feel like going into the world of the animation.
How would you describe the art that you typically create?
I usually create art that are more expressive by using some big brush strokes which show my desperation of freedom. For those doodle arts that I created, those are more on relaxing myself. When I doodle I mostly just let my hand and the pen do the job without thinking much, the outcome always blow my mind because I never plan what to draw beforehand and this is what makes doodling so fun to do when you are boring or stressed.
What is your creative process like? Do you like to plan a project or do you dive in and see where the project takes you?
I would say both, it depends on what kind of project that I’m working on.
If you could only use one medium for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
This is a pretty difficult question to answer, well I would say acrylic since that’s what I usually use to create my art.
Do you have any artists that you admire?
Yes, I do have someone that I really hope that I can reach their level of drawing/painting skills one day. Artists like Kim Jung Gi (Korea), ZeenChin (Malaysia), Huatunan (China), Thomas Fluharty (America) and more.
What is the best piece of advice that you could give to an aspiring artist?
I’m still a pretty new artist and still working hard on getting my goal. I don’t think I can give any useful advice but I think that if you have chosen something as your career then please don’t give up and work hard on making your dreams come true.
Is there anything in your artthat you do today that you wish you had known years ago?
I wish I could tell my younger self (I’m still pretty young actually) to be more brave while drawing instead of keep thinking some negative part of the process like will someone laugh at my work or do Ihave to waste my time drawing this or drawing that. I also wish I don’t wasteso much time on watching YouTubeand doing nothing.
Do you have any specific goals for the future? Or any projects that you would like to work on?
I hope that I could sell my art as digital prints and merchandise in the future.
What do you find the most enjoyable part of creating art?
When I can express what I want without unnecessary thoughts.
What kind of music do you like to listen to?
Usually Chinese and English oldies, songs from the artists like John Denver, Sam Hui, Carpenters and so on. Listening to oldies make me feel calm in some way but I do listen to pop music too.
Are there any specific themes or subjects that you gravitate towards in your art? If so, what are they and why do you return to them?
I think it’s about self-reflection and freedom of doing what you want. I always try to hide my true feelings so that I will not be the weirdo amongmy friends or family and it sometimes make me forget what/who I am.
What is the most challenging thing you have had to overcome and how did you overcome it?
Drawing on subjects that are complicated like machines, tangled wires and more. I’m still struggling but it gets better when you kick away all the negative thoughts and just go for it without over thinking.
