'I'm still learning': Self-taught artist Yip Yew Chong acknowledges those who scoff at his techniques and accuracy

Why I Do What I Do is an original AsiaOne series where we showcase people with uncommon professions and what it takes to get there.

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Have a walk through heritage neighbourhoods like Tiong Bahru or Chinatown, and chances are you'll bump into murals painted by local artist Yip Yew Chong.

While the self-taught artist has wowed many with his murals, there are those who scoff at the art he puts out, by virtue of him being self-taught and not formally trained.

Well, you can't seem to please everyone.

However, the 53-year-old tells AsiaOne he doesn't get bogged down by the criticism. He actually takes it on the chin and, at points, even agrees with his critics.

"I'm still learning and I want to improve so I observe how people paint, how to use the paints, and over time, I get better and better," he shares.  

Being an 'artsy' student

Back in primary school, Yew Chong seemed no different from the rest. He, too, enjoyed exploring his creativity through art, often using coloured pencils and crayons to doodle on his papers. 

The difference between him and many of his peers is that he was actually very good at it — even Yew Chong admits that he was aware of this from a young age.

And he wasn't the only one to see the talent and potential.

The 53-year-old smiles as he reminisces about instances when his teachers would often "arrow" him to "do a lot of arts and crafts" for the school.

This pattern would continue into different stages of his growing-up years.

"In the army, I'd design logos, T-shirts and make banners. In NTU, I also made a lot of banners, T-shirts and also the backdrops for events." 

Today, Yew Chong is a full-time artist. But it's taken him some time to turn his hobby into his career.

Sticking to the norm

In spite of his artistic talent, Yew Chong decided against pursuing a career in art when he was younger.

"I have never thought of becoming a full-time artist. Why? Because in those years, we were all very practical people," he says.

Based on that metric, Yew Chong settled for accounting. Not that he had any regrets about it.

In fact, he was an accountant for over 25 years before taking a break in 2015.

Until then, he "didn't really have time or the motivation" to do art seriously. But being on sabbatical allowed him opportunities to come across murals in Singapore and Malaysia.

Just like that, it sparked the fire in him.

Yew Chong was inspired to try painting a mural on the street. The next question was "how?"

After all, he had no portfolio to show for.

So he painstakingly went around his neighbourhood and knocked on the doors, in hopes that homeowners allowed him to paint their walls.

"Luckily, a homeowner allowed me to paint on the wall, and bingo. After the first two murals were painted, they were warmly received," he recalls.

Dealing with the public's opinions

However, by the time 2016 hit, it was time to head back to the office.

Yew Chong was not going to give up painting murals though. So he accepted commissioned projects and worked on them on weekends.

This juggle between a weekday office job and weekend painting projects would go on for three years.

"In 2018, I left my job because my wife encouraged me to develop my art," he shares.

Another big factor Yew Chong took into consideration is that he had "fulfilled family obligations" as his children were all grown up by then.

Over the last four years of being a full-time artist, Yew Chong has received plaudits aplenty. But every now and again, there'll be detractors of his art.

A criticism he receives is that his painting of figures can look "cartoonish" and "awkward".

Yew Chong laughs it off as he reminds us that he is a self-taught artist after all. He mentions how he will observe people and references photographs beforehand, and simply uses his imagination when painting.

When it comes to dealing with criticism, he does his best to frame them as constructive feedback.

"So sometimes, I can tell [that] some of the people [figures] I draw, they look very awkward," the artist admits.

Being self-aware and introspective about his own art means that his drive to improve comes internally.

Yew Chong goes on to admit that he does sometimes "cringe" at certain aspects of murals he painted back in 2015.

"But if I look at my present-day artwork, I think I have improved," he says confidently.

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amierul@asiaone.com