Some paintings arrive quietly.
Others take you on a journey before they are willing to reveal what they want to become.
The Child of Changi was one of those paintings.
For those who have been following my journey of creating this artwork, you would have seen that I went through quite a few versions before finally arriving at the one that felt right.
It was not simply a matter of changing colours or adding details. I was searching for a feeling.
And perhaps that is what makes painting so fascinating to me. Sometimes, the canvas knows where it wants to go before I do.
The original version: It Began at Changi Ferry Point
The inspiration came from Changi Ferry Point, a place very close to my heart.
There are still pockets of Singapore where, if you slow down enough, you can feel a different rhythm of life.The sea breeze. The old trees. The fishing boats. The quiet jetty.
As a child of Changi, this isn't simply a location to me. I was not trying to simply reproduce a place. I was trying to capture how Changi felt to me. Nostalgic, but not sentimental. Rustic, but not dated. Peaceful, but still alive.
The Amber : Finding the Light
I love the original version, yet something came upon me after taking the artwork on a little roadshow during the National Day Pop-up at Asia Square. Can I bring in another perspective to this? Thanks to my professor from a business programme I have attended recently, she came by to visit and she suggested that Changi Ferry Jetty is beautiful in the evening! Then, I started researching and found the perfect angle to bring in the amber glow of the evening sky.
And suddenly, something shifted. The painting became warmer. Softer. More peaceful.
I began imagining the fishermen returning to the jetty after a day's work—their bumpboats carrying them home as the sun began to set. So there you go, I can finally put down the brush after anchoring on the Feeling I had been searching for:
Singapore, my beloved, Is More Than Skyscrapers
Singapore's skyline is iconic. Our skyscrapers represent progress and everything we have achieved.
But Singapore is more than her skyline.
She is also old trees, fishing jetties, weathered gates, quiet coastlines and places filled with memories.
.I am delighted to share a little sneak peek: two different versions of The Child of Changi will be featured in our new Signature Series collection for 2027.
These paintings will find a new life, wrapped into our signature journals—bringing a little piece of Singapore, and a little piece of my story, into your hands.
Look out for the launch this Christmas. 🎄✨
Until then, the story continues...
And perhaps, most of all, The Child of Changi will always be a painting of the Singapore that lives quietly in the heart of this child of Changi. ❤️🇸🇬
About The Child of Changi
The Child of Changi is part of Gml Gallery's Singapore Collection—original artworks inspired by the places, memories and stories that make Singapore home.
More than art and journals, we are stories.
