Traditional Kelantan Fishing Boat

Dato' Jaffar Lamri is a prominent blogger with his blog Jaff Point. An avid art collector, Dato Jaff has in his stables a collection by such established artists as Mansor Ghazali, Rafiee Ghani, Suzlee Ibrahim, Ahmad Tajuddin, Pacha, Masnoor Ramli Mahmud, Dato' Hoessein Enas, Fauzan Omar and Khalil Ibrahim. There may be others safely kept in his vault which Pak Zawi may not even know.
It was a big surprise when Dato' asked Pak Zawi to paint the traditional fishing boats of Kelantan which Pak Zawi showed as being painted by reknown Kelantan water color artist Ismail Kadir in Pak Zawi's blog LAISI. Read about it here. It was with apprehension that Pak Zawi painted The Traditional Kelantan Fishing Boat as it was a very difficult subject whick Pak Zawi has never attempted before. This is something great as to be able to place Pak Zawi's painting in the collection of Dato' Jaffar is an achievement itself. Pak Zawi gave this job top priority and started work on it immediately. Pak Zawi didn't do the same subject as the one done by Ismail Kadir as it was too difficult for Pak Zawi. Instead of that Pak Zawi did a single boat moored against another jetty not far from it. It was a solitary boat with a very nice reflection and water ripples.
Anyway when the painting was done Pak Zawi emailed a photo of it to Dato' Jaff for his stamp of approval. He replied that he like it and gave Pak Zawi his address to deliver.

Here the painting still on the frame for stretching since Dato' wanted to do his own frame being packed ready for delivery by courier.
The painting must be received by now as Dato' has paid Pak Zawi very generously.
Another blogger friend working in Jeddah saw the picture of the painting and has requested Pak Zawi to paint another one for him from another angle. Pakpayne earlier had bought 10 paintings from Pak Zawi and had paid Pak Zawi generously too. Pak Zawi must keep these too clients happy since they are art collectors who appreciates paintings by newbies like Pak Zawi.
To both Dato' Jaff and Pakpayne, Pak Zawi would like to say THANK YOU! You really inspire me.

Pulau Pohon Batu

Pulau Pohon Batu Labuan went to Damansara yesterday. The painting of Pulau Phon Batu Labuan was inspired by the sight of th small rocky Island off the shore of Pulau Labuan Wilayah Persekutuan almost opposite The Peace Park. The painting was given as a memento to my ex teacher Cikgu Rahman Ali who has since retired. He had been teaching in Pasir Mas immediately after graduation in the late sixties and later became the Headmaster of the school, later of MCKK and finally end up as one of the directors in the Minsitry of Education.

Cikgu Rahman Ali came to Kota Bharu after being invited to attend a dinner hosted by the former sixth formers of Sultan Ibrahim Secondary School in Pasir Mas on 26th September 2009 at The Royal Kelantan Club in Kota Bharu.

Yesterday he was on his way back to Damansara KL via train. Pak Zawi with wife Fatthiyah and a few friends went to the railway station in Pasir Mas to send him off. Here we were including another ex teacher Puan Hasnah Sulaiman and her husband Tuan Syed Halim Jamalulail having a group photograph together.

From left: Fatimah Rafai, Norma Omar, Noraini Muhamad, Puan Hasnah Sulaiman, Unidentified (behind Puan Hasnah), Tuan Syed Halim Jamalullail, Cikgu Rahman Ali, Pak Zawi.

Now Pak Zawi's painting Pulau Pohon Batu Labuan has found a new home to grace in Damansara KL. The painting will represent Pak Zawi's gratitude to a well respected teacher who had a hand in shaping Pak Zawi's life. To Cikgu Rahman Ali, it is always to Sir with love.

Paintings I Have Recently Done

The following pictures are my present stock of paintings. Some are already reserved or were painted for certain person who made request for specific paintings. Pak Zawi tried his best to produce them.

Heliconia 3
This is one of the three in the Heliconia series. One of the earlier paintings done by Pak Zawi. heliconia was the first painting and it was bought by Zendra. Heliconia 2 was bought by a friend working in Jeddah.


Chinese Traditional House in Kampong Tepi Sungai
This painting took a long time before I can consider it done. Infact it was the one that took me the longest time with lots of frustration. This one was reserved by Mohd Zakriey of Seremban. Zack came for hari Raya to Pak Zawi's house and he collected his painting today.

Zack with The traditional chinese house or Rumah Tepi Sungai as Zack prefers to call it.

Sunset At Likas Bay
I was in Kota Kinabalu when I saw this beautiful sunset at Likas Bay.

An Old Building In Kota Bharu
This used to be the center of trade in Kota Bharu when the Kelantan River was the main waterways for transportation. Somehow this building was spared from being demolished and it was being cornered by the two new buildings housing Ridel Hotel on the Riveefront and The imposing but yet to be opened Pelangi Mall on one side. Currently only a hardware shop is operating within this building and the days of this hardware shop seems to be numbered. The one closest is now a swiflet hotel.

Wan Nordin and Azura is the owner of the Old Buiding In Kota Bharu.

En Wan Nordin of GUIKP came for Raya at Pak Zawi's house and took this painting home. He seems to love this painting among the many that was offered to him to choose. Wan forgot to take the painting when he left for home and Pak Zawi immediately alerted him and asked him to stop and wait for Pak Zawi to send the painting to him.

The Pink Lotus
The pink lotus is one of the two in the series.


Sunset At Port Dickson
Pak Zawi painted this for Oldstock of Johor Baru.

Telok Chempedak
Another one for Oldstock.



Pulau Pohon Batu Labuan
Almost opposite of Peace Park in Labuan there is a small rocky island with a few trees. The local name this island as Pulau Pohon Batu. during low tide, you can walk to the island. Just be careful not to be caught on the island at high tide as it is quite a distance to swim back. Pak Zawi had to go to Pantai Manikar to get the sun to set behind the island.


The Sanserviera
This painting of sanserviera or is also known as mother-in-law's tongue, the devil's tongue and snake plant was requested to be painted by my son Azuan.

The Papayas
I love papayas and always buy them especially when they becomes ripe while on the tree. Bought two of them from a neighbour.

The Traditional Kelantan Fishing Boat
Dato' Jaafar Lamri and avid art collector asked me to paint this painting. I hope I can do justice to your faith in me Dato'.

Those paintings that are not assigned to anybody specific are still available. So please email me at mohdzawi@gmail.com to indicate your intention to have them and I will have them delivered by courier to anywhere in Malaysia. Any offer will be accepted based on first come first served basis. So better be quick.
Thank you for supporting Pak Zawi in this new hobby.

Paintings For My Friend

A good friend ordered ten paintings from Pak Zawi. This order really surprised Pak Zawi as the numbers involved was quite large by Pak Zawi's standard. Others have only requested one painting or two. Since this order involved some financial interest to Pak Zawi as the buyer was willing to pay any reasonable price that Pak Zawi may ask and he was even willing to pay in advance and indeed he has paid in advance! What was even more surprising was the price paid was much more than the amount that Pak Zawi had indicated. Such was his confidence and appreciation of Pak Zawi after seeing a few samples of Pak Zawi's works..
So to reciprocate his goodwill, Pak Zawi has decided to give his order top priority above all others who may have ordered earlier than him. Please don't feel offended if he can be considered to have jumped the queue as Pak Zawi really needed this income to purchase equipments and materials to paint. This sale beside the first sale of the first painting to Zendra has boosted Pak Zawi's confidence to carry on painting immensely. There is no better drug to boost this confidence and spur Pak Zawi on to create more pieces which can be considered as works of art from Pak Zawi's heart. Just bear with Pak Zawi and Pak Zawi will honour all those who have asked for a piece from Pak Zawi. Remember the price will remain affordable and you pay what you deem as worth. The price will increase only with the quality of the frame requested. If the frame is not required, Pak Zawi will accept any reasonable ammount offered and will bear the cost of postage and packing for delivery within Malaysia but the buyer will have to pay for postage and packing if the painting is to be delivered overseas.
The following paintings had just came back from the frame maker. The buyer had requested a good frame and this double layered frame cost RM130 a painting. Smaller or thinner frames could cost much less.

The Pink Water Lily

The Mangoesteen.
This painting has undergone some transformation from the earlier work as the backdrop didnt seem to complement the subject. When buying mangoesteen, Pak Zawi is very meticulous and will select only a slightly ripe fruits. This will give the fruits longer shelf life compared to completely ripe fruits. The flesh is firmer too. So when buying mangoesteen, please select those fruits with the above color.
Peace Park Labuan
While visiting Pak Zawi's daughter in Labuan, Pak Zawi chanced upon this clear blue sky with the picturesque white bridge over a mirror like lake in the park. It is really a sight that mesmerized Pak Zawi. So when visiting Labuan, do not forget to visit Peace Park and explore the area. It is so peaceful and serene. Even Pak Zawi's daughter Azini who lives in Labuan didn't realize the existence of this bridge.

The Black and White Kois


The Moth.

The moth can be as pretty as its cousin the butterflies.

The Asplenium Nidus
This fern is called The Birdnest Fern. Pak Zawi's wife love to grow this fern in the house compound. It is relatively easy to grow and take care of. Just water it regularly and it will be very happy.

Ayam Serama
This cockerel is loved for it's miniature size and beauty. Kelantan is very famous for breeding such birds for its beauty. This bird can be trained to show itself by posing to exude all the colorful beauties of its feather. Being a proud performer, Pak Zawi put this miniature cockerel under the spotlight.

The Cockerel
The buyer requested that Pak Zawi paint a cockerel for him because he loves them and has another two paintings he bought from a wellknown artist on the internet.
Pak Zawi went hunting to shoot photographs of cockerel. Pak Zawi shudder at the thought of his painting of a Malaysian cockerel against the beauty of foreign cockerels when displayed side by side.
The above eight paintings together with the Yellow Catleya and Heliconia 2 will be the 10 paintings offfered to this buyer.
I hope the buyer will be happy with this selection for him. Do you want to know who is this generous buyer? Puteri Kamaliah knows and so does Akmal of Wiseup.

This Is How I Started Painting

The last time I painted anything was in 1967 when I was in Form IV at Sultan Ibrahim School in Pasir Mas, Kelantan. The next year, art was dropped from my curriculum because I have elected to join the science classes and my confidence level in doing well in Arts was low. Then I stopped painting entirely.

The desire to paint was awaken in me when I went to Kampong Tok Sangkut in Pasir Mas to deliver some donations to a needy family. The donation was collected from my classamtes at a gathering held at the end of 2008.

It was Cikgu Mazeri Othman who asked me to try and get some donation for the family who have lost the breadwinner of the family when he died by drowning after a fit of seizures while trying to fish in floodwaters near his village.

My wife and me went to Cikgu Mazeri's family home where he had established a homestay to meet the single mother with 4 young children who will be receiving the donation. It was at this homestay that I first caught sight of some oil paintings that caught my fancy. Among the paintings of kois, bamboo, the painting of a heliconia was most attractive to me. Cikgu Mazeri confirmed that he painted them all. What a talent!

We did ask Cikgu Mazeri to paint one for us. He said he will try and invited us to his own home where he has another collection of paintings that he will be displaying at his soon to be completed new home. The present home is a rented terrace house and it was too small to display them. The new home will be large enough for part of it to be turned into a gallery. After some months there was no news of any painting from Cikgu Mazeri. He was obviously very busy with teaching, attending classes for his Master's Degree at UMK in Pengalan Chepa beside supervising the construction of his new home. Later his application to join Persatuan Seni Lukis Kelantan (PESENI) was accepted and he was appointed as the assistant secreatary, adding further to his workload.

A casual request to Cikgu Mazeri that I want to start painting on my own was greeted with words of encouragement from Cikgu Mazeri himself but not from my own wife. My wife Fatthiyah was skeptical of this new endeavor as she thought it will be a short lived fad. That was a challenge and I want to prove my wife wrong.

At an outing session of PESENI Kelantan at Pantai Sabak, Kota Bharu, Cikgu Mazeri handed me a piece of canvas and some oils with some brushes to begin my painting. The colours were Red, Green and Blue, the three basic colors but there is no yellow and white. I paid him RM30 for the material with the canvass thrown in for free as it was already used on one side to paint something which was later aborted. He didn't want me to spend too much initially as I should develop my talent first and later buy new things that I need. I didn't start painting right away as I need the yellow color as well as the white. When Cikgu Mazeri inquired whether I have started painting I said no, I need the yellow and the white first and waiting for the stock to arrive at the graphic store in Kota Bharu. He told me to satrt sketching first for a start.

When I called the store in Kota Bharu and enquired whether the yellow has arrived, they confirmed thay have the stock but of the more expensive brand of Alpha paint from Korea and not the Maries of China. Since I wanted just two tubes of yellow and white, I went over and bought them. Now I only buy Alpha paints as they are of better quality than the Marie's. I think Cikgu Mazeri has converted to Alpha too after hearing from me that Alpha is the better paint though they are more expensive.

There are some heliconia plants growing in my garden and some were flowering. I just painted them and posted a blog in LAISI to tell the world about my new hobby. Read about it here. Among the commenters to that post was Zendra of USJ, Selangor who said this:

I'll buy your painting if it is up for sale. Who knows you may become a famous ripe old artist in the future. I'd then sell your first painting for a million! Just don't forget to sign it off as "Pak Zawi" (this name is already famous as it is).

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The followings are what transpired between me and Zendra in the comment section in that blog:

My reply:
Zendra,

Consider it sold!. I will accept any offer from you. Come and collect it. I will sign it as For Zendra, Pak Zawi 09.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Zendra said...
Any offer Pak Zawi? That's cool (borrowing kiddo talk). You hang on to it OK, until I make my way to KB (don't know when yet). Wow, won't be able to sleep tonight, I tell you hehe.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Pak Zawi said...
Zendra, I will keep it for you however long it takes you to come to Kelantan. Pasir Mas not KB OK? Please come before I pass on as paintings increase in price after the demise of the painter. Who knows my family will not even part with my first painting after I am gone hehehehe.

With some tips by Cikgu Mazeri, I reworked on the painting and when I conder it done, I made another post here.

I didn't wait for Zendra to collect the painting and instead I sent it by courier service. Zendra used the painting as a back drop of a Utube posting here .

I did another two paintings of a different Heliconia which I named them as Heliconia 2 and Heliconia 3. I consider them slightly better than the one I sold to Zendra. I offered Zendra the choice of either Heliconia 2 or Heliconia 3 to replace the one in her keep because later I found out that Zendra already has a collection of paintings bought in Bali! For the uninitiated, Ubud in Bali is the Mecca for artists for this part of the world. See her other paintings in the post Sentenced To Hang here.

She will have none of my offer and insist to keep my first painting. Well I am happy if she is happy. Willing buyer, willing seller. A win-win situation for the both of us.

The painting when Zendra made the offer to buy.
The painting after it was considered done and delivered to Zendra.


Heliconia 2 (above) framed and ready to be delivered to the buyer.
Heliconia 3 (above)

Yellow Catleya, framed and ready for delivery to the buyer.

Later I did a few more paintings and you can see them at my LAISI site here and here