My second career
In this twenty-minute talk at the ATCCS, 2018, I would like to share with the audience an extraordinary journey that marked my transition from a successful general thoracic surgery into a passionate artist.
Having learnt the basic techniques in porcelain, water colour, acrylic and Chinese painting, my own art inclination is to move towards abstract subjects, as you are not limited by the real world, just your own imagination. I am exploring the use of multimedia on different substrates to best express myself. In my art album (1), you will see a few paintings on gold and silver card paper which I believe has been underutilized by the art community. I also use scientific methodologies I learned to systematically evaluate the effects of multimedia. After all, science can be combined with art. Innovation remains one of the most valued attributes in both.
I really have rediscovered myself through painting. I am glad my art career came after surgery and not in the reverse order. I think it is very difficult to create when you are dependent on your work to make a living. Truly great works are almost always ahead of their times and by definition, not widely accepted by the public, in general.
I also feel blessed that I have acquired just enough basic techniques in Chinese and Western art for me to adequately express myself but not enough to log in with a particular “school” as it has been the case with many talented artists, Chinese in particular (they form different Schools and control how you should apply each stroke). I believe true art should be an honest expression of oneself and should naturally transcend time and space. Great art knows no boundaries.
Acknowledgements
None.
Footnote
Conflicts of Interest: The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.
References
- Yin AP. editor. My Second Career: A Collection of Artwork by Dr Anthony P Yim. AME Publishing Company. 2018.
