A pleasure in seeing the world with the heart
Time spent appreciating nature and God’s beautiful creation can heal the body and mind.
AS I sit in the stillness of the morning watching the sunrise, a pair of swallows wing across the sky.
I derive much pleasure from watching birds. Whether it’s a common sparrow in my garden or a majestic hawk soaring way up high, watching these creatures simply lifts my spirits.
While my camera skills are nowhere near those of more avid birders, I do have a couple of shots I am quite proud of. They include a pair of kingfishers in courtship and a green pigeon feeding on berries in my garden.
I have a number of Facebook friends who are serious birders and think nothing of lugging loads of equipment on birding trips to capture pictures for all to enjoy.
Among them is one person who besides snapping photos, also captures images quite differently – with paint and brush. I am talking about the remarkable Dr Neoh Chin Boon, who paints magnificent pictures of the feathered creatures.
The self-taught birdlife artist with a passion for nature conservation had started painting birds after a battle with nose cancer in December 2007.
“I found painting very therapeutic. It allowed me to see the world with my heart,” said Dr Neoh, who is a former general surgeon.
In February last year, he held a solo charity art exhibition to raise funds for the Mount Miriam Cancer Hospital in Penang. He also produced a beautiful 2016 desk calendar with his paintings.
Dr Neoh goes about his art with a scientific approach.
“Malaysia has 781 known species of birds and to date, I’ve seen about 500. I’ve only painted about 300 species, so I’ve still a long way to go,” he said.
I am writing about his creative ventures because just last week, I received a package from him. It contained copies of his 2017 desk calendar. The calendars are truly a labour of love, given free to friends and contacts at the year end.
The latest edition has more amazingly life-like paintings of Malaysian birds and, like the 2016 edition, each month carries a quotation from Sunday Starters.
He shared that in December, he would be among 15 talented nature artists who will showcase their work at an exhibition titled Nature Nurtured at the Bank Negara Malaysia Art Gallery.
Some of his paintings featured in the new calendar will be on display.
“Hope we will work together on future calendars,” he said.
This is one partnership I am most excited about, not least because of our shared love for nature.
It is my privilege to be a part of Dr Neoh’s inspiring efforts to heal body and mind through his art.
Like him, I have experienced the therapeutic power of time spent appreciating nature and God’s wonderful creation.
As he put it, it’s an exercise in seeing the world with the heart.
Pausing each morning to contemplate the splendour of nature around us helps us to face the day with the right perspective.
Even in the heart of the city, there is much beauty to enjoy – sunrise surprises, clouds in brilliant colours, flowers of every hue, and of course our graceful feathered friends.
These sights that we so often take for granted could serve as a reminder to us that there are others who, owing to disability or illness, are unable to fully appreciate such loveliness.
Yes, we have much to be thankful for.