Lim Lay See

Lim Lay See

Lay See had a quiet calm charm. She seldom spoke, had a gentle smile and would sit patiently waiting for us to bring her paints, paper and brush. 

Lay See's first drawing on 8 July -  

This was the first session. We suggested starting with a circle, and she tried out different colours inside the circle

15 July -  At the second session Lay See tried out a "realist" approach with a drawing of the sun shining behind the hills and birds flying in the distance

By the third session - 22 July - Lay See found her own style - bright colours and bold geometric shapes

Sadly, Lay See passed away suddenly after a very brief illness. Her last painting, below, was of two hearts surrounded, as if in protection, by a host of circles.

Philomena Rangel

Philomena arrives each week in her wheelchair, neatly dressed and always smiling. One week when I commented that she was wearing lipstick and ear-rings, she said to me "That's because I look forward very much to being here every Friday".  It made me more conscious of dressing more cheerfully every Friday, too.   

Each week, she does one painting, choosing her colours and lines very carefully. She has a very clear idea what she wants to draw and stays on till the end of the session every week. Her delicate but colourful drawings attract the attention and admiration of many of her friends.

The first few drawings were indicative of Philomena's preferred subjects as well as her use of colours. As the weeks passed, her paintings became little pieces of art that she very carefully worked on for almost an hour! 

To view Philomena's entire portfolio of paintings go to

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Ang Cheng Oo

  Ang Cheng Oo

Ang Cheng Oo joined us for 5 sessions, starting from 8 July. Already quite frail, he came in his wheel chair with the help of the home staff. His voice was very soft and his hand shook as he held the brush. But, he gamely dabbed his brush on paper, responding to suggestions to try a change of colour, now and then. His wobbly strokes produced some interesting paintings. With each passing week, we could see he was getting weaker.  He came down with an infection in mid August and passed away soon after.

5 friends were inspired by.....

A video on Youtube - Making Mandalas with the Elderly: the Ennis Court Project. 
http://youtu.be/fimThEhaun0

We decided to take up Charles Gilchrist's challenge to "Go For It" and start weekly drawing sessions at the Penang Home for the Aged and Infirm on Green Lane. With the support of Matron Leow and her staff, we began the first of our Friday afternoon drawing sessions on 8 July 2011.  We started with a simple objective -  to see how the old folks would respond to the invitation to draw.  The old folks came unwillingly in the beginning, protesting that they did not know how to draw or paint. We kept assuring them - you can do whatever you like, its just for fun, "play play", relax.... .  Though they had never painted,  we soon discovered that each one had their own ideas what to do with colours, paint and brush. Some began to enjoy themselves, coming each week with a plan of what they wanted to do that day. 10 sessions have gone by. 2 of the elderly who joined us have passed away...... But each week, one or two new recruits join in, sometimes out of curiousity, sometimes attracted by the colourful drawings we paste up each week on the wall for all to admire.