Farm-to-canvas: farmer showcases stunning wildlife drawings in exhibition

In his solo exhibition 'Things That Move' in Kuala Lumpur, Eu is presenting 25 Chinese ink on paper artworks, including this 'Leopard Cat' piece. Photo: Gene Eu

Since he was a young boy, artist and organic farmer Gene Eu has always been passionate about two things: art and animals.

So for his first solo exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Eu decided to merge those two passions together, culminating in Things That Move, a celebration of Malaysia’s rich wildlife biodiversity.

The exhibition, currently showing at The Godown arts centre, features 25 of Eu’s paintings of wildlife in all shapes and sizes, from tapirs and serows to sun bears and golden cats.

Fittingly, the exhibition gets its title from a literal translation of the Chinese word for “animal” – “dongwu”, or “things that move”.

Made using Chinese ink on paper, the black and white paintings are captivating in their minimalism, reminiscent of the sketches found in the notebooks of naturalists from times past.

“Malaysia is truly a hotbed in terms of its abundance of plants and wildlife species. For example, the entire continent of North America only has four species of felines, whereas Malaysia, with an area equivalent to just one American state, boasts seven or eight species of felines,” says Eu, a self-taught artist, in a recent interview at the exhibition venue.

Eu’s artwork Sambar Deer, locally known as rusa. It is a wild prey species facing extinction in Peninsular Malaysia due to poaching for its meat and for sport. Photo: Gene Eu

“With this show, I hope visitors will enjoy the simplicity of my paintings while learning about the incredible varieties of mammals we have in our backyard,” he adds.

Sadly, many of the species featured in his paintings are endangered, facing threats such as loss of habitat, illegal poaching and human-wildlife conflicts.

“When I was younger, I remember encountering two golden cats while walking on the road in Fraser’s Hill. They must have been fighting, because they came tumbling down the hill in a blur of reddish brown fur and just as quickly, they bounced off the road and over the edge, going further downhill.

“I wonder if it’s possible to have such an encounter now,” says Eu, 44, who was born in KL.

To support the exhibition’s aim to garner more interest in the country’s wildlife treasures, The Godown KL is hosting a series of talks this weekend, conducted by experts from Malaysia’s leading nature and wildlife conservation organisations, such as Traffic, the Gibbon Society and the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).

A colourful journey

The youngest of five siblings, Eu had taken to drawing at a very young age.

“My mum told me that I was able to hold a pencil like an adult from that age (one-and-half years old). I was a fairly quiet kid, so I was often left alone for hours with pen and paper to do my drawings,” says the artist.

‘With this show, I hope visitors will enjoy the simplicity of my paintings while learning about the incredible varieties of mammals we have in our backyard,’ says Eu. Photo: The Star/Ong Soon Hin

Eu’s love for art can only be matched by his love of animals – as a teen, he was breeding parrots in captivity and grooming his mum’s miniature poodles, as well as other show dogs around the Ampang area, where his family lived.

At 19, Eu moved to the United States to pursue an arts degree at Santa Monica College, but before he graduated, he ended up getting a job as a graphic designer for Dark Horse Records, founded by George Harrison (The Beatles).

“It was an interesting time in my life. Technically, the company didn’t really need to make money, so we essentially did a lot of design work for the Harrison family and friends.

“For Ringo Starr’s birthday, we made a flip-out card that opened up to about 12m, telling the story of all the different celestial stars before ending with him, Ringo Starr. We even made a board game for Harrison’s son,” says Eu, who has done solo exhibitions at WAL ART and Art All Ways galleries in Los Angeles.

In 2009, a growing interest in organic farming led him to embark on a transformative journey, leaving the urban landscape of LA for the rural countryside of North Carolina. There, Eu forged a stronger connection to nature and lived a self-sufficient lifestyle for 10 years.

Since his return to Malaysia in 2020, Eu has been based in Bentong, Pahang where he divides his time between documenting the country’s enchanting fauna through his art, managing a 28ha organic farm and rehabilitating an old fruit orchard.

Eu’s 'Malayan Tapir' (Chinese ink on paper), a species that is becoming rare in their habitats, mostly due to habitat destruction and poaching. Photo: Gene Eu

Apart from the dozens of chickens and ducks that roam the farm, Eu keeps the company of 15 cats and 24 dogs – some of the animals are rescues, while others are those that Eu specially bred for life on a farm, such as the Bell Griffins, a mix of Hungarian komondor sheepdog, standard poodle and English Springer spaniel which were chosen for their specific personality traits and temperament.

“My days are taken up with running around the farm, so I tend to work on my art in the early mornings or late at night. I have a small desk set up above the dog kennel just for this,” shares Eu.

“It might sound a bit strange, but as a boy, I often drew farm scenery, complete with poodle-type dogs with long tails and lots of chickens – scenes which remarkably resemble my life now. Even my family have pointed it out, saying, ‘you were drawing everything that you’re doing now.’ So I guess I’ve always had this affinity with nature and animals,” he says.

‘Things can be done in a better way’

When you view Eu’s paintings close up, it’s easy to confuse the level of detail for a pen or pencil sketch. So how did this sketch-like aesthetic in his paintings become his signature technique?

“Through a lot of experimentation,” answers Eu.

“I developed the dry brush technique in 2019, after testing out many different mediums. The method basically uses Sumi ink with no water, which results in a fur-like texture.

An artwork by Eu titled 'Sun Bear', one of the highlights at the exhibition. Photo: Gene Eu

“At that time I was doing a lot of pen drawings, which took me days to finish one piece. But with this technique, I’m now able to finish a piece that would usually take me two days with a pen in just 15 minutes.”

Through the Things That Move exhibition, Eu hopes to meet with more like-minded people who are just as dedicated to finding ways to live in harmony with nature as he is.

“I feel strongly about the animals that live and work alongside us, like the chickens that lay eggs and the dairy animals that produce milk. It’s all a gift for us. So the least that I can do is help them be seen and respected, and I believe the best way to do that is by getting people to work together and find ways for things to be done in a better way,” he says.

In line with his vision, Eu founded sustainability concept company Pamplemosses, a platform through which he seeks to merge his art and environmental advocacy.

Things That Move is showing at The Godown, Lorong Ampang, off Jln Bukit Nanas in Kuala Lumpur till March 31. On March 23 and 24, there will also be talks presented by wildlife conservation organisations, such as TRAFFIC, the Gibbon Society, Management and Ecology of Malaysian Elephants (MEME) and the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).