Beautiful in Blue

Marisa R. Ng studied art at the National Academy of Arts, Culture & Heritage (ASWARA) in Kuala Lumpur. After a short course on figure drawings, she continued her training in fine arts under renowned Malaysian abstract artists, Suzlee Ibrahim and Ismadi Sallehudin. Marisa also studied Accountancy and did very well in it. But she always felt that art is where her heart truly is.

A breakthrough came in the form of a life-changing return to a small island off the northeast coast of Peninsular Malaysia called Pulau Kapas. It was then that Marisa finally realized her true calling as an artist. “I found myself starting to paint and a world of wonders completely unfolded itself to me. I had found my playground, and in it, myself.”

Before her venture into abstract arts, Marisa had done over 1,800 figurative sketches. In her artist statement, she says, “I was trained in figures because my gurus said that only if you can master the figure, then you will truly master the elements and principles of design in creating art. Figurative art takes skill, practice, and extreme attention to detail.”

Marisa's style of painting has since evolved towards abstract expressionist as it emphasizes the spontaneous, automatic, or subconscious creation. To Marisa, abstract art is the purest form as it comes from one’s soul or state of mind. In the creation of her artwork, Marisa says, "powerful art is when a person who is not trained or learned in the arts can view it and go 'wow'. They can see something, understand it, and 'get it' right away." Her goal is to create artworks that are meaningful to her audience.