Chan Lim Family of Artists and Students Exhibit at SM North Edsa (January 24, 2016)

Last January 24, 2016, Mr. Niccolo Cosme invited me to witness the launch of Chan Lim's exhibit at SM North Edsa The Block Atrium. The event marked the start of the Chinese New Year Festivities at the SM Malls.

For the past 4 decades, Mr. Alex Chan Lim, through his endeavor called the Chan Lim Family of Artists and Students, has been promoting the art of Chinese painting as a hobby and pastime for people from all walks of life. Various professionals, students, and children have spent time learning the art at his studio. This time, however, Mr. Chan Lim has set up a grand exhibit from his former students who have spent their time and effort to come up with amazing artworks. Apart from that, the Chan Lim studio also organized a Chinese painting workshop to selected members of the press who attended the event.

Before we started, we had a sumptuous buffet courtesy of Lugang Cafe. We had some of their specialties including Xiao Long Bao, Hot and Sour Soup, Fried fish, Cold cuts, and mixed vegetables, among others. This wonderful meal was then followed by a live demo of Mr. Chan Lim's artistic prowess. In the short span of 15 minutes, he was able to produce two mastercrafted artworks which were: a bamboo grove and a mountainous backdrop. His attention to detail and color were truly manifest when he immediately mixed various colors to produce different hues and tones. I was truly amazed as to his skill, grace, and talent.

According to Mr. Chan Lim, he started painting when he was 11 years old. At his age, he has already become a master of the art. While he promotes Chinese painting, he claims that he doesn't adhere so much to Feng Shui. However, for the sake of conformity, he still paints certain images and figures as how they are customarily painted. For instance, fish is painted in groups of 9 while birds are painted in fours. He also stated that Chinese painting portrays objects as they are, unlike abstract art. Thus, a viewer can easily know the object that is being painted.

After his live demo, I was able to portray a few images in painting through the skillful help of some of the Chan Lim teachers. I had difficulty portraying the bamboo grove due to my unskilled hands. However, a few tries with the Chinese ink and oil pastel enabled me to create chrysanthemum flowers. Though they don't look like much, I'm still proud of them.

Chan Lim Family of Artists and Students is located at Pasig City. For more information, you can look at their website at http://www.chanlim.com/

The story in pictures: