Born in Singapore in 1947, Poon Lian graduated from NAFA in 1969 and majored in Western Painting. He learnt Chinese ink painting under pioneer artist Chen Wen Hsi and is adept at Western and Chinese painting techniques. While running his own business, Poon Lian contributed to NAFA in various capacities as an alumnus and continued his art practice. He retired in 2003 and became a full-time artist to paint and travel. In 2020, he was named the Ngee Ann Artist of the Year for his achievements and contribution to the local artist community.
Influenced by his teachers at NAFA and peers, Poon Lian enjoys sojourns around Southeast Asia and regions in Nepal, Taiwan, and China to capture landscapes and imbibe the daily rhythms of life in his paintings. A tree encroaches from the right side of the canvas, towering above a cluster of fishing boats. In the distance, the sunset beams and the water glistens, attesting to Poon Lian’s excellent study of shadows and light. Poon Lian uses a reverse painting technique to evoke the effect of woodcut prints. Delicate and intricate, the brushwork interplays between space and ink, light and darkness.
