Painting with a passion

SHAH ALAM: For British-born artist Rachel Gray bringing the animals she digitally paints to life through their emotions is what matters most.
What is even more impressive is the pictures she paints are not that of other artists' but ones that she had photographed herself for years deep in the Malaysian forests.
"I don't paint these animals so they look pretty, but so that it captures the essence and power of the animal.
"I try to really capture their emotions and characters. You want more than just a painting, something that captures their soul. And that is what I try to do, as you can really feel the power of the animals," she told theSun in an interview, here, recently.
Her wildlife digital paintings of animals in Malaysia - or 12 of her best to be precise - will be featured at the Shah Alam Gallery until March 30, and will also be available for sale.
They range from pictures of the orangutan, Malaysian tiger, tapir, and hornbill, and were mostly photographed in Borneo and Taman Negara in Pahang.
The price of the paintings, which have been printed on canvas, ranges from RM4,800 to RM11,500.
The exhibition is held concurrently with the Album Cover Design Exhibition, which features album covers of legendary local artists such as Sudirman, M. Nasir, Search and Lefthanded.
Gray, who started painting at the age of two, said she wanted to showcase how rare and beautiful those animals were in the wild, and that she had been inspired massively by the Malaysian wildlife.
The animal lover said she started learning digital painting at the age of 17 when she went to college and never looked back since.
"Digital painting is an art form in which traditional artistic media such as watercolours, oils, pencils and charcoal can be replicated on a computer using a stylus and a digitising tablet," she explained.
Datuk Seri Dr Romona Murad, president Romona International Sdn Bhd and Gray's manager, said the paintings displayed at the Shah Alam Gallery are worth viewing.
"They are very educational too. Lovers of wildlife animals are encouraged to come and view these exclusive paintings," she added.
Those who are interested in the artwork, or wish to have their pet animals digitally-painted, can visit her website www.rgportraits.com or contact her at 019-2871454.