ON Saturdays, Noor Sarah Mohamed Reza and her son Rayyan Irfan Chai would set up their paintings on easels and walls at their booth in Amcorp Mall in Petaling Jaya to display their artworks.
Noor Sarah’s pieces feature women in traditional costumes, while nine-year-old Rayyan’s art has a more diverse repertoire, from dragons to aircrafts.
Noor Sarah’s interest in art took root when she was a child.
“According to my mother, I started drawing when I was four years old.
“Art has always been my favourite subject in school. I have always been fascinated by colours, which explains my love for colouring and painting,” said Noor Sarah, 31.
“At my first exhibition in Kuching when I was 10, I had three artworks on display. My parents bought all three for RM30. For a child, that was a huge sum.”
After seeing Iban women in their ngepan (Iban female attire) at a pageant in Sarawak 11 years ago, Noor Sarah began to focus on traditional costumes, such as baju kebaya and saree in her drawings.
But it was not until two years ago that Noor Sarah took art seriously.
In 2019, she took part in an exhibition and managed to sell eight of her artworks.
“It was exhilarating. I made more than RM2,000 over three days.”
Rayyan shares his love of art with his mother. But he is still finding his niche.
“Rayyan can take a few hours or up to several months to finish a piece, depending on the details and the technique he uses,” Noor Sarah said.
“He is now using acrylic paint after his teacher taught him how to use it.”
His first taste of fame came last year when his illustration of a large red dragon with wings gained a lot of attention on social media.
“I also like drawing Santa,” he said.
Rayyan has some commercial success as his artwork is featured on fridge magnets, tote bags and postcards.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, both mother and son are unable to display their artworks at exhibitions.
Now Noor Sarah is promoting her works online.
Their artworks can be seen on their Instagram account rayyanirfanchai.
Art has served as a bond that binds both mother and son.
“When we paint, we are in our own world,” Noor Sarah said.
