HSIEYING: a brand that epitomises lush and vibrantly painted, nature-themed dreamscapes. The woman behind this vivid identity? Ashley Chaw, a down-to-earth Bruneian who is 30 years young and has made Malaysia her current home base for the past two years. 

 

As a young child growing up in the coastal town of Seria, Ashley very quickly found a strong appreciation for bright skies and majestic sunsets. Being immersed in her family’s small nursery business further led her down the path as a nature lover.

 

The decision to pursue a Diploma in Digital Animation prompted Ashley to move to the busy capital of Kuala Lumpur in 2006 and subsequently, her initial career path within the competitive and rushed industry of visual effects. Although this allowed her the opportunity to work on big budget Hollywood films at a renown international visual effects studio, she soon realised that a nine to five was NOT what she desired after four years with the company.

 

Ashley returned to Brunei in 2014 with the instability of the visual effects industry looming over her, and decided to take up painting as a hobby to unwind. She had a new goal. Giving it her all – blood, sweat and tears, she practiced patiently and started saving up enough money to realise her dream of becoming a full-time painter.

 

She finally came back to Malaysia in 2017, and currently works from her Petaling Jaya home studio. As a foreigner in Malaysia, Ashley opened doors for herself through her own diligence. “That kind of desperation for me to survive and make a living as an artist, it creates a motivation for me to actually work twice as hard.”

 

Ashley’s journey with art is a constant learning process. While her first strokes on the canvas were watercolour art, she paints mainly with gouache now - an opaque water-based paint, to enhance the vividity of her subjects and add a dreamy feel to the piece. Through the practice of adding depth and saturation into her work as well as understanding colour, she is working towards her goal of transitioning into a fine art artist. Ashley is also taking baby steps and going out of her comfort zone by beginning to explore with acrylics and oil paintings, both mediums which require time and patience to master the respective specialised techniques.

 

Currently, her personal project passions are botanicals. Inspired by the colourful works of Wayne Thiebaud and the realistic touch of Wanda Comrie, it provides the perfect subject matter for her to experiment beyond her skill set. “In my free time, I like to roam around Lake Gardens (in Kuala Lumpur) because it’s a wonderful park, almost like a different realm out of the city to find a unique variety of birds and plants species there.”