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ILLUSTRATED
Dr. Tan Chong Guan, Tay Mo-Leong Retrospective, Penang State Museum & Art Gallery, Penang, 2009, illustrated p.6 (detail) and p.194

The sugar palm trees stretching from bottom to top create a trajectory force from the series of ‘V’ shapes funneling upwards and when two trees crisscross, bringing about intricate crosshatch patterns with yellow, red and blue in the interstices. The pointillism-inspired dots in similar colour scheme further enhance the beauty. A reverse ‘V’ object shaped like a thatched hut lies on top, slightly off-centre.

Tay’s masterful batik techniques nicely compliment the palm topography, a familiar sight to the artist when passing a fishing village near Merbok in Kedah, just opposite Pantai Merdeka. Tay is known for innovating the double-resist process and other experimental breakthroughs in batik painting.