In the relaxed atmosphere of their home art studio in Pasig, students of the Chan Lim family of artists paint away the stress of daily living. Instead, they spend their precious time creating tranquil images of koi fish in a pond, mountains, birds perched on a cherry tree blossom tree, horses, and other joyful things from nature.
The Chan Lims are accomplished corporate professionals. Alex Chan Lim, who used to be the country manager of an international money transfer company is now retired and has gone full-time into teaching. Brothers Felix, Rolex, and Jolex still hold day jobs in multinational companies.
Their energetic father, Jose Chan Lim (or Chan Lim) is an 86-years-old martial arts practitioner who has maintained the discipline of painting daily for three hours.
A Chinese brush painting artwork looks delicate and seemingly requires a level of experience as a painter. After all, control of the brush and the water on paper results in various effects.
On the contrary, says Alex, “Learning Chinese painting is not difficult. It is a fun, easy and not expensive hobby to pick up. Most of our students don’t have prior painting experience. Now they are joining our exhibits already.
“To learn Chinese painting, it is good to have talent. Better to have interest. And best to have both talent and interest.”
Materials are accessible, says Alex. Chinese painting brush, rice paper and Chinese watercolor paints are available in art stores and online shopping platforms. Students can practice on mimeograph paper first before working on rice paper.
As Alex often says encouragingly, anyone can learn how to paint. And proof of this assurance are the beautiful paintings of the Chan Lim students presented in the many art exhibitions mounted by the family in various SM Supermalls since 2011.
During the pandemic, many first-timers joined the Chan Lim family’s online classes. According to him, “During the pandemic, our online classes provided students something to do and kept them busy in a meaningful way. It was not an easy arrangement since this is not common and we weren’t sure as teachers whether we will be able to share (the knowledge) and students can learn given this kind of setup. At the end, we were able to find a solution to ensure a win-win solution for both.”
The digital dive proved to be a gift. Soon, there were students from across the Philippines and even overseas who enrolled in the Chinese brush painting classes.
Among them were the elderly in their late 80s, some in wheelchairs. Alex said, “Painting became a good therapy for many—and not just our senior students—because it eased their feeling of isolation. Being able to challenge themselves to paint and accomplish several works became beneficial to their mental health.
“Among our 80-year-olds, the main challenge was how to operate the Zoom link. But through the help of a member of their family or their household, they enjoyed the classes and were motivated to even join our art exhibits.”
Last year, the Chan Lims had a number of exhibits last year in various SM Supermalls and a few shows in the US.
“Chinese Painting is a good hobby to take up. It uses your brain to enhance your creative skills, your hands to improve on your motor skills. It can also foster creative growth, build your confidence, promote a positive attitude and nurture emotional growth.
“We have a lot of professionals doing painting as their anti-stress activity. Coming from the corporate side gave us a better understanding on how to ensure our students can maximize their learnings with us.”
Biggest art show
This year, the Chan Lims are back with their face-to-face classes but have also maintained their online sessions—among the good developments from the pandemic. And this time, the Chan Lim Family of Artists and Students as they are officially called, have also mounted their 50th show and the biggest one at that. In 2020, the group mounted an impressive collection of 273 hand-painted lanterns in SM CDO.
In celebration of the Year of the Dragon this year, the sight at the Mega Fashion Hall didnn’t fail to wow passersby as 460 colorful paintings rendered on ceramic plates, tael, and parasols are displayed on flower-shaped shelves. The presence of a giant winged dragon lording it over the collection of paintings adds to the majestic visual treat.
Alex looks back at how the family and their students have grown. The family started their classes in 1989 and had their first exhibit in 1995 in SM Megamall. Today, the Chan Lim family has grown to 15 members, which includes the grandchildren of Chan Lim, and all turned out to be artists as well.
According to Alex: “If there’s one activity that keeps the Chan Lim Family together, that’s definitely painting. Despite having different professions, all of us would always find time to be together for our painting activities. All of us have our own role to play. Seeing the third generations Chan Lim bringing in different perspective and skill sets give us a lot of inspiration to continue what we are doing.”
Entering a new chapter in his life as a full-time artist and teacher, Alex is finding fulfillment in what he really does best. He said, “Creativity in arts is an important area of focus for my family. Infusing Western with Eastern art and expressing these in different media enabled us to develop artworks on fans, lanterns, plates, and umbrellas, to name a few. These give me continuous happiness as an artist to innovate more and continue doing something different.
“If I see my student starting to appreciate what they are doing, their continuous interaction as a sign of their wanting to learn more—that gives me happiness as a teacher to share more.”
The Chan Lim Family of Artists and Students runs until February 18 at the Ground Floor of Mega Fashion Hall in Megamall. To learn more about the Chan Lim family’s Chinese brush painting classes, check their Facebook page @chanlimfamiyofaritsts.
Image credits: SM Supermalls