Marvin Chew is a full-time professional watercolour artist and the current Vice-President of Singapore Watercolour Society. He is actively involved in many exhibitions and competitions both locally and internationally.
He loves to paint outdoors and is often seen sketching and painting on location, en plein air. He also teaches art and specialises in landscape as well as street scenes watercolour paintings.
He usually paints in semi-realistic, impressionist style, using transparent watercolours that highlight the play of lights and shades, using spontaneous, bold brushstrokes in many of his works, which imbues the energy of Chinese calligraphy.
AFFILIATIONS AND ART SOCIETY APPOINTMENTS
Since 2004
- Member of Singapore Watercolour Society (SWS)
2005–2007
- Treasurer of SWS
2007–2009
- Secretary General of SWS
2009–present
- Vice-President of SWS
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2012
- Held first solo exhibition “In Living Colours” at GalerieSogan & Art, Singapore.
2014
- Held second solo exhibition “Eat • Drink • Paint” at Utterly Art Gallery, Singapore
2016
- Held third solo exhibition “My Watercolour Story” at ArtSafe Pte Ltd, Singapore
WORKSHOPS, DEMOS, EDUCATIONAL TALKS & OTHER PROJECTS
2009
- Performed Watercolour painting demo at SWS 40th Annual Exhibition
2011
- Performed Watercolour painting demo at Cliftons, Singapore
2011-2012
- Drawing & Watercolour Painting Workshop for Beginners at NUS Museum, Singapore
2012
- Art Instructor at Mouth & Foot Painting Artists Workshop at Suntec City, Singapore
- Performed Watercolour painting demo at first solo exhibition “In Living Colours”
- Performed Watercolour painting demo at Loy Chye Chuan & Students Watercolour Exhibition
2012 - 2013
- Watercolour Painting Workshops at Galerie Sogan & Art, Singapore
- Instructor for Urban Sketching workshop at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)
2013
- Talk on “History of Watercolours in Singapore” at Affordable Art Fair, Singapore
2013 - 2016
- Outdoor / Plein Air Watercolour Painting Workshops for school art teachers held in April & October, at Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts (STAR)
2013 - 2014
- Supplied framed watercolour paintings to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) as overseas trip gifts
2014
- Participated in “Re-Interpretation” International Watercolour Exhibition 2014, Suzhou, China.
- Participated in “National Day Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition 2014”, Singapore.
- Participated in “Langkawi Art Biennale 2014”, Langkawi, Malaysia
- Panel of judges for “Tampines Celebrates SG50 Art Competition”, Singapore
- Watercolour painting demo at Affordable Art Fair Singapore
- Watercolour painting demo and workshop at “World Art Convention”, Kuching, Malaysia
- Watercolour painting commissioned by Port Authority of Singapore (PSA)
2015
- Participated in Singapore Art Society’s 65th Anniversary Art Exhibition, Singapore
- Selected and participated as one of the 50 artists in “A Brush with Singapore Art Society”, at Raffles City, Singapore
- Juried into the 38th International Exhibition of Watercolour Art Society-Houston (WAS-H), USA.
- Juried into 2015 Watercolour Missouri International Exhibition, USA
- Juried into the 45th Louisiana Watercolour Society (LWS) International Exhibition, USA
- Painted 6 acrylic artworks for Radin Mas Comminunity Centre SG50 Celebration Project
- ‘Live’ watercolour painting to accompany classical music concert “Parisian Chevaliers” by Tee Khoon Tang and Elias Reyes
2015-2016
- Watercolour painting demo/ workshop at “Tanjong Goodman” Open Studio at Goodman Arts Centre, Singapore
2016
- Participated and painted on a street piano for the Singapore edition of “Play Me I’m Yours”
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS, AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
2003
- Merit Award: Project Search, Discover South East Painting Competition, Singapore
2004–2015
- Participated in SWS 35th to 46th Annual Exhibitions, Singapore
2005
- Juried into the 28th International Exhibition of Watercolour Art Society-Houston (WAS-H), USA
- Participated in the 17th Asia International Watercolour 2005, Singapore
2006 & 2008
- Participated in the Singapore Chinese Cultural Festival Grand Art Exhibition, Singapore
2006
- Participated in Penang-Singapore Watercolour Exhibition 2006 in Penang, Malaysia
2007
- Participated in Sarawak Cultural Arts & Craft Festival 2007 in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
2008
- Participated in Telok Kurau Studios - Commemorating A Decade Exhibition, Singapore
- Participated in Folk Art Forum exhibition held in conjunction with Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
- Telok Kurau Studios Annual Exhibition 2008 - Mountains As Non-Mountain, Singapore
2009
- Participated in Singapore Art Show 2009, “The Call of Tradition”, Black Earth Art Museum, Singapore
- Participated in Singapore Hainanese Association Art Exhibition 2009, Singapore
2010
- Participated in National Day Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition 2010, Singapore.
- Juried into the National Watercolour Society 90th international Annual Exhibition 2010, USA
2011
- Participated in Tiong Bahru Revisited Exhibition, White Canvas Gallery, Singapore
- Participated in the first group exhibition of Urban Sketchers Singapore (USk-SG) and its book launch at URA Centre, Singapore
2012
- Participated in Mini Paintings Exhibition organised by Federation of Art Societies, Singapore
- Participated in $uper $ingapore $ale Art Exhibition at ION Orchard Gallery, Singapore
- Participated in “Our Journey” Watercolour Exhibition with Loy Chye Chuan & Students, Singapore
2013
- Juried into the 36th International Exhibition of Watercolour Art Society-Houston (WAS-H), USA
- Juried into and won the “Christopher J. Doré Memorial Award” - 43rd Louisiana Watercolour Society (LWS) International Exhibition, USA
- Participated in “Unity-In-Diversity” 7-man Group Exhibition, National Library Board, Singapore.
- Participated in “Artist’s Favourite II” Group Exhibition, Penang State Museum, Malaysia
- Represented Singapore in “China-ASEAN Youth Artists Exchange & Workshop” in Beijing, China
- Six artworks permanently collected by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China
2014
- Participated in “A Changed World” exhibition jointly organised by Urban Sketchers Singapore and National Museum of Singapore
- Juried into the 37th International Exhibition of Watercolour Art Society-Houston (WAS-H), USA
- Participated in “Re-Interpretation” International Watercolour Exhibition 2014, Suzhou, China
- Participated in “National Day Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition 2014”, Singapore
- Participated in “Langkawi Art Biennale 2014”, Langkawi, Malaysia
- Participated in “World Hainanese Art and Calligraphy Exhibition”, Singapore
2015
- Participated in Singapore Art Society’s 65th Anniversary Art Exhibition, Singapore
- Selected and Participated as one of the 50 artists in “A Brush with Singapore Art Society”, at Raffles City, Singapore
- Juried into the 38th International Exhibition of Watercolour Art Society-Houston (WAS-H), USA
- Juried into 2015 Watercolour Missouri International Exhibition, USA
- Juried into the 45th Louisiana Watercolour Society (LWS) International Exhibition, USA
- Participated in World Artists Alliance Art Exhibition in Penang, Malaysia and Hualien, Taiwan
- Participated in “National Day Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition 2015”, Singapore
- Juried into the National Watercolour Society 95th International Annual Exhibition 2015, USA
- Participated in Dr Tan Tsze Chor Art Exhibition, organised by Singapore Art Society
- Participated in “50 Cultural Landscapes of Singapore” Watercolour Exhibition by jointly hosted by Lianhe Zaobao and SWS in conjunction with Singapore’s SG50 jubilee celebration
- Participated in “A Journey to Hue” Watercolour painting tour and exhibition organised by Thua Thien Hue Fine Arts Association and Fine Arts museum of Hue City, Vietnam
2016
- Participated in the National Watercolour Society Invitational Plein Air Painting Exhibition to be held Muckenthaler Cultural Centre, Los Angeles, USA
- Participated in the International Festival of Watercolour Artists for the 234th anniversary of Rattanakosin (Bangkok), Thailand
- Participated in “Memoirs of City Port Scenes” exhibition jointly organised by Maritime Port Authority and Singapore Watercolour Society, held at Visual Arts Centre, Singapore