How I Became A Mural-Painting Artist

Yip Yew Chong painted his first mural at age 16, painted his 10th at age 47, and by age 50 had covered many streets, shopping malls, markets, libraries and private properties with his paintings. We had a chat with the now 51-year-old to find out how he did it.  

Q: Hi YC! Thanks so much for being here. We’re very excited to have you. To start, can you tell us how you ended up as a muralist? Was it a life-long dream or pure chance?

A: I am actually a general artist rather than a muralist. I was an accountant by profession for 25 years while dabbling in art since school days. It was never a dream. I won’t say it is by chance either as I knew I wanted to do art when I retired from Finance.

How did you even learn how to draw and use colours this well? Is it innate or the result of decades of practice?

The trained and sharp-eyed would see that my works are not polished because I am not trained and actually lack practice (just the last few years of dabbling in public art), but my strength is the content/story manifesting in the artworks. 

How did you end up painting your first mural? Who was brave enough to let you do that to their wall and how did that turn out? 

I spotted many murals popping all over Singapore and the region from 2012 onwards. In late 2015, while taking a break from work, I gave it a try by cold-calling on doors. For the first mural, the house owner asked me for a portfolio which I had none, but somehow I convinced him with my sketch, story and assurance to whitewash it in the original colour if he was not satisfied with the outcome.

Can you give us a peek into how you work? What steps do you take and what is your work routine like for most pieces? 

Discuss objectives and other factors with the potential commissioner. Site visit, conceptualise and submit to stakeholders/authorities for approval. Then paint.

Do you paint by memory or use actual pictures for reference? 

Broad childhood memory for what the overall scene composition and ambience should be like, then research the details to form the composition e.g. how an old thermoflask should look like.

Which 3 objects/people are most useful for you when you are creating a mural? 

Paints and brushes. References like archived stories or photos. Encouraging words from passersby/social media.

Which place is most useful?

Any place, every place is unique.

You were a part-time muralist for a long time before finally going full-time. What made you decide to do that? And is it really possible to make a good living as an artist in a place like Singapore? 

I was dabbling in paper and canvas sketching/painting all along, since school days/army/work, but rather irregularly. When I retired from Finance in mid-2018, I thus spent more time to develop my art. Actually, not a “long time”, only 2.5 years (2016-2018) juggling mural painting on weekends and a full-time job on weekdays.

Your murals are now all over in Singapore, on streets, in shopping malls, markets, libraries, even on private properties. How did you get all those commissions? Was it through an agent, sheer genius of marketing or…?

People usually contact me via social media (IG, FB) or my website. Social media helps publicise my artworks when people pose fun photos at the murals. Other media like TV, radio, magazines and online blogs/magazines/videos all helped to publicise the works as I did more and more. I actually don’t have a marketing strategy. 🙂

Now that you’re a key figure in the mural scene in Singapore, what advice do you have for those thinking of becoming full-time muralists too?

Haha, I am actually not a full-time muralist. In fact, I have curtailed murals and moved on to canvas paintings and digital art since late 2019. I will still do murals, but much more selectively. My advice to anyone wishing to do this full-time is to first try a few, perhaps by joining one of the many mural or street art groups or commercial companies in Singapore, get a taste. If you like it enough to venture out on your own, develop your unique style, publicise it and be bold enough to cold-call. The market is small in Singapore but it is currently quite popular. 🙂

What’s the worst advice you’ve been given, or have heard people giving, with regards to being an artist, and what’s the best?

I don’t remember getting any bad advice. I usually listen to people’s experiences and opinions, and also read books on how to behave as an artist, but I ultimately decide what I want to do for my own circumstance. If the decision was bad, it’s not because of the advice but due to many other factors. Same for ‘best advice’, some advices are common knowledge but very good reminders. For example, how to protect your artworks, what’s the common law, whether to use galleries to exhibit your artworks. 

Who are your role models?

My role models change as I explore and see more things. My first was Ernest Zach’s artworks, then Chua Mia Tee’s oil paintings, and several Western artists overseas I spotted on the internet.  

Lastly, you were also an accountant by profession for many years. Why? And how did that feel?  

25 years. I enjoyed my work thoroughly. It allowed me to learn how to interact with and lead people from all over the world, especially my stint in Amsterdam leading a European finance team. 

Yew Chong hopes to spend the next year traveling around the world, exploring and developing his art, practicing and making new friends. You can see him in action here or follow his work on Instagram @yipyewchong. 

More interviews with various professionals here.

Photographs courtesy and copyright of Yip Yew Chong. Interviewer: Sy
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