KOTA KINABALU: They would gather at least once a month to sketch the landscape, scenery or just about anything that caught their eye at that moment.
Their aim is to show the people what the city and its surrounding areas have to offer and, in turn, promote a deeper sense of appreciation for the cityscape.
Aks Kwan, 52, an artist with the Urban Sketchers online community, described this activity as healing, calming and satisfying.
For those who love to draw and sketch like himself, he said the very act not only brings like-minded people together but also promotes Kota Kinabalu and Sabah to outsiders.
“Many of us don’t even know what Kota Kinabalu and its surrounding areas have to offer. So by doing our sketches at different locations, we are able to tell others the story of that place and sometimes, a little history here and there,” he said.
Kwan said that he had done other kinds of art before he heard about Urban Sketchers, an online place where artists from all over the world could show their work that exhibits landmarks and scenery from their own countries or towns.
“In 2012, I came across a woman who was sitting down and sketching at the Kadazandusun Cultural Association.
“Immediately I could guess that she was not local, because rarely do we see locals here sitting and drawing in public,” he said.
He chatted with her and got to know a bit about her background.
As it turned out, she was a doctor from Ipoh and part of the Urban Sketchers community.
That marked a turning point for Kwan.
“Now, we have Urban Sketchers Kota Kinabalu,” he said.
It is managed by Kwan and two others, Hiew Yin Vui and Nancy Chin.
“We organise programmes and try to bring sketchers together at least once a month,” he said.
He urged more people to be part of their community to showcase their talent, meet new people, and explore the city from an artistic point of view.
“Some people who join our programmes, manage to calm their troubled minds when they sketch. There are also those who make friends with others and become less lonely.”
Kwan said Sabah has many talented artists, but they may not feel comfortable sitting somewhere in public for hours just to draw.
“I think we need to change this because I feel that this can also be a form of tourist attraction for Sabah when we get people to come here just to draw and create art together,” he said.