Malaysia | The Multi-Ethnic Gem of Asia

Watercolors by Siraj Hull

This watercolor art exhibition explores a variety of settings of rural Malaysia. In her paintings, Siraj introduces to her audience some of the local flowers, main crops, such as rice fields, and rubber plantation. Malaysia’s rainforest is very dear to Siraj, and it pains her to see so much destruction of the rainforest to replace them with palm trees and other cash crops. She manages to depict parts of the rainforest with its habitats in several of her paintings. In this show, Siraj has chosen to portray only rural settings, and flowers of Malaysia in various styles of watercolor.

Malaysia

Opening Reception | July 5th 5:00 – 7:00 pm

Exhibit runs from July 5th – August 23, 2019.

Artist Biography

Siraj Hull grew up on an island  northwest of Malaysia, called Penang.  She spent her childhood and teenage years there before immigrating to the United States to pursue her education in Psychology.  Siraj graduated from Northern Illinois University, with a degree in psychology.  She then obtained her masters and specialist degrees in School Psychology at Western Illinois University.  Siraj worked at Four Rivers Special Education Cooperative in Jacksonville, Illinois and later at Taipei American school in Taiwan before retiring. 
 
Although Siraj has worked as a psychologist, art has been a constant pursuit and a lifelong quest.  Whether it is cooking, gardening, or any other field, Siraj has found ways to incorporate art in a variety of settings.
 
Her childhood experiences play an important role, and have influenced her artwork. Malaysia’s exciting, colorful fruits, vegetables, vibrant market scenes, beautiful beaches and people of all walks of life bring about a multitude of visual experiences for her to draw upon.   Siraj’s curiosity and eagerness to learn and experiment with new ideas often give birth to unusual and exciting pieces of artwork.   She has also pursued basket weaving and pottery before venturing into painting.
 
In early 2009, while spending the winter in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, she saw a Swedish artist painting in a cabin adjacent to her.  That sparked her interest and got her started painting.  The Swedish artist encouraged her and before long, Siraj could not put her paint brushes down.  She began with oil painting and dabbled with acrylic before discovering watercolor.
 
Siraj Hull is a member of :
 

Sponsored by
JBS Beardstown
8295 Arenzville Rd, 
Beardstown, IL 62618
217) 323-6200
https://jbssa.com/