Just like any artist, I started my art creation with painting almost everything such as still-life, human figures, landscapes, animals, portrait etc.
“Continue improving whatever has already been improved,” as the old Chinese saying goes. I think that any distinctive artist will definitely head for the final destination of perfection, namely ‘specialization’ in a certain subject matter. As a result, I decided to specialize in horse painting then. In fact, I didn’t quite know why I chose the horse as my specialization. I just felt I was deeply inspired by the horse.
When my creation of horse painting arrived at a certain peak, Secretariat had become my main and significant art subject by destiny. I knew that Secretariat had been waiting for me to discover him since 1970 when we were born together. When I was blowing my three year old-birthday candles that day, Secretariat won his amazing triple crown at the other corner of the globe. He wanted me to remember him just like how I remember my birthdate. However, I was too young to understand his arrangement and his date with me that time until 2011.
In 2011, twenty- two years after Secretariat leaving us, Secretariat appeared to me once again in the form of a book, a last-stock book displayed at the bookshelf of a book store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I didn’t know why I was able to find that book as it was hidden at an unimpressive corner. However, I just bought it. At the beginning, I was thinking that it was just a common book introducing the horseracing in general. I was wrong then. As a matter of fact, this is a holy call from the spirit of Secretariat that assigns me to keep his legacy alive through the Secretariat paintings of mine.
How does a legendary horse of the West get connected with an artist of the East? Secretariat’s hometown is away from mine at least 15000 km in distance!
Well, we will see when the trumpet sounds, my dear fans of Secretariat.
Best regards,
James Phua
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