Everyday Feelings, Tropical Scenes

Lay Hoon Ho, who works under the name Arty Guava, was born and raised on the Malaysian island of Penang. Growing up among friends from different ethnic backgrounds, she enjoyed festivals across a range of religions and cultures. Her artist name was her husband’s idea: a combination of two things she loves, art and guavas.

Finding her way back to art

Lay Hoon loved drawing as a child and took art classes for about five years, beginning around the age of ten. She later studied bioengineering at university in Singapore, but as graduation approached, she realised that engineering was not the right path for her.

After graduating, she enrolled in evening classes in multimedia design and moved into a design career. In Singapore, she worked on branding and packaging. Discovering that people could earn a living through illustration also encouraged her to return to drawing after several years away.

Moving to Vancouver with her family brought unfamiliar weather, the challenge of settling into a new place and homesickness. Then came the pandemic. To ease her worries, Lay Hoon began drawing on her iPad each night after her son went to sleep. She shared these personal illustrations on social media, and about six months later, her first commission arrived. She now works full-time as an artist.

Painting the moments she longs for

Lay Hoon begins by checking in with how she feels. When she misses her friends, she draws women enjoying one another’s company. When life feels busy, she paints people doing nothing at all. Tropical settings often provide the backdrop, recalling her life in Malaysia and Singapore.

The women in her work became companions during a period of isolation. While movement was restricted during the pandemic, she drew dancing figures as she looked forward to being free to move again.

Other recurring subjects have personal associations too. The tiger is her Chinese zodiac animal, fruit represents abundance and nourishment, and dancing women connect with freedom and self-expression. Rather than planning these themes in advance, she finds that they emerge as she continues to draw in response to her feelings.

Seasonal colour and everyday practice

Having lived in the year-round sunshine of Malaysia and Singapore, Lay Hoon became more aware of seasonal changes in light and colour after moving to Vancouver. Her palette shifts too, from bright, warm colours in summer to more muted shades in winter.

She begins her mornings with a walk along a waterfront path near her home. Each week, she visits the city’s central library to borrow books for visual reference, slowly turning their pages before bed.

Watercolour was once her main medium, but she began using an iPad after her son was born. Today, she works digitally as well as in watercolour and acrylic, choosing the medium to suit the project or image. Some pieces become finished works that she shares publicly; others remain private, like entries in a visual diary.

Illustration across different fields

Lay Hoon also paints on the walls of the city. She has participated in Vancouver’s mural festival and created murals commissioned by local municipalities, as well as for a café that provides employment opportunities for women.

Designing patterns for clothing is a particular favourite. She knows how much clothing can affect her mood and enjoys wearing something she has designed herself.

Alongside her personal artwork, she takes on commissions across canvas painting, murals, textile patterns, editorial illustration and animation.