• This unusual hobby has helped Mr Peter Kiew through family problems and health issues 
• While most commuters are bemused and elated at his works, some have their reservations 
• Mr Kiew said he pays no attention to the naysayers, and aims to bring joy through his art
• He said sketching keeps him happy and he will do it until he no longer can 

SINGAPORE — The moment Mr Peter Kiew boards an MRT train, he springs to action, whipping out a sketchpad, pencil and eraser, before proceeding to methodically sketch the commuters around him, one by one. 

Once the 72-year-old is done with each sketch, he will offer the artwork to the commuter free of charge. Whether they accept his offer or not, he will begin sketching the next commuter. 

This unusual hobby has become an avenue for Mr Kiew to get back into art, and has helped him through family problems and health issues, he told TODAY.

Mr Kiew said this hobby began when his older brother, who is also an artist, encouraged him to pick up art again, as he was semi-retired with nothing to do.

Mr Kiew said in Mandarin: “One day I was on the train and I thought to myself — these people are looking at me, and I’m looking at these people, why not try this out?” 

Mr Kiew said he started this hobby in 2014, and that he hardly takes rest days. On a typical day, he will take the train from Ang Mo Kio to Jurong East in the morning, then from Jurong East to Changi Airport from the afternoon onwards, before heading back to Ang Mo Kio. 

TODAY followed Mr Kiew last Tuesday (Dec 22) at about 11am as he made his way from Bishan to Jurong East. Wearing a striped shirt, sweatpants and a fedora, he looked unassuming at first, quietly working away on his sketchpad and taking cursory glances at the commuter he had chosen to sketch.

It did not take long, however, for the commuters beside him to look up from their phones and notice what Mr Kiew was doing. 

Some commuters were sheepish at first, and did not know where to place their hands or how to sit. Most times, Mr Kiew will get their attention by first showing them an incomplete sketch. He will sometimes tell them to keep still. 

“The commuters are often holding handphones, but sometimes they will have certain moods… There’s happiness, there is sadness, I look out for their expressions,” he said. 

Some commuters declined the sketches he had made of them, but most accepted in the end. As he did not have much time in between stations, Mr Kiew did not catch a break, completing each sketch in about two or three minutes. 

In total, he managed 12 sketches during the ride. Mr Kiew said that on a good day, he can burn through an entire sketchpad, which has 75 pages. 

Mr Kiew had stopped his formal education in Primary 6, and entered the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts at 13, completing a three-year diploma there. Photo: Nuria Ling / TODAY

BRINGING JOY TO OTHERS, IGNORING NAYSAYERS 

The commuters TODAY observed were happy, albeit sheepish, to accept free artwork, with some taking pictures, and others showing it to those around them. Mr Kiew said he has even had commuters offer him money or gifts. 

“One commuter observed me all the way from Ang Mo Kio to Jurong East, and then he offered me S$50 at the end of the trip as a way to encourage me,” he said. “The people in the same carriage applauded, but I declined the money, as I never take cash for my work.” 

He said, however, that once when he was on the train to Changi Airport, a woman that he had sketched passed him S$200 and left the train abruptly before he could stop her. 

But while many have appreciated what he has done, there are some that have not been receptive, accusing him of invading their privacy and going as far as to threaten to call the police.

“I will just tell them, if you don’t like what I do, then I’ll tear up the paper,” he said. “When people tell me such things, it goes into one ear and then out the other, I don’t let it bother me.” 

It is the happiness of commuters that keeps him doing what he does. 

Once, he sketched a three-year-old girl, who was elated when she found out Mr Kiew was sketching her. 

“When I saw her happy, in my heart I told myself that I have to continue doing this,” he said. “My brother would tell me: ‘When you are an artist, you need to accept it and persevere whether people criticise or praise you.’”

THROUGH FAIR SHARE OF HARDSHIP, HE WILL KEEP ON SKETCHING

While Mr Kiew said he has found happiness in this hobby, his life has not always been a smooth ride. 

He had stopped his formal education in Primary 6, and entered the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts at 13, completing a three-year diploma there. He surrounded himself with well-known figures in the local art fraternity, but felt like his work was not up to par compared with theirs. 

Instead of pursuing art full time, he joined the advertising industry, but struggled because he was not fluent in English. For more than 20 years, he juggled his day job in advertising and a weekend stint as an art teacher at a community centre. 

He left advertising and stopped teaching when he could no longer keep up with his students, as he said more and more of them spoke in English and could not understand him. From his late forties, he began working odd jobs as a plate collector at hotels, and more recently, at hawker centres, as and when he is available. 

He meets his daily needs with the pay from his part-time work, his Central Provident Fund payouts and allowances from his three children, two sons and a daughter, who are in their late 30s to 40s. 

In 2016, he had family problems and fell into a depression, for which he had to seek medical help. To help occupy his mind during this turbulent period, he continued sketching on the trains. 

In 2018, he had heart problems and had to be admitted to the hospital. He said that instead of resting, he stayed up late to sketch the medical staff who tended to him.  

“When I started drawing, I felt like my sickness disappear,” he said with a chuckle. “All my troubles just go away.” 

The energy and vitality he feels from pursuing his hobby explains why he does not accept money for his sketches. 

“When I go out and draw, and see that people have taken my drawings, I feel very fulfilled. If I accepted 50 cents per drawing, I would be rich, but what is the use?”

“Being healthy is the most important, there is no use for money,” he said. 

And Mr Kiew is not limiting himself to sketching on trains. He said he also sketches patrons and store owners in coffee shops, though he does this from a distance so as not to disturb them. He also looks to learn how to depict old shophouses using watercolour.

“I didn’t take my art seriously in the past, but now I will put in the effort to really hone my craft,” he said. 

“I will do this until I can no longer sketch.”