Central Johor Railway Sketching Excursion

It was not easy to arrange for a trip for about 50 people; it was not a sightseeing trip, also not a shopping trip but a sketching trip with an aim to sketch and record what we see, eat and do in big and small towns along the railway in Central Johor. What make it even more challenging is that there was no one tour agency to plan and arrange for the trip; there was a bus driver, a guide and two Singapore registered SUVs with Chankerk driving one and the other driver, Mr Bian, a photographer on his first trip to Kluang to do what we do but with his camera.

With such limited resources, the entire trip was well executed with so much fun sketching together in full 3 days! The immersion in Festival Bunga Nanas provides a unique cultural and educational experience for all.  Another takeaway is the friendship we forged with the local sketchers in Kluang. The impromptu exhibition on the final day also brought the participants together for art exchange, sharing stories, make connections and suggest ideas.

Day 1 - 17 Jan 2025

Unlike most of the trips that I went, we did not arrive at the hotel but we went straight to Fang Hui, a traditional coffee shop inside a huge pineapple plantation at Simpang Renggam. Fang Hui (芳园)suggested that I should speak Hainanese to the boss after having my much-needed black coffee and old school butter and kaya toasts named the Six Heavenly Kings (六大天王) which consist of six different types of breads. I sketched the big Planta Margarine can in my sketchbook to rekindle my childhood memories. I shared tips and tricks with the participants when they came to speak with me, they watched as I sketched and I often showed how I build the techniques from simple textures and patterns create shapes and volumes.

After the sketch, we asked for a shop stamp to chop on the sketch and I let the boss signed on my sketch. He had the most unusual name translated as Wee Swee Huan (王绥寰) as his father was a learned man so his given name had a scholarly feel. Other participants were sketching outdoor and some had tutored workshop with Chankerk. Bian, also an accomplished Chinese opera singer was singing an opera tune while tutoring his student over the phone. Such random and relaxing vibes in the air.

Etchr Square Sketchbook, size: 420 x 210mm

We had lunch at a quiet small neighbourhood in Renggam where we saw two painters working on the tiger mural near the bus station. There were not many choices for food but the noodles we had was delicious. Here we met the local sketchers and since there was nothing much happening in the small serene town, it was good we could split and choose the spots we wanted to sketch. I chose to sketch on the loose long format. This was the view from the bus station and the corner shop next to the tiger mural wall in the middle of the sketch was the iconic Chinese restaurant that was closed when we arrived. We took the KTM train from Renggam to Kluang in the evening arriving at Starz Hotel. Dinner was very good at Star Restaurant followed by night sketching at the Chinese New Year night market in the drizzling rain near Kluang Days, a nice modern café. I did a sketch in the sketchbook to capture the night activity.

Arches Watercolour Paper, size: 630 x 220mm

 

Etchr Square Sketchbook, size: 420 x 210mm

Day 2 - 18 Jan 2025

Breakfast was at Kluang Little India and I had the delicious pratas and curries. It was not my habit to sketch during a meal as I like my food to be hot and warm. I sketched the iconic Taman Medeka instead. Knowing it would rain; I sat at the five-foot way in front of a shop displaying a “FOR SALE or RENT” banner so no one will open the gate for business. We later took the 10:45am train from Kluang to Bekok. I really liked the train ride albeit it was only a very short journey.

Arches Watercolour Paper, size: 630 x 220mm

 

Sketching in a small town called Bekok was like going back to the 60s in Singapore. We all loved the wooden shophouses flanking the main road and many of us chose to sketch these shophouses focusing on the round windows and the surroundings. I was enjoying my pen and ink techniques after watercolour washes to the surprise of a few sketchers in terms of speed and variations in thick and thin lines, solid and dashed strokes as I move from left to right on the paper. One question was on the lamp posts and vertical elements how and when I decided to exercise the artistic licence not to make them straight.

Arches Watercolour Paper, size: 630 x 220mm

 

This was the smaller sketch I had ever done thus far. William Sim handed me with a name card size paper to sketch Paloh when we arrived by Serene’s car from Bekok to Paloh.

  Name Card Paper, size: 100 x 55mm

 Day 3 - 19 Jan 2025

The highlight of the trip was to leave the hotel at 4:30am on the last day and drove for about 2 hours when the sky was still pitch dark to attend the 6th annual Festival Bunga Nanas at a pineapple plantation in Simpang Renggam. I understood every single word of the poem recited in Mandarin by the young performers on the stage. The harvest might not be great this year but the sweat and love showering the pineapples would be rewarded handsomely one fine day. The ceremony was meaningful as we raised the reddish pineapple flowers in the air joining the prayers in four directions wishing for prosperity, fruition, blessing and bumper harvest.

I was so immersed in the sequence of the ceremony that I only managed to sketch before the event started in the dark. It put blind drawing technique in good use as I pushed my fountain pen across the paper in the sketchbook.

Etchr Square Sketchbook, size: 420 x 210mm