Moods and energy are the themes of Kok Wan Lee's new show which opens at the Masterworks Gallery, in the Botanical Gardens, tomorrow evening.

It is his second show with Masterworks and Mr. Lee said he is thankful to the Foundation for the opportunity.

Mr. Lee is continuing his series on trees and offering a contemplative, mixed media show. The Malaysian-born chef originally took up painting thinking it would be a retirement hobby but he is now one of the Island's most prolific painters.

“I loved painting when I was in school, but honestly I never dreamed about becoming a painter or a professional artist,” he said.

He began painting six years and has not really put down his palette since.

“My artistic statement for this show is based on mood and energy,” he said. “So the subject matters are all trees and are in three different mediums, which are acrylic, charcoal and oil pastels - it is mixed media, but all individually.

“The reason why I paint in three different mediums is because I want to show their own individual character and the personality of the subject matter.”

Given this is his second show on the same theme, Mr. Lee admitted to a fascination with the arboreal subject matter.

“I don't know why I like trees, but I think it is because they are more like human beings,” he said.

“Most of the time I do trees when they are bare and the reason is that I can see more inside - their character and their personality - than when they have a lot of leaves.

“I guess that is why a lot of artists like to do it too, because you can see more of where the actual body is. It is like the difference between when a model has clothing on and when not - there is a lot of difference.”

This particular series is based on Bermuda trees.

“I have two pieces based on palm trees and the rest of them are poinsettia trees,” he said.

“Some of them are just under the branches and some are of the trunk.

“They vary in size and shape and I do think I have around about 18 pieces.”

An industrious painter, Mr. Lee is already working on next year's show.

“That is me, I don't do anything in the last minute,” he said. “And, anything that comes to mind, I work on it in a series - I don't do art individually unless it is for the Members Shows at the Bermuda Society of Arts, where I would just do something slightly different.”

Although he has a huge love of trees he said that he is not a plein air painter.

“I paint at home,” he said.

“I just capture images and store them in the memory for awhile and then I go back and review or maybe I want to carry on this series to another level. I don't rely on other sources and I always love to use my imagination to create my works.”

Looking at the trees in Bermuda, he said, he tends to change them in his mind as he wishes.

“Being a chef, I have that habit or tendency - like if you give me a piece of fish or a piece of meat, I think ‘ummm, what can I do with that',” he said. “Then I improvise with my ideas.

“People often ask why am I so prolific, but I think it has to do with my job because we are constantly changing the menu and we constantly improvise things, and sometimes you get a customer who wants to have something else and you can't tell them to come back tomorrow.

“I think that is part of the reason and I have been trained mentally like that.

“So, I can do four or five pieces of work in three days, no problem. I am also a strong believer that it is not how much time is spent - it is how much you have here - it is that moment. And just because you spend ten hours, doesn't mean that it is going to be a masterpiece.”

He said he allows his feelings to guide his work.

“I have trained myself to believe in my instinct, my gut and my vision - then I know,” he said. “Otherwise you are still anticipating and confused about whether a piece is right or wrong.

“Each time, I when I work for three or four hours, I go back to it and take a look and then that's it. Sometimes it needs a little addition or subtraction - but if you make it a habit then you don't trust yourself. I am the sort of person that if I did something wrong this time - then serves you right - better luck next time.”

And he is a great believer in the old adage, practice makes perfect.

“I think the more you paint the better you become,” he said, comparing it to the culinary professions. “If you don't cook very often, then you lose touch and the flare, everything. So, you have to do it often so that your hands and your brain work together.”

For the past five years, he has also been attending watercolour workshops in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

“Six years ago I went back to the College and I met one of the senior artists - Mary Powell - and she saw that I was quite keen about art and recommended that I to do a watercolour workshop,” he said.

In the beginning Mr. Lee mostly attended to improve his technique, but now he goes for a completely different reason.

“I believe that the more you do, the more you develop your own vocabulary,” he said. “It is the same as cooking because everybody can get a cheesecake recipe from everyone, but why not create your own recipe.

“You can improvise, and the more you bake, you can develop your own cheesecake. I now go for the open studio, I do my own work and the instructor will come and critique my work for me.

“So, I think to train yourself you have to believe in yourself. Otherwise, if everyone goes to a Picasso workshop the entire world will paint a Picasso.

“Now, don't get me wrong, I am not against going to workshops to get technique, but I think you have to be very independent.”

And for the last two years, he has stopped caring what people think about his work.

“I don't care about how people judge my work,” Mr. Lee said.

“I don't care anymore, because I think that if you care so much about how people judge us, you will always do something that is pleasing - so why not do yourself a favour and do what you like.”

His work is a “bit more surreal”, he said.

“Because most times you see trees that grow from the down to up, but my approach is from up to down,” he said.

“I always like to go against the grain.”