Intensity is something we all feel in different ways, but for conceptual artist Kok Wan Lee it is how he interprets Bermuda's lush and high intensity environment and arrives at the eponymous title of his first solo exhibition, which opens to the public today at the new Windjammer II gallery in the Fairmont Hamilton Princess hotel.

Through his 19 works, executed in a palette of warm colours, including rich orange and red, the artist is presenting a collection of abstract landscapes done in watercolour on paper and divided into five series.

If the landscapes are not immediately recognisable, this is because Mr. Lee regards himself as a conceptual artist who paints what he feels rather than what he sees.

No stranger to the art scene, he has participated in solo and joint exhibitions in the Island's galleries, including the Bermuda National Gallery's prestigious 2008 Biennial of Contemporary Art, but this is his first show in a commercial gallery, and he is delighted about that.

"It is an honour, and I also think that Sheilagh Head, who owns the gallery, is very supportive of other artists. As a professional artist herself, she understands how hard we have to work to survive."

Born and raised in Malaysia, Mr. Lee came to Bermuda as a chef more than 20 years ago, and has only been painting for the past ten years.

"I loved art in school, but I knew that as an artist it would be impossible for me to survive, so I waited until I came here," he says. "Mary Powell was the first Bermuda artist I came across. She encouraged me, and I took courses abroad. In my opinion, after ten years of painting I think the important ingredient is practising – after all, practice makes perfect. The more you work the more you understand how your journey has progressed."

As an artist Mr. Lee says he has always been brave, and doesn't hold back but just "goes for it".

"In order to be a better artist you have to take a lot of risks – experiment with different subject matter, different media, and different technologies. In the end you end up with new ways and new art, and that makes your journey more interesting."

No longer working as a chef – he changed jobs to give him more time for his art – the long-term resident has come a long way from his initial pen and pencil sketches. Not only has he enjoyed considerable success as a professional artist, including most recently being the first to have his work shown on the walls of the reopened Bermuda National Library, but also he feels that he is more fortunate than Van Gogh.

"He never sold a single painting in his lifetime," he says. "I find it miraculous that my paintings are in people's collections both here and abroad."

Admitting that he initially took up art so he would have a hobby in retirement, when he is "no longer able to run and skip", Mr. Lee confesses that he is fascinated by the knowledge that artists' work lives on long after them, and he hopes that his will too. Meanwhile, he has no favourite medium, but works in acrylics, charcoal and watercolour, each one of which gives him a different result, depending on what he wants to 'say' about his subject matter.

He also loves photography, and particularly black and white photography, which he regards as the purest art form, and explains that this is why he is so fond of charcoal as a medium.

"You can't camouflage or deceive with charcoal because you can see right through the work," he says. "If you are sincere about your work, nothing can deceive."

Asked what advice he would give aspiring artists, Mr. Lee responds: "In order to be successful you have to believe in yourself, so keep working and experimenting."

From her perspective, Mrs. Head says Mr. Lee's work is instantly recognisable.

"I enjoy Kok Wan Lee's work. He is so experimental, and there is always something I recognise in his work, which is honest and painterly."

Noting that Windjammer II is a gallery for professional artists, principally of this Island plus some from overseas, Mrs. Head says that Mr. Lee is the first of many who will be invited to hold solo exhibitions in the future.

¦ 'Intensity' will continue through March 26. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and 12 noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. It is closed on Mondays. To learn more about the artist, visit website www.kokwanlee.com