Tay Bak Koi was best known for his paintings of buffaloes that are uniquely shaped like Minangkabau roofs. The topography is punctuated by the curved horns like little sickels. The sharp-angled hump forms with thinly etched outlines, subtle shading, and earthy colours in warm hues enhance the beauty of this piece. Chia Wai Hon wrote on his buffaloes: "… tightly stylised creature with a massive body supported on two pairs of inverted V-shaped legs, a small head and a sharp hump…" Tay Bak Koi, who studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1957-1960, worked in the Nanyang Style. The son of a seafood wholesaler, he had his first solo of 40 works at the Singapore National Library in 1964. In October 1996, The Art Gallery Penang hosted a solo for him, In Harmony With Nature.