Moments like this, the epiphany of a glimpsed ecstasy. Meaningless mélange of colours and forms. From Nature, from amidst the trees and vegetation, couched in a time, with light fading so gently. Something wondrous, felt in one’s consciousness or relaxed in a state of utter dereliction. It’s a gulp of exhilaration, but one ensuring the sensation passes slowly down the throat for a memorable savour. Moments like this, the artist Raphael Scott Ahbeng, Sarawak’s Grand Old Man of Art at 78, is able to capture sometimes, and this time with a certain elan, sensitivity and spontaneity. Just soft pastel colour adumbrations, with graceful lines and snazzy short strokes. Ole! From his secluded studio in Bau, Sarawak, Raphael Scott Ahbeng still paints on in a variety of subjects and styles, with his métier being abstract. Given his first solo in 1954, he took up an Art and Photography course at the Bath Academy of Fine Art in England in 1964-1967. He also took up Drama in London in 1973 under a Sarawak Government scholarship. His awards include the 1st Prize in the Sarawak Shell Open (1959, 1982, 1983), and 3rd Prize in the Natural Malaysia art competition in Kuala Lumpur in 1991. A Bidayuh, RSA, as he is sometimes known, is an artist (professional since 1990), a teacher, a photographer, a newspaper cartoonist and a radio producer. His solo exhibition Legend: A Borneo Artist at PINKGUY Gallery, showcases the complete oeuvre of Raphael’s 60 years of work.