It was about eight years ago when a revelation struck
Frankie Chang on one very normal day in jail.
FRANKIE AND HIS PAINTINGS OF HIS EXCELLENCY AND THE FIRST LADY
Speaking to me in Mandarin, the ex-inmate said, “It was a year since I last worked, so I sat down thinking about my life.”
Frankie landed in jail 20 years ago when he was found with drugs. He told me that he was put behind the bars without a trial.
Then an expert in carving, carpentry and drawing, Frankie found the first two skills of little use in prison as they required the use of sharp objects. These required a written permission to be brought into jail.
So, he picked up his pencil and started his very first piece of drawing which he has since thrown away because he said it was not visually appealing.
But he was soon bored of the mundane pencil and paper combination and wanted to find something different from others and unique to himself.
It struck him that, since he used to deal with “bai fen” ('white powder', Mandarin for ‘heroin’), he decided to create “hei fen” (loosely translated as ‘black powder’).
So he created this black powder from pencil lead and charcoal. He did so by painstakingly removing the wood from every pencil to get the core and ground the two ingredients together.
Next, he would use a cloth to dab the powder and draw on paper. As he worked towards perfecting his skills, the prison warden came to know about his talent in drawing and arranged for him to teach his fellow inmates and impart his drawing skills.
He completed about 200 portraits during his jail term, including those of many local politicians. He does not just draw any one, mind you! He picks out his subjects from newspapers – photos with inspirational stories to tell.
Frankie also told me that he was the man behind the pictures that were given to VIPs visiting the prison of which includes Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and many others.
One other drawing which he also gave away was a portrait of the current First Lady of Singapore. He has since heard rumours that this was auctioned off for $12,000.
The man who is recuperating from third stage colon cancer wishes now that he can sell his drawings and save enough money to open his own gallery.
“I’ve heard of encyclopedias but have never seen a ‘living’one. I want my gallery to be like a real life encyclopedia where students can come and learn about the stories behind the people I’ve drawn and in turn be inspired themselves.”
Be impressed by how the paintings actually look like they are printed. Using the technique that he created, he even manages to draw a pair of rimless spectacles on a boy. How many of us can even draw glass with a pencil?
What: Saying Thank You by Frankie
When: Oct 17-26, 11.30am to 7pm daily (closed on Mon)
Where:
Forth Art Gallery, 69A Pagoda Street
Admission: Free
Those who are interested in buying the paintings can contact Kalvin at 6222 7809.
Answers to first set of pictures [Clockwise from top left]: Gandhi, Dr. Mahathir, Pope John Paul II, Yasser Arafat
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