The secret places in Langkawi

Untitled as yet: A painting of the evening scene somewhere near Kuah jetty

I am working on a series of paintings of Langkawi based on my trip there early this year. The painting featured here is just one of them. It will be submitted for a group show at Art Accent Gallery, Bangsar Village II on 24 May.

I remember the trip to Langkawi very well. I was actually torn between leaving my wife who was in confinement at the time, and going to Langkawi to gather material for this year's paintings (I knew that after my son Musa's birth, it wouldn't be easy to just take off). In the end, my wife and I decided that it was best that I go at the time.

Anyway, this piece is of a place near Kuah jetty. If you have been to Kuah, you will know that there is nothing worthy of a second look there. However, on the last evening in Langkawi, my travelling buddy and artist friend, Suhaimi, showed me this "secret" place in Kuah that few people know of or care about.

To get there is an adventure in itself. We had to drive off the main road uphill towards a dead end. We parked the car and made our way on foot down a steep and narrow path lined with bushes and trees. We then came upon a small clearing of rocks and the view of the sea.

I remember being there and waiting for the right moment to come. The sun was dipping into the horizon, the waves were crashing against the rocks, colours were changing by the second, and all of a sudden, the entire scene was bathed in light. The water shimmered, the sky glowed and the rocks were glistening with water and froth.

I took the shot just as the waves crashed against the rock, creating a swirling, frothy surf in the foreground.

After that, the lights diminished colour by colour until it was too dark to see.