Uncle Makes Twig Portrait Of Lady In Pek Kio, PAP Alvin Tan Shares His Story

Pek Kio Uncle’s Twig Portraits Are Incredibly Lifelike & He Does Them Daily

Walking the grounds in our heartlands would help us uncover many heartwarming stories that would have otherwise remained untold, if not for GE2020.

For Uncle Tan, who lives in Pek Kio, he pours his creativity into soulful portraits made solely from stray twigs.

His awesome art was shared in a midnight post by Mr Alvin Tan – PAP’s new candidate for Tanjong Pagar GRC – on Saturday (4 Jul).

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Here’s how the wholesome encounter unfolded.

Wholesome portraits made of stray twigs

As for the story of how Mr Alvin Tan met Uncle Tan in Pek Kio estate, GE2020 walkabouts in the heartlands of Tanjong Pagar GRC made this chance encounter possible.

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Mr Tan shared that the senior had been sitting near the pavement to rearrange twigs on the floor.

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Upon closer inspection, a stunning caricature of an unknown woman with shoulder length hair is revealed.

Creates artwork every night on pavement

The artistry that took to achieve this effect is clear as the fine details are masterfully constructed — from her eyelashes, to the upturned point of her nose, they were all recreated to perfection.

Impressed, Mr Tan shared his thoughts about Uncle Tan in his Facebook post,

He is wildly creative. Every night, he will sit by the pavement and use twigs to form images.

Mr Alvin Tan rounded out his post with the hashtag of #pekkiogottalent — and by the looks of Uncle Tan’s masterpieces, this really seems to be the case.

Netizens also know of Uncle Tan’s masterpieces

After Uncle Tan’s story was shared, netizens were quick to agree that Uncle Tan was truly talented, sending their well-wishes.

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Residents who also knew of his street art quipped they also admired his work & had encountered him near Pek Kio market previously.

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This commenter helped to explain what twigs were used to create the detailed strokes in the portrait, and that smaller twigs left on the cement floor looked like “pencil lines”.

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Art is essential in our heartlands

We love that Uncle Tan’s pursuing his hobby in his free time — creating beautiful portraits like these out of everyday items on our pavements.

Art is an essential part of our nation’s culture and it’s heartening to see a lifelong passion continued.

Do you know of other talented artists in your neighbourhoods? Feel free to share their stories with us in the comments below.

Featured image adapted from Facebook.