"Rainforest Series Number 8 - Red Leaf Monkeys" Painting

Ron is an indigenous Kadazan from Sabah, East Malaysia on the island of Borneo. He worked as a graphic designer, illustrator in UK, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and settled in Sydney, Australia in the 80s where he and his wife raised three children. In the year 2000 he moved back to his village in Sabah, where he built his studios by the river at ‘Kampong Artists’ and at Inanam Hill. He spent a lot of his time in the jungle at the Kinabatangan River, surrounded by wildlife where he found that his favourite subjects were the Orang-Utan, Pygmy Elephants, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Proboscis Monkeys, Sun Bears and Hornbills. He would often join local hunters going further into the jungle and besides being attacked by hungry leeches and mosquitos, he was lucky to see beautiful rare orchids, plants, flowers and animals which he tries to immortalise in his paintings. He took up scuba diving and was inspired by the colour and beauty of the underwater sea life of the islands.