Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Jan Patience: Teh’s art is traditional, yet also trailblazing

© SYSTEMMalaysia-born artist Hock Aun Teh
Malaysia-born artist Hock Aun Teh

The artworks of Hock Aun Teh have always blazed a trail. Not solely in terms of the swathes of riotous colour which sweep across his canvases or sculpture, but by remaining true to his Chinese roots.

As a student at the Glasgow School of Art, Teh, born in Malaysia to Chinese parents, was told not to be distracted by passing fashions in art.

David Donaldson, then head of the art school’s drawing and painting department and a famous artist himself, told him: “Keep your tradition. But keep on expanding it.”

In 1974, Teh was the first Asian student to graduate in drawing and painting from the school. Today, the 72-year-old lives and works in Glasgow, making regular trips to south-east Asia. One of his sculptures was commissioned for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the Chinese government named an arts centre after him in Fujian Provence.

Last weekend, Teh’s solo exhibition, Expanding Traditions, opened at the School of Art’s Reid Gallery.

Teh was taught as a boy in Malaysia to approach painting as a spiritual commitment. Before coming to Scotland, he learned about English watercolours and traditional Chinese ink painting of birds, bamboo, flowers, and landscapes.

He still creates from imagination, invoking Chinese calligraphy and gestural mark-making, coupled with a riot of energetic colour.

Teh describes his childhood playground, which was surrounded by paddy fields and rubber plantations, as being “in a state of perfect harmony and unity between man and nature”.

Today, Teh’s art is featured in major public and private collections the world over.

The artist says that his hope for this exhibition in the art school, which nurtured him as a young artist, is that it inspires a new generation of students.


The Aberfeldy Watermill is always worth a visit, especially if you are looking for unique Christmas presents. An oasis of books, art, design and food, its gallery is curated with panache by Zanna Wilson.

Her latest exhibition, Distilled, brings together the work of six Scottish artists offering up their interpretations of the theme. Featuring work by Hazel Battersby, Hetty Haxworth, Steven Heaton, Matt Storstein and Wilson herself, there is an emphasis on printmaking and, in particular, monoprinting.