Wesley developed a rare condition of glaucoma at 35, which left him completely blind in his right eye and less than 40 per cent vision field left in his left eye. Despite that, he did not let his disabilities hold him back from pursuing his dreams. Today, he is a proud Chinese Ink artist, and has garnered thousands of fans online.

He started his journey in Chinese Ink after he had lost part of his vision. Initially, he did not have much interest in the art form, but then was given the challenge of learning the painting style by the founder of Dialogue in the Dark Singapore (DiDsg), Mrs Choo Cheh Hoon. The challenge served as a way to challenge the mindset of both people with disabilities and society. With this, he and a few other visually-impaired guides at DiDsg attended basic Chinese Ink classes conducted by a social artist.

In the beginning of his journey, Wesley described it as “funny” because he would make accidental, silly mistakes. For example, he found himself making a mess on his work space because he could not tell if he had his brush dipped in ink, or if the brush tip was in contact with the paper, or if he was even painting within the paper boundaries. Subsequently, these challenges were slowly corrected with practice and guidance. From then on, he had actually also found himself growing a passionate interest in the art form. Through Today Enabled Funds, he had managed to refine his basic skill and techniques in Chinese ink calligraphy and painting.Thanks to the Ngee Ann Star Grant award, Wesley was able to continue and advance his training at Lasalle to expand his skills in Chinese Ink.

Under the nine months of coaching and guidance of Mr. Lim Choon Jin, he has to start afresh together his fellow classmates. During the first six months, he focused on getting the basics and techniques. It was challenging to get the outlines, details and proportions for him. Thanks to the support of Mr. Lim Choon Jin and fellow classmates, he managed to get these areas right. Under the recommendation of Mr. Lim Choon Jin, he began to anchor his artwork towards outline and semi-abstract concepts using Chinese ink. Through the feedback of Mr. Lim Choon Jin and fellow classmates, he composed in various tones of gray, to express his thoughts and the elements/story of each painting. Now, he began to explore the use of Chinese colour ink pigments to embrace his semi-abstract concepts, which some of them are featured on this website.

After much struggle and disappointments, he is an intermediate Chinese Ink artist today with his works exhibited showcasing skills adapted through his instructor, Mr. Lim Choo Jin. In early 2020, he participated in Very Special Arts ALIVE programme. Under the coaching of Ms Yoko, he has begun to explore using organic medium (such as wood) for his artworks. He continues to create artworks which inspires not only the public majority, but also the disabled community, to go beyond their limits. He goes by, with pride, the saying, “I may be disabled, but I am enabled differently.”