Abdul Halim makes a living out of his hobby

KUALA TERENGGANU: Wanting to provide a better future for his daughter, Abdul Halim Omar switched careers and is now a successful painter.

The 32-year-old used to earn only RM650 a month as a clinical assistant in Bukit Payung, Marang. However, his then employer Dr Razin Jaafar saw his potential and encouraged him to venture into painting full-time. “I could barely survive with my meagre income as I had to support my wife who was pregnant with my daughter.

Artistic endeavour: Abdul Halim showing some of his paintings at his gallery in Kuala Terengganu.

“I wanted to ensure my daughter Nurqistina Amani would have a better future, so I took the decision to make a living out of my hobby,” he said yesterday. Abdul Halim said Dr Razin helped market his paintings of traditional Terengganu houses to his friends. “My first few paintings sold for about RM3,500 each. I would not be where I am without his help,” he said.

Abdul Halim has regular customers in the state as well as Johor and Kedah, and his paintings can fetch up to RM5,000. He specialises in watercolours and has produced a piece for the Terengganu Entrepreneur Foundation, which was later presented as a gift to Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

“Watercolours take longer to complete compared to oil-based paintings. “I can take between 45 and 120 hours to produce a painting, but I would not be satisfied until it is perfect,” he said.

Abdul Halim's latest masterpiece is a painting of the Istana Chendering, currently being built for the Sultan of Terengganu. “It is 95% finished ... and is my biggest project yet,” he said. Abdul Halim is grateful that he can make a decent income by doing something he loves, and he is looking beyond Malaysia. “I plan to market my paintings internationally ... to other Asian countries as well as Europe,” he added.

-thestar online.