82-year-old twig artist catches attention again, this time with striking portrait of young woman
An elderly man known for making art out of twigs is in the spotlight again.
This time, he was spotted arranging twigs into a portrait of a young woman at Block 44 Cambridge Road by Stomper John.
Stomper John, who saw the talented man on Dec 4 at around 11.45am, said: "Using sticks to form a picture of a girl's face. As real as it could get."
The impressed Stomper added: "Great, unique art, uses simple things. First time seeing such work."
The man is Mr Thien, 82, who is known for creating twig portraits around the Pek Kio area. He previously made headlines on Stomp in 2022 and 2023.
Mr Thien had also gained recognition from Minister of State for National Development and Trade and Industry Alvin Tan, who made several Facebook posts in 2020 and 2021 about the twig creations.
That same month, he was featured in a video by Our Grandfather Story (OGS).
Mr Thien previously told Lianhe Zaobao how he started his artistic journey: "One day, I walked by the carpark and saw some twigs on the ground. I had the sudden inspiration to see what I could create from arranging them.
"I used to love buying magazines and books to study drawing techniques. So I decided to create some portraits."
He also explained the motivation behind his art: "When you get old, your mental capability weakens. That's why I need to exercise my brain."
Mr Thien went viral again on Facebook in July this year – a moment that was later covered by The New Paper. Many netizens praised his skill, though some were concerned he might get into trouble for vandalism.
Reactions to Mr Thien's portraits online have been largely positive.
"Talent in the heartlands. Kudos to uncle's creativity," a commenter said.
"He's drawing from the heart, Uncle probably misses someone," another added.
