The Many gestures of Ismail Hashim

An 'Otai' Artist that I have come to admire most since  my retyrn to Malaysia is Ismail Hashim  (should be given a Dato'ship not because he has grandchildren but simply because.
"He spent 10 years as an art teacher in both primary and secondary schools, and 18 years as an art lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia. During this time he has touched numerous with his easy, gentle style.
His advice on teaching young children is: "You have to remember to take stock of the child's psychomotor abilities, her formative years and the years of fantasy, understand why they draw a hen larger than a house, for example. This is a question of what is important and what is relative to them. It is onlty when they come to thye age when they are ready to be imitative that you can get them to use their eyes. And always get the child to tell you what they have drawn do not make the mistake of assuming what they draw is what you think it is." 

The man is witty and outspoken Artist photographer and his works are a collector's item in the Malaysian Art scene.
Art is Shy
"Quoting Khalil Gibran, he says "Love is shy, sex is shy - I say so is art - Art is shy, I told my students, you tackle your girlfriend, at the very best, you tackle with one inch you get one inch response. But it does not follow in art. In art you may tackle with one foot, you get nothing! You get one inch maybe. You have to love so cleverly, slowly - it is that art is shy. Art has got to be consoled and cajouled".
"

He is still ass kicking elderly gentleman who once was the dean of Fine Arts at the Universiti Sains Malaysia, in Penang.
"Even if I cannot bath myself, I must do art, I cannot afford to quit art - if I quit art, I quit myself."

Ismail was talking on Art Education at the former Alpha Utara Gallery Buildinh as a part four of the related talk forum.
" When you see anything, try to see what is behind it, see if there is more. Teach yourself to read between the lines."

It is doubtless that theman is full of insight where teaching art is concern and hyper sensitive when it comes to how you look at children when they do art; he becomes like a child just talking about it.
"If you look at photography, the subject matter can be raltive. So, for me, the question is of wit and humor, the question of environmental degradation. And although I infuse humor, there is an element of melancholy, things passing."

Cecil Rajendra (Poet Laureate and friend)
"There was a pub around the corner on Church Street known as the Church Street Pub and i saw his photographs there which is very strange place for a major artist to exihibit. This is Ismail Hashim completely off the zing!"

I do not know the man up close and personal but i intend to before he decides to enter the pearly gates and perhaps gain a tip or two from him on the Art of Photography.
His advice for the young," the saying goes that only the best will do. I am not such a stickler for the rule. I would say;only my best will do. When I look back at the end of the day and say,"This is my best", I can claim that. There is no other way but hard work.