ARTISTICALLY painted stones and pebbles available at specialist shops usually come with premium price tags and may put a strain on the pocket of the average person.

However, Suzi Chua feels that this need not be the case as plain rocks can be turned into beautiful objects of art with a bit of acrylic paint and talent.

The 45-year-old homemaker has been producing colourful pieces featuring wildlife like ladybirds, frogs, toads and even lizards on fist-sized stones for over a year now.

“I never really thought of producing such pieces of art even though the idea has been with me for quite some time. After some prompting by friends and former colleagues, I decided to do it,” said the nature lover.

A visit to Chua’s home in the USJ 23 area of UEP Subang Jaya reveals a collection of sorts with rocks from as small as a person's palm to fist-sized and even larger stones.

Chua at work in her home studio.

“Its not just painting on the stones as certain animals will go with the texture and shape of a certain stone,” she said.

Chua, or Suzi as she is affectionately known to family and friends, explained that if a rock that she bought from a landscaping shop was oval in shape, a lizard or salamander painting is appropriate for it.

She added that if a stone had bumps or “warts” on it, then it was only fitting that a toad be painted on it to bring out the realism of the painting.

Chua said painting such subjects was not an easy task, as she had to study every animal or insect in detail before attempting to paint them.

“We have to take into consideration the size, colour and shape of the animal,” she said.

Chua prepares the stones by washing them in water and if the stones or pebbles are not coloured white, she needs to paint a white base coat onto the stones.

After each painting, the stone is coated with a shellac gloss and allowed to dry naturally.

“On an average day I can complete eight palm-sized stones but this depends on how detailed the painting is,” said Chua.

She said the decorative stones were ideal as decorative items, souvenirs, paperweights, landscaping tools or just as gifts.

Besides the stones and small rocks, Chua also paints on marble tiles.

At present, her collection consists of five files with paintings of Malaysian birds, various types of ducks and several Feng Shui related pieces.

Chua takes a lot of effort in the details of most of her bird related pieces as she has a special interest in birds, particularly Malaysian ones like the majestic hornbill.

Hidden among her stone and tile artworks are several pastel paintings.

“The paintings mainly concentrate on Feng Shui themes like Japanese Carp and religious icons,” she said, adding that most of the paintings are commissioned by her friends.

Chua said she planned to go into designing her pieces and putting them up for sale to the public.

“At present, I only sell it to friends. However, my ultimate dream is to have the opportunity to paint local birds for publication,” she said.

Chua’s stone artworks are priced between RM10 and RM100, depending on size.

Her paintings cost about RM1,500 a piece depending on the details needed by the customer.

Chua can be contacted at 03-8023 1796. Alternatively, she can be reached by e-mail at Aaron_boy18@hotmail.com.

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