A picturesque scene of the lives of fisherfolk is deftly illustrated with soft airy tones. The painting offers a window into the peaceful village landscape, filled with the movement of people making fishing nets on the beach. Nets and boats required huge capital to obtain and were usually financed via a complex credit system. The type of nets used were chosen according to the fish available during the season and weather conditions. The result is a dynamic work offering insight to the artist’s surroundings. Nai Tong did this drawing in preparation for painting a huge oil on canvas by the size of 150 x 240cm (as shown on lower left). Nai Tong returned to Malaysia and had his first solo at the British Council in Kuala Lumpur in 1964, the year he won 2nd Prize in the Chartered Bank mural design competition. He furthered his studies at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des BeauxArts (1967-1968). The 1980s saw him winning several awards including the Shell Best Award (watercolour, 1981), Esso Best Award (1982) and Dunlop Best Award (watercolour, 1983). He taught at various art academies namely the Malaysian Institute of Art (1969-1980), Central Academy of Art (1982-1985) and the Saito Academy of Art (1986-1988) before he decided to go full time in 1992. In 2007, he had a major survey exhibition at the National Art Gallery Malaysia, called Odyssey. In 2009, he won the Asia Art Award in Seoul, South Korea.