Khaw Sia was an avid orchid breeder-cultivator and a member of the American Orchid Society, and travelled extensively to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia to learn of new and different species and to attend orchid conventions. Naturally, orchids became of his favourite subjects, and he had developed his trademark realist style of dewdrops on the orchid petals. Indeed, he had had solos exclusively on orchid still-lifes in 1966, 1976 and 1977, all in Penang. As it is a specialized field, it would have been most informative had he named the species when he painted them, especially when it was difficult to depict. Trained at the Sin Hwa Art Academy in Shanghai in 1925-32, Khaw Sia came under the informal coaching of Sir Russel Flint in London in 1933. He was given a post-humous retrospective by the Penang State Art Gallery in 1998. As indication of his expertise and stature, his works wer accepted by the Le Salon Paris in 1956, Summer Salon at the Royal Institute Galleries in London in 1957, and National Society Exhibition in London in 1958.