Raphael Scott Ahbeng is one of the most established artists from Sarawak. The lyrical and expressive brushstrokes of Raphael depict a landscape of Batu Caves. The artist’s love for the subject is translated through array of different strokes, rich surface textures, and bright striking colors. Amazing as it seems the artist succeeded to capture the colourful facades of Batu Cave in his own unique way. It is hugely remarkable that Raphael Scott Ahbeng still keeps painting at his secluded studio in Bau after all these years, at the age of 80 and with a host of ailments. It is as if painting is a great therapy although it is his passion that keeps the white canvas filled. Form, composition and colours – the tripod structure behind his art, whatever the subject or medium. He has been practically painting since the age of 9, and professionally from 1990. It’s standard to peg his art career from 1964, when he took up an Art and Photography course at the Bath Academy of Fine Art in Britain, until 1967. But in 1954, he already had his first solo. Raphael is truly a legend, who is adept in painting in oil, acrylic and watercolours, besides drawings and doing cartoons for newspapers, which show up his humorous side. He had also been a teacher and radio producer, from a Sarawak Government grant to do a Drama course in London in 1973. In 1959, he won 1st Prize in the Shell Open art competition and was 3rd in the Natural Malaysia competition in Kuala Lumpur in 1991. It’s a great loss to the art scene as he departed last year.