There is nothing like the optimism of ordinary hardworking people making a living. Never mind money in short supply, never mind the vagaries of inclement weather. And who would have thought that a grey day could be so, so beautiful, and elegiac, as in Awang Damit Ahmad's canvas, Essence Of Culture (E.O.C) no less. A glimmer of red in faint short lines and little daubs off centre does add a spot of brightness, but it gets subsumed by the panoply of dominant darker hues of green, blue and more earthy concerns. If it looks structured, it is man's intervention with the land, not to change its character or course, but to enhance its bountiful potential in providing human sustenance. Nothing more satisfying than a day's work done. Tomorrow is just another day... a better day! The transition of Awang Damit Ahmad from fisherman-farmer to an artist-academician at the late age of 27 is one of the most phenomenal in Malaysian Art. After his studies at the Mara Institute of Technology, now a university, he received his Masters at the Catholic University in Washington. He taught at UiTM, and retired as Associate Professor at ITM in May 2011. His accolades include the Major Award in Salon Malaysia III, the Minor Award in the Bakat Muda Sezaman and 2nd Prize in the Malaysian Bank Association art competition. On the international scene, he won the Gold Award in the Ecorea Jeonbuk Biennale and the Olympic Fine Art in London, both in 2012. He catapulted into the elite when he was chosen to exhibit in the Contemporary Paintings of Malaysia exhibition at the Asia-Pacific Museum in Pasadena in 1988. In the July 2022 Henry Butcher Art Auction, Awang Damit's painting from the E.O.C. series realised RM 218,400. His works were on display at the Art Seasons booth (in collaboration with Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers) in the prestigious Art SG 2026, and received good feedback from visitors.