Colours and the play of light are the main components of Dato’ Sharifah Fatimah’s work. For her, colour is energy while light symbolises existence. The artist manifests the dynamic interactions of colours, combining elegant strokes applied in multiple directions. She is also strongly influenced by nature’s movements, producing contemplative works which suggest an underlying philosophical ideal. Dato’ Sharifah is a major second-generation artist alongside Latiff Mohidin, Datuk Ibrahim Hussein, Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal and Dr. Choong Kam Kow. Her last major exhibition was Song Of Eucalyptus at the Segaris Art Centre, Kuala Lumpur, from Sept 5 to Oct 31, 2017. She was from the pioneering batch of fine art students from the Mara Institute of Technology (now a university), graduating in 1971. Next was a BFA at Reading University, England, in 1973-1976, and her MFA at the Pratt Institute, New York, in 1976-1978, under the JDR III Fund fellowship. Her major awards include the Minor Award in the Malaysian Landscape competition (1972), Major Award in the Young Contemporary Artists (1981), Major Award in the Salon Malaysia (1979), and 3rd Prize in the Islamic World Biennial in Tehran, Iran (2003). She was conferred a Dato’ship by the Sultan of Kedah in 2006.