Born in Baguio City in the Philippines on March 11, 1938,Wong Shui Loong learned to use watercolors in his grade school art classes in Chinatown, Manila. His appreciation and interest in the medium grew under the tutelage of his mentor, Yu Keng Tong, during his high school years.
While pursuing a chemical engineering degree at the Polytechnic Colleges of the Philippines, Wong entered a number of competitions, winning awards from Shell and the Art Association of the Philippines.
His paintings are often devoid of human figures, focusing more on the elements of nature. Many of his watercolors are much more than a traveler's attempt to capture picturesque scenes. They evoke pathos, where the sea or sky rages or soothes, or where mountain cliffs and boulders threaten or awe. His strokes are influenced by conservative Chinese brush work, although the Western technique still predominates.
Wong graduated magna cum laude in 1963 and in 1968, finished his masters degree in mathematics at the University of the Philippines. He taught mathematics at the Mapua Institute of Technology until his retirement in 1996.
Wong held his first one-man show in 1964, and has joined group exhbits in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Honolulu and China. From 1964 to 2006, he held 19 one-man shows.
He is an active member of the Kho Shou Art Club, the Watercolor Society of the Philippines, the Watercolorists Association of the Philippines, the Manila Watercolor Society (Agos Kulay Maynila) and the AAP. Adjudged one of the “Top Five Watercolorists” for three years, he was elevated to the Hall of Fame after his third win in theannual Kulay ng Tubig watercolor competition at the Gallery Genesis in 1996.
Wong teaches watercolor painting in his 4th floor studio on C.M.Recto Avenue in Manila. He can be reached by e-mail at info@asiawatercolors.com.