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I got to know Chickita during her Flight Purser promotion training in 2018 and we kept in touch through occasional chat in Whatsapp group. I remember her well as she has a unique character and a lot of refreshing perspectives as well. Only recently I found out that she has a hidden artistic talent! So, I sat down with her in an attempt to know a bit more about her artistic side.

When did you discover your passion in art and paintings?

I’ve always loved art — seeing it, learning about it, experiencing it, and creating it. But I never seriously consider it as a passion until 2014. On that year, there was a strong movement to preserve and revitalize Hong Hong heritage sites. In an attempt to be a part of the history of this fascinating place I live in, I have visited and drawn paintings of various historic buildings and cultural heritage sites in Hong Kong.

That experience really rekindles my passion in painting. The joy of seeing my vision translate into reality, into an art form is a wonderful feeling. It’s hard to properly explain it with words. I especially enjoy the freedom of creativity, the fun, and the calming effect of painting. Since then, while art remained secondary to my career, I became ever more drawn to the world of painting.

My favorite painters are Matisse and Picasso. I like Matisse for his very free style, use of colors, innovation and carefree personality. Picasso is a genius that most people only know the distorted faces he painted but actually he was already a master since he was a small kid. He just kept breaking the rules to explore and express the deep meanings he wanted to tell.

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“I am unable to make any distinction between the feeling I get from life and the way I translate that feeling into painting.”

Henri Matisse

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When I was in secondary school, there was an art teacher who has inspired me a lot with his painting style. He adopt a Chinese painting style called 寫意畫. There is no direct translation but it is usually named as ”freehand brushwork”. It’s a style of painting using minimal and simple strokes to create the atmosphere. The strokes are always free and bold. It aims more to express the atmosphere and feelings than to clearly show the details and contents of the things being drawn objectively.

Drawing inspiration from his painting style, I could consider myself as a “natural” and “spontaneous” painter. I don’t plan my paintings; and there are no guidelines or rules that determine my painting. When something moves me, I will paint according to my heart. Generally my painting will take around 30 mins to 1.5 hours to complete.

How does flying influence your painting?

I joined CX in 2004. Being a cabin crew allows me to continue to follow my passion while working. In fact, some of my favorite paintings were drawn while I was in outport.

This piece was painted in one of my long haul flights. I remembered that I was wide awake in the early morning in Copenhagen. Since I could not sleep, I took my painting gear, went outside, sat on the street and just drew. It was a great time to paint as there were hardly anyone around.

The next piece is also my favorite from my flight to New Delhi. The painting was drawn through the view from my hotel window. Actually right after I painted it, the screen of the TV in my room showed a photo of exactly the same picture and said it’s ” the best view of New Delhi”: that means I got the best room.

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As you may have noticed, many of the sceneries i have drawn are not the most famous landmarks of those places. I will draw when the place attracts and connects to me instead of how popular the place is.

What would you like to achieve in future?

There are many things I would like to achieve in future. One of them is to be able to hold my own exhibition. Actually during the pandemic, I have managed to hold my first art exhibition that showcases the collection of sceneries I drew around the world. It’s like a summary of the places I have been to since I started to draw in 2014. The theme of the exhibition is “My Travel Sketchbook” and the proceed from the exhibition were used to raise funds for the elderly in need in Hong Kong . Although I go around the world everyday my heart is always connected to the people in Hong Kong.

After thought

The interview confirmed my thoughts about Chickita: she is a talented artist!! That I have no doubt. My hope for writing this post is to encourage Chickita to believe in herself.

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Doing something that you love, something that allows you to express yourselves, to be free, to be in the moment, to experience the joy, are really something worth fighting for.

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All the best Chickita

If you want to see more paintings from Chickita, checkout:

Facebook page: Sketcher Chickita
IG: @chickitachickita