Biography

Norman was born in Kuching, Malaysia; on the island of Borneo. It was a thriving town surrounded by smaller towns, villages, rivers and tropical forest. Located less than 2 degrees to the North of the Equator, Kuching is both warm and humid. Grown up in an average family, he found his passion for Art in his teenage years. He studied privately with several established Artists while setting up his own work space to learn and to create artworks.

In the early 90’s, Norman pursued his Bachelor Degree in Computer Science at the University of Calgary in Canada. Upon graduation, he returned to Malaysia and started his dual career in Computer Science and Fine Arts where he was accepted into Art organizations. Starting from 1997, his works appeared in local and international shows. To date, his works had been shown in countries like Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Poland, Australia, USA and Canada. His works received some recognition through acceptance in Juried shows as well as Art Competitions in Malaysia, USA and Canada. Although Norman did not actively promote the sales of his works, some works were acquired by individuals in Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Poland, USA and Canada. His works are also collected by institutions such as the Sarawak Museum and the National Art Gallery; both of which are in Malaysia. In Canada, his work is included in the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour Diploma Collection, which is the leading watercolor painting organization in Canada.

Through the years, the passion for Art had brought Norman’s footsteps to Museums and Galleries in Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Taiwan, Canada, England, Ireland, Taiwan, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Poland, Germany, and Italy. In the 2000’s, he made a gradual move from Malaysia to Canada. He is currently located in Oakville, ON.

“Norman Choo is a water colorist with a penchant for experimentation. While he is still developing his technique, his sense of abbreviation and abstraction enable him to execute highly evocative impressions of the land … both Raphael (Scott AhBeng) and Norman show a tendency towards abstraction in their work, towards expressionism and formalism respectively.” Written by Niranjan Rajah (Art Historian, Cultural Theorist, Curator and Artist) in the exhibition catalogue of “Between Remote Regions” in 2000.

While commonly introduces himself as a watercolor painter, Norman’s interest in Visual Arts is broad and he does not identify himself with any “ism” or medium. Among other Art forms that he attempted are drawing, acrylic painting, oil painting, ink-and-brush painting (Chinese Brush Painting), wood carving, and batik (wax resist on fabric).