Art inspired by mother's devotion
Illustrator and animator John Ho says his mother's death last year inspired him to rethink his life and create his most personal work to date - an illustrated book titled Green Honey Tea.
The book is a collection of melancholic poems, colourful illustrations and short, witty essays on love, family and life.
Ho, 31, sees it as a tribute to his mother, who had been his inspiration for life and his career.
'She was my closest friend. I talked to her about everything, and I guess few men do that nowadays,' says Ho. 'She was very supportive of me and always appreciated my art.'
Ho says he panicked when he found out his mother had liver cancer almost two years ago.
'My father passed away when I was young and my brother and three sisters moved out years ago. I was the one who spent the most time with her: we lived together for over a dozen years,' he says.
When the company where he worked as a designer closed down last year, Ho decided to stay home and take care of his ailing mother.
'She spent most of the time sleeping until she worsened and had to visit the hospital weekly. Life then seemed so quiet. While she was still able to speak she taught me to cook some simple dishes - I had never cooked before,' says Ho.
Ho's mother passed away last October, and the artist felt a stage of his life ended. 'After my mother passed away, I felt something was over. Then I was directionless, so I went to New York City [to stay with his sister] for two weeks.'
During his brief stay there, Ho was inspired by a musical. Watching the performers, he felt a burning passion to create art that expressed who he was.
'That night I thought I should start working on a book project. It had been my dream for many years,' says Ho.
After returning to Hong Kong, Ho stayed home every day, pouring his past - everything from his romantic relationships to his love for his mother - into paintings and poetry. It was an intense three-month-long creative outburst.
'The creative process was happy. But it was also very lonely, hiding at home every day, painting and preparing meals for myself,' Ho says.
But his hard work paid off when his book, published last month, turned out to be a bestseller. 'The book is a conclusion of my life so far,' says Ho.
'Every page, slowly drawn by me at home, is filled with personal emotions.'
He adds that he is ready to commit to his passion and become a full-time artist: 'I worked for over 10 years as a full-time designer and I think that's enough,' says Ho.
'Time flies when you have a full-time job and suddenly you find yourself too old [to pursue your dreams]. I want to move in a new direction, to publish books and paint.'
