The art of illusion

IMAGINE the scene. Crystal blue water lapping along a stretch of pristine white beach. Palm trees laden with green coconuts rising over shimmering sands. The sun beating down on a lone fisherman as he hauls baskets of plump lobsters into his boat. People feasting on crab, chilli chicken and giant prawns. Think Phuket, Boracay, Bali.

In the middle of Hong Kong's grey winter, it's an idyll as remote as the 12th of never. What we'd give to be on that beach, gin and tonic in hand, barbecue smouldering nearby.

But you can find it here. Just take a walk to the nearest Thai, Malaysian or Indonesian restaurant and the odds are you'll find that very scene painted on the walls.

In some romantic bid to project us all to the more exotic corners of the world, hundreds of Hong Kong bars, restaurants and hotels envelop their customers in the most colourful, creative murals imaginable, setting the atmosphere for Caribbean carnivals, Mexican fiestas and balmy Bali days.

It is possibly a reaction to the often austere vista of Hong Kong's tower blocks, but, whatever the cause, murals are a part of Hong Kong's fabric, from the swank of the Island Shangri-La, to the modesty of Quarry Bay's Thai Cafe and Dan Ryan's in Pacific Place, where two well-known regulars were incorporated into the painting.

Artist Elizabeth Ramsay, 33, has made a living - and a good one, she admits - out of painting murals in the territory. She believes part of their attraction is the speed with which they can transform an often modern, characterless room into a vibrant, atmospheric venue.