On an ordinary weekday morning at Block 44 Cambridge Road, an elderly man crouched low on the pavement, quietly arranging fallen twigs into the striking portrait of a young woman.
By the time most people noticed, the artwork was already complete.
This was Uncle Thien, 82 — a familiar figure in Pek Kio, and a reminder that some of Singapore’s most arresting art appears quietly, without asking for permission or applause.
A Face Made of Fallen Sticks
The latest sighting happened on December 4, shortly before noon. A resident spotted Uncle Thien forming a woman’s face using nothing but stray sticks on the ground.
Photos of the piece quickly circulated online. As always, the artwork itself did not last long. A gust of wind, a passing jogger, or the routine sweep of daily life would soon erase it.
A Routine the Neighbourhood Knows Well
For years now, residents around Pek Kio have grown used to seeing him at work. Every morning, Uncle Thien walks the estate, gathering fallen twigs and arranging them into portraits directly on the pavement.
There is no protective tape, nor an attempt to preserve the pieces. They are meant to disappear.
Locals often stumble upon the works unexpectedly: near carparks, walkways, or open spaces, sometimes finding them unsettling before realising they are handmade.
Others stop to take photos, hoping to catch the art before it vanishes.
As one resident put it, he has become “a heritage fixture” of the area — someone you feel lucky to encounter, and worry you might one day miss.
Drawing from Memory, Not Reference
The faces Uncle Thien creates are not random.
Online discussions and past reports suggest that many of the portraits resemble actresses from earlier eras, including Chinese film stars he likely grew up watching.
The portraits are often similar — the same gentle gaze, the same soft outline — leading some to call the recurring figure his “dream girl.”
Uncle Thien has previously said that he was inspired to start this form of art after spotting twigs on the ground one day and wondering what he could make from them.
Long before that, he spent years studying drawing techniques through magazines and books.
He has also worked in other creative fields in his younger days, including Chinese opera set-making and illustration work.
More Than Just Twig Art
While the pavement portraits are what most people know him for, they are not his only medium.
Uncle Thien also draws pencil portraits on paper and has been spotted creating coffee art at neighbourhood kopitiams — dipping a spoon into leftover drinks and using the liquid as ink on tabletops.
The style is consistent: minimalist lines, steady hands, and an acceptance that the art will not last.
When asked in the past if he felt sad watching his work get destroyed, his answer was simple. If the wind takes it, so be it. There will always be another pattern to create.
Creating to Stay Sharp
For Uncle Thien, the act of making art is not about attention or legacy.
“When you get old, your mental capability weakens,” he once explained. “That’s why I need to exercise my brain.”
That motivation has kept him returning to the same pavements year after year, even as online attention comes and goes.
Some netizens have suggested preserving his work in galleries or archives.
Others worry about whether such art could be mistaken for vandalism. But most reactions remain deeply appreciative.
“Talent in the heartlands,” one commenter wrote. “Drawing from the heart,” said another.
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Within hours, days too, the portraits disappear.
No sign remains that anything extraordinary had happened there that morning — except for the photos shared online and the quiet memory carried by those who saw it in person.
Tomorrow, Uncle Thien may return with another handful of twigs. And for a brief moment, Singapore’s pavements will become a gallery again.
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