Michael Lim began his career as a professional artist in the early sixties and has been creating batik images on all forms of textiles from silk to cotton. Throughout his artistic career, Michael has travelled to exhibit his works and to exchange ideas and inspirations with fellow artists and experts the world over. A pioneer professional artist, Michael's works have been much sought after by art collectors both private as well as institutional, locally and abroad through the years. They are now in galleries and collections in Malaysia, Singapore, the Phillipines, Australia, Japan, India, France, Switzerland, England, and the United States

Michael applies the traditional approach to his batik paintings. Fabric dyes and wax are painstakingly worked into the fabric of choice creating a highly layered combination of colors. Upon completion of the artwork, the piece is then boiled and ironed to rid the fabric of excess wax thereby uncovering a composition of vibrant colors with intricate designs and textures.

Deriving inspiration from his surroundings, the majestic forests of Borneo as well as the rich cultural heritage of Sarawak, Michael's chosen subject matters include his signature hornbills, orchids, and jungle life. Particularly meticulous in including fine details in his works, audiences sometimes delightfully discover many subtle additions in his paintings such as little insects and animals or interesting flora and fauna amidst his main characters.

Michael has also has developed techniques for making wonderful creations from palm frond strips. See a short video of Michael and children of Rumah Garie longhouse in remote Borneo. We plan to produce a DVD video showing step-by-step instructions detailing how to make these fanciful animals and insects. This will be a resource for school craft classes as well as home instruction.

Michael devotes much of his time in other creative areas such as the development of natural dying techniques, copper tooling, woodcarving, basketry, and also the restoration of old artifacts. Despite such a hectic lifestyle, Michael still finds time to further develop and promote the many arts and crafts of Sarawak through his involvement as the Vice President of Society Atelier Sarawak.

Michael will be visiting the USA in July.