Melton ak Kais, 48 years old, is an artist born in Sarawak, East Malaysia. He is Bidayuh, one of the indigenous peoples of Borneo, known for artistry in basket-making and bead work. Melton has a degree in art education and teaches art in a high school in Bao, near Kuching. He has exhibited in many art festivals and exhibitions all over Sarawak as well as Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia. Melton is well known for his dramatic use of color, evoking rainforest and ecologic themes. Designs tend toward abstract, some with representational elements, emanating from Melton's feelings about the jungle and what he sees around him in daily life. Many of his paintings are in international collections.