Stamps are national treasures and have been regarded as miniature encyclopedias which record our way of life, rich and diverse cultural heritage and its environment – capturing a nation’s history through specially designed images that are each painstakingly drawn and hand-painted. The man behind many well-loved Singapore stamps such as the Chek Jawa Nature Series, Wetland Wildlife Series and the Singapore Tropical Freshwater Fish Series is none other than Eng Siak Loy. He is a prolific designer of Singapore stamps and coins, and has to date designed
56 sets of Singapore stamps and 18 sets of coins.

Siak Loy has had a long and successful art career which began with his training at the Singapore Academy of Art in the 1960s. He has staged many art exhibitions – notably the Singapore Artists’ Art Exhibition in Moscow in 1978, the 5th Festival of Asian Art in Hong Kong in 1980, and the 1st and 2nd Bru-Sin Art Exhibitions in Negara Brunei Darussalam in 1988 and 1991.

As an acclaimed artist, his paintings can be found in both private and public collections. Siak Loy has also won several awards in various local and international art competitions. With his strong affinity to nature, it is no wonder that his design of the 2002 HSBC Care-for-Nature Heritage Trees stamp series was awarded ‘Asia’s Most Beautiful Stamps’ and the ‘2nd Most Beautiful Stamp in the World’ in 2003 by Paris-based Timbropresse Group, a leader of the French-speaking philatelic press with Timbres Magazine.

In the recent launch of the 2007 HSBC Care-for-Nature series, inhabitants of the sea such as the False Clown Anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris), Sea Anemone (Stichodactyla sp.), Singapore Goby (Crytocentrus leptocephalus), Blind Shrimp (Alpheus sp.), Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), Remora (Echeneis naucrates), Razorfish (Aeoliscus strigatus) and Sea Urchin (Diadema sp.) burst into life with Siak Loy’s palette of bold and vibrant colours.

Siak Loy had also designed the stamps for the 600th Anniversary of Admiral Zheng He’s Voyages. In 1999, he had the honour of being the first Singaporean in the nation’s history to design the entire Portrait Series of currency notes launched by the Board of Commissioners of Currency (Singapore). The Portrait Series is an important slice of history, as it introduces Singapore’s fourth series of currency notes that for the first time features a portrait as the central theme, instead of flowers, birds and ships.

Dr Tan Wee Kiat, Advisor to National Parks Board, Project Director (Gardens-by-the-Bay) commented, “As the pioneer of our Graphics & Art team, his passion for art and design has moulded a strong foundation and contributed enormously, not only to the growth of the in-house design team but also the entire organisation. His designs have played a key role in forging the branding and image of National Parks Board.” Siak Loy has also played an instrumental part by creating a myriad of park signages, murals, sculptures, furniture and plaques for many of Singapore’s public parks and gardens. The recent re-opening of Botanic Gardens welcomed the installation of a brand new Tanglin Gate, with its intricate leaf motif design, which is also one of his invaluable contributions. “His work has injected an additional layer of meaning and creativity to Singapore’s highly celebrated ‘City-in-the-Garden’ story,” says Mr Ng Lang, CEO of National Parks Board.