Frederick comes from a considerably colourful background which led him to take up the easel and paintbrush. Following his father’s footsteps, he originally dabbled in carpentry, specialising in marquetry, a technique of decorating furniture and other wooden works with pieces of veneer in decorative patterns. His pull towards art, however, was always there. “I used to design pieces of furniture and, once in a while, the muse would take me and I would sketch impulsively. More often than not, though, I’d throw I threw the sketches away.”

All this changed overnight on the turn of the millenium. After enrolling himself at the School of Art for a course in painting, Frederick recounts how his potential flourished. “The fear of failure and embarrassment which plagues you in your youth becomes less and less of a factor the older you get.” His patience and perfectionism helped him develop his artistic temperament. “Where other artists might scrap a painting if it does not turn out as they expected it to, I would scrape the offending paint off, and get it right.”

Nowadays, he tends to gravitate towards portraits or figures, the latter sometimes taking an urban theme. While Frederick admits to have been influenced by a wide range of artists, he doesn’t consider himself as an artist who follows a particular movement or another. The essential thing is to experiment, he says. “Every artist should experiment with his own style. Through experimentation, a style is redefined. One should always experiment, if only to find their true calling.”

Nowadays, his art is an intrinsic part of his life. “I love my art. It keeps me happy and each piece is a new challenge. Many problems come up, even in sketches, but I enjoy finding ways to go around them. I take my time to paint my pieces.”

Frederick participated in various collective exhibitions and held three solo exhibitions, the latest was in May 2012.