[1] Kyaw Hlaing was born on 28 September 1914 in Bogalay (in the present-day Ayeyarwady Region), son of wealthy parents with an interest in art.
He found work as an art instructor in Bogalay, later moving to Yangon where he taught in high schools for many years.
[3] After Myanmar gained independence in 1948, he continued to practice the European painting techniques he had learned during the colonial period.
Kyaw Hlaing's watercolor works, which earned him the nickname "Cloudy", were rendered with skies full of clouds executed in many tones of white, often with portions of the clouds left unpainted to create a searing white given by the background watercolor paper.
[1] After retiring, he was appointed an instructor at the Yangon Fine Arts school, teaching third-year students.