Ong Kim Seng (Chinese: 王金成; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ông Kim-sêng; pinyin: Wáng Jīnchéng) was born in Singapore and has been a full-time artist since 1985.

[1] Ong is the first and only Singaporean to have won six awards by the prestigious 138-year-old American Watercolor Society (AWS), of which he was conferred membership in 1992.

[2][3] An only child, Ong grew up in a kampung in Tiong Bahru under the care of his mother, Goh Choon Hoon.

Ong had shown an interest in art since he was young but his mother had envisioned him becoming either a clerk or teacher with his education, than to have the ludicrous thought of becoming an artist.

He then became a regular participant in a painting group at the Singapore River led by an artist, writer and lecturer Chia Wai Hon.

[6] When the College relocated to Manila in 1986, Ong decided to become a full-time professional artist in spite of having to care for an elderly mother, and being married with a wife and three children in tow.

He was Founding Editor-South East Asia for International Artist and an article on his works appeared in the first issue of the magazine in June 1998.

[7] On 3 April 2017, Ong Kim Seng set a new personal record when his work was sold for HK$725,000 (S$130,540) at a Sotheby's Hong Kong auction.

The acrylic on canvas painting, titled Nepal, fetched Ong his highest price in an international auction.

Mr Mok Kim Chuan, head of the modern and contemporary South- east Asian art department in Sotheby's, says Ong's larger format works, especially those on canvas, "are not often seen in the open market".

Ms Ma Peiyi, senior curator at Artcommune gallery in Singapore, which represents Ong, says this record price does not come as a surprise.

[9] Moments of Light was Ong's second solo exhibition, and showcased his works in monotypes, lithographs, paper pulp paintings and watercolours.

Ong Kim Seng was the Organizing Chairman of Asian Watercolours '97, the first international watercolor exhibition to be held in Singapore.

An ardent trekker, Ong has visited the Tianshan region of Sinkiang in China, the Nepalese Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau many times to paint and to trek.