Born in 1950 in Yangon, Hlaing Bwa has been a full-time artist since he studied under the old master U Thein Han in the 1970s. His bold brush strokes and creative color schemes are reminiscent of the European Impressionist style. Monet is Hlaing Bwa’s inspiration. His motifs portray a tranquil Myanmar: the scenic Bagan, colorful Shan State, vibrant market places, and lone ladies lost in the moment.

Hlaing Bwa always paints his family and neighbors. So, his wife, sister-in-law, and nieces are often subjects. When his nieces were young, he painted a series of children. As his little nieces grew up, he started painting young ladies in a room with flowers, which has become Hlaing Bwa’s most recent signature motif.

His paintings were exhibited in numerous shows in Myanmar from 1979 to 2000; also as in abroad shows, they had been exhibited in China in 1982, in Australia in 1990, in Singapore and Thailand in 1995, and in the USA in 2003, 2004, and 2007. In Indonesia in 2007, and again in the USA in 2008, 2010, and 2012.

Also, his works are illustrated in Myanmar Painting: From Worship to Self-Imaging (2006) and mentioned in Burmese Painting: A Linear and Lateral History (2009).

“Hlaing Bwa’s figure studies are rich in color and with innovative compositions. His paintings have a dreamlike and poetic content even as they are visually strong.”

- Khin Maung Nyunt et al, Myanmar Painting:

  From Worship to Self Imaging, page 155