More than 80 works created by illustrator Littleink with the theme “Happiness is a choice” have been exhibited at the Police Officers’ Club (POC) since mid-December last year. Terrie, whose pseudonym is Littleink, was a retired Chief Inspector. She joined the Force in 1985 and had been stationed at the Commercial Crime Bureau and Police College. Having served the Force for over 36 years, Terrie retired and devoted herself to illustration creation. The one at POC is her first public exhibition.

Terrie revealed that she loved expressing her feelings through the paintbrush since her childhood. The hobby had been kept all along, even after she had joined the Force upon finishing secondary education. In 2009, she was commissioned by the Hong Kong Christian Service to draw a picture book for children to understand people with depressive disorder. Her first publication under the pen name Littleink was The Diary of Famui. “Famui, the main character’s name, bears no special meaning, but my pseudonym ‘Littleink’ is meaningful as I hope that my illustrations created with ‘ink’ are connotative, expressive and illustrative.”

Terrie said that her original intention to create illustrations was to heal herself. When life or work was unsatisfactory, painting could express her feelings. She subsequently shared her works with friends through messaging apps and made her paintings public on social platforms, indicating that their reposting was welcome. The response was surprisingly better than expected, with many readers being healed by her works.

“A few years ago, my younger sister died of disease, causing immense agony in my mind, so I expressed my memory of her through paintings to relieve myself. These emotions inspired my creation. Through paintings, I convey the messages that we need to face problems optimistically and pass optimism onto others. I have received messages of thanks from terminal cancer patients more than once, saying that they would keep my paintings beside their bed to hearten themselves fighting against the disease bravely.”

As a Force member, Terrie has been encouraging her colleagues through paintings. When Hong Kong was hit by the riot in 2019, Terrie published a number of related illustrations. “Some of the works were created for colleagues to remind them to persevere and stay calm. On the other hand, I also wanted to remind the public that mutual respect was fundamental for people to get along with each other.”

Littleink emphasised that her purpose in drawing illustrations was to sow the seeds of kindness. She hoped that Famui would have more opportunities for public exhibition in the future to bring everyone happiness and a positive outlook on life.