GEORGE TOWN, July 16 -- If you visited Penang in the last few years, chances are you would have seen one of Thomas Powell's Chinese zodiac-inspired murals around the city.

A rat in blue imperial robes, a rabbit in a monk's orange outfit, a dancing dragon in a traditional Chinese gown or a goat with a flute.

These paintings were instant hits when the British artist held his solo exhibition here in 2014 and since then, the Penang-based Powell has gone on to paint more similar portraits: a blue-eyed Tiger Queen with her loyal generals, the legendary general Guan Yu as a monkey in China House and a pig on the exterior wall of That Little Wine Bar which later morphed into an ox pouring red wine into a glass.

There was also the impressive sp...