How Kah Cheng was born in Singapore in 1936. He received his formal education in the Chinese High School where he had early exposure to art education from several artists there. Subsequently, How Kah Cheng studied in Singapore Nanyang University majoring in educational psychology where he participated in various art activities such as play writing, directing, performances, stage designing, etc.

Due to his extensive travels, Kah Cheng is able to paints in a diversity of subjects and the medias. He paints in watercolour for smaller subjects and outdoor sketches. Large paintings are usually oil on canvas and some are ink and colour on rice paper.

Deviating from the traditional practice in oil painting by using the whiteness of canvas itself to create space. In Chinese painting the control of space is important. With the use of lines, executed boldly and rich in variation, to portray branches and twigs is also notable in his oil painting. In his oil painting, one can clearly discern the bold and decisive brush strokes characteristic of Chinese painting. His mastery of perspective and geometry has enabled him to create an impressive series of large landscape paintings. Human figures are often impressionistic and rare; yet they add life and realism to his painting.

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