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Ismail Mat Hussin had developed a sophisticated style of intricate details and complementary tones in his batiks delving into facets of ordinary life, culture and pastimes. Ismail Mat Hussin was at the vanguard of depicting ordinary Kelantan life and traditional pastimes in his batiks. Four tudung (head scarves) figures in the foreground dominate this typical scene at the famous Siti Khadijah Market in Kota Baru, rendered in his trademark orange and brown hues. The anchor figure is the one standing, a potential customer resplendent with the intricate motifs of Kelantanese batik on her sarong with a trellis network and sprigs of flowers. A squatting makcik cradling a child ready to pay for the comb of bananas while a fellow trader watches the transaction with a bored expression. Both buyers and sellers are essentially female. On Friday, a holiday in Kelantan, there is an extended market at Jalan Ismail south of Jalan Hulu Pasar. Artist-musician Ismail Mat Hussin began concentrating on painting in 1968 but did not become successful until the last 10 years of his life. He learnt art from his Sekolah Padang Garong teacher Nik Mahmood in 1954-1955 and later Khalil Ibrahim. He also painted in watercolours, and worked as a designer-illustrator for Dian Printers in Kota Baru from 1979 to 1991. He worked as a part-time musician for Radio Television Malaysia Kota Baru, having a Grade V certificate (correspondence) in violin from the Royal School of Music (London). He was a member of the Angkatan Pelukis SeMalaysia (APS) and Persatuan Senilukis Kelantan (Peseni).