Syed Bakar Syed Salim began painting earnestly as a teenager and later taught art for over 40 years including at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar. Besides teaching and painting, Syed Bakar is also an avid toymaker.

He was a resident artist of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and had featured over 50 handcrafted toys in an exhibition called Play Any Way at the university’s Muzium & Galeri Tuanku Fauziah in 2011. The exhibition displayed toys such as a playhouse, birdhouses, puppets, kites, tops and contemporary toys.