I took an abstract painting class recently, which had many assignment of reading, writing, and paintings. The intensive course demanded a lot of focus and concentration and I was able to push myself to produce some work I am quite happy with.
My 2022 oil painting, Stare, portrays a precocious boy who emerged from a chaotic and somewhat menacing background. The lighter and purer figure demonstrates the relative innocence of the boy, in contrast to the murky and impenetrable swirling background surrounding him like a maelstrom. The somewhat stunned or stupefied expression denoted the moment when his attention was caught, and he stared straight ahead as if confronting the viewers; a moment of a sudden turn of events.
This painting was published in February 2024 by Artistonish, Issue 43.
From July 3 to 28, I am exhibiting 9 gouache paintings at the City Art Gallery in San Francisco. Opening, July 5, Friday, 7-10 pm. Here are the pieces I am showing. They are vibrant and colorful, though modest in scale, the emotions are big and bold.
After having worked on a somber series, After Fire, I made a few more cheerful pieces, and I grabbed striking colors. It was great fun to make these vibrant pieces.
A quote from Karl Marx “All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned” perfectly capture our sad epoch and this monochromatic painting of a disintegrating city/landscape reflects such pessimistic sentiment.
On December 2 and 3, fourteen artists and artisans presented paintings, drawings, ceramics, mosaics, and jewelry at Makers Workspace Studio during the East Bay Open Studios (EBOS). It was a successful communal space. I am particularly pleased that my friend Edith Ng presented her beautiful ceramics to the public for the first time, as our guest artist. Her debut brought tremendous energy and many guests to our studio and all of us benefit from her presence.
During the EBOS event, I was able to sell more than a dozen gouache and ink paintings. Here a some of these works:
I am so grateful for all the support I received. Thank you!
My 2022 oil painting, Disperse, captures a hallucinatory moment of a nighttime landscape — between the silhouettes of two monumental and interlocking trees, a group of tiny figures scurrying by, running away from their familiar ground, their fates, their tormentors or captors. The specificities are intentionally omitted, so as to leave the viewers to interpret freely and to fill in the missing details, though the title does hint at diaspora stories in the headlines of late.
Disperse, oil on canvas, 20″x30″, 2022
This piece will be part of the juried exhibition “Within Sight or From Imagination” at GearBox Gallery, 770 West Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94612 (August 10 – September 9, 2023). Juror: Jeremy Morgan.
Opening Reception: August 12, Sat., 1 to 4 pm | Juror’s talk: September 2, Sat., 2 pm
In July, I will return to the wonderful co-op gallery in San Francisco: City Art Gallery, which “opened its doors at 828 Valencia St. in 1998 and has remained a constant in the radically changing Valencia corridor.”
Exhibition date: July 5-30
Reception & the City Art’s 25th Anniversary Celebration: July 7, Friday, 7-10 pm Location: 828 Valencia St, San Fransisco (between 19th & 20th)
Gallery Hours: Sun, Wed-Thursday 12-9 pm, Fri/Sat 12-10 pm
My gallery sitting shifts: July 16, Sat, 12-4:30 pm, July 22, Sun, 12-5 pm
Below are the sample of the pieces I will exhibit:
Recently, I started to explore painting with black India ink on synthetic, non-absorbent Yupo paper, whose water-resistant nature can be exploited and allow some interesting effects when the ink is washed, sprayed, scrubbed, and removed. I am happy with the results; these new paintings look richly layered, light and shadow contrasted in a complicated and mysterious way, and the flowing ink traces are often unpredictable, playful, and evocative.
Petals, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 11”x14″, 2023
Petals, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 11”x14″, 2023
Petals, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 11”x14″, 2023
Dandelions, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 14”x11″, 2023
Dandelions, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 14”x11″, 2023
Dandelions, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 14”x11″, 2023
C Major, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 9”x12″, 2023
C Major, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 9”x12″, 2023
C Major, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 9”x12″, 2023
Scour, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 9”x12″, 2023
Scour, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 9”x12″, 2023
Scour, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 9”x12″, 2023
Ripples, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 11”x14″, 2023
Ripples, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 11”x14″, 2023
Ripples, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 11”x14″, 2023
Resting, India ink on Yupo paper, 11″x14″, 2023
Resting, India ink on Yupo paper, 11″x14″, 2023
Resting, India ink on Yupo paper, 11″x14″, 2023
Orbit, India ink on Yupo paper, 11″x14″, 2023
Orbit, India ink on Yupo paper, 11″x14″, 2023
Orbit, India ink on Yupo paper, 11″x14″, 2023
Stone Flower, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 12”x9″, 2023
Stone Flower, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 12”x9″, 2023
Stone Flower, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 12”x9″, 2023
Diffuse, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 14”x11″, 2023
Diffuse, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 14”x11″, 2023
Diffuse, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 14”x11″, 2023
Luxuriant, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 12”x9″, 2023
🔴 Sold
Luxuriant, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 12”x9″, 2023
🔴 Sold
Luxuriant, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 12”x9″, 2023
🔴 Sold
Pervade, India ink on Yupo paper, 14″x11″, 2023
Pervade, India ink on Yupo paper, 14″x11″, 2023
Pervade, India ink on Yupo paper, 14″x11″, 2023
The View, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 12”x9″, 2023
The View, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 12”x9″, 2023
The View, India Ink on Yupo Paper, 12”x9″, 2023
This 2021 oil painting recorded some “beached” refuges in their arduous journey for a better life. It has been included in the East Bay Artists 2022, published by ArtPush