Sense of Place

In August 2025, I participated a group show at Gallery 2727 in Berkeley, titled “Sense of Place“.

Though all my four paintings submitted were accepted for this show, due to space limitation, I chose display only three paintings.

The four paintings are quite descriptive: a person sitting next to an empty chair; an empty room with a lamp and a piano but no person; a woman looking out of a window, seeing the desolate landscape; and a window view of a sparse hill with a lone tiny tree.

Through these Spartan scenes, I tried to capture a certain and emptiness. Empty, desolate, or barren. A wasteland of landscape and ethos. Perhaps, these paintings reflected my upbringing in the rather desolate northern China, under a repressive cultural and political atmosphere, or the zeitgeist of what my current dwelling has become. Forlorn, isolated, and resigned.

Commune, Oil on Canvas 22” x 28”, 2021
Commune, oil on canvas, 22” x 28”, 2021
Hiatus, oil on canvas, 24x30, 2024
Hiatus, oil on canvas, 24×30, 2024
Allure, India Ink on Yupo Paoer, 11x14, 2024
Allure, India ink on Yupo paoer, 11×14, 2024
Waiting, oil on canvas, 22x28, 2021
Waiting, oil on canvas, 22×28, 2021

Successful East Bay Open Studios Winter Event

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:

Roots, gouache on paper, 14x11, 2023
Roots, gouache on paper, 14×11, 2023
Hydrangea, gouache on paper, 14x11, 2023
Hydrangea, gouache on paper, 14×11, 2023
The View, India Ink on Yupo paper, 14x11, 2023
The View, India Ink on Yupo paper, 14×11, 2023
Flickering, gouache on paper, 14x11, 2023
Flickering, gouache on paper, 14×11, 2023
Profusion, gouache on Yupo paper, 14x11, 2023
Profusion, gouache on Yupo paper, 14×11, 2023
Ethereal, gouache on Yupo paper, 14x11, 2023
Ethereal, gouache on Yupo paper, 14×11, 2023
Autumn Song, gouache on paper, 11x14, 2023
Autumn Song, gouache on paper, 11×14, 2023
Red, gouache on paper, 11x14, 2023
Red, gouache on paper, 11×14, 2023
Breaching, gouache on paper, 11x14, 2022
Breaching, gouache on paper, 11×14, 2022

I am so grateful for all the support I received. Thank you!

July Exhibition in City Art Gallery, San Francisco

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:

Resting, 11x14, Ink on Yupo paper, 2023
Ripples, 11x14, Ink on Yupo paper, 2023
Undulate, gouache on paper, 11x14, 2023
Jaunty, gouache on paper, 11x14, 2023