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 Few Vibrant Gouache Paintings
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Pessimistic “All that is solid”
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.
Oil on Canvas 22” x 28”
Completed in 2022
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:
I am so grateful for all the support I received. Thank you!
Hallucinatory oil painting “Disperse”
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
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:
Exploring new media – India ink on Yupo paper
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
Languor
Oil on Canvas, 30” x 48”
2021
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
Purifying “Luminous”
“Luminous” is a translucent landscape in the midst of a thorough purification – loaded yet still airy rain clouds release a generous yet gentle downpour, which rushes into the solid ground and continues to overflow in the already soaked terrain. The dark clouds, and darker soil, rendered the space in between even brighter, as if backlit, glowing, and luminous. Above the warm earth, the cool rain and clouds leave a refreshing impression.
Luminous
9” x 12”
Gouache on paper
Completed in 2022
Impenetrable “Whirl”
“Whirl” explores patterns, rhythms, and perspective in an abstract world consisting of a series of imperfect and progressively smaller concentric circles, which superimpose over a background of pale pink from the top and dark gray at the bottom, and vanish to the center of a muddied white hue, therefore lead the viewers to a hidden world somewhat beyond reach. The gentle contrasts amongst these muted colors, which seep into each other like liquids, enhance the impenetrability of the sphere.
Whirl
gouache on paper
9″x12″
2021
Abstract “Autumn Rain”
“Autumn Rain” is a semi-abstract inspired by a rainy landscape. I endeavored to capture the pleasant wetness enveloping the fields and hills, and the wonderful interplay of cool and warm hues in the rich fall season. Bold and patchy strokes obliterated the contours of easily identifiable objects and rendered the landscape into almost pure patterns and rhythms.
Autumn Rain
9” x 12”
Gouache on paper
Completed in 2021