"Pink Rose Study 3" --- Sold

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This study is so far the most difficult one for me. If we compare the blooming time of a rose to the life duration of a human being. This rose is approximately a teenager, charming but rebellious. I really had a long and hard time of dealing with this flower. There are in general two ways of painting a subject: rendering and suggesting. So far I approached these three rose paintings all by rendering. I depicted the subject by copying all the details I have seen. It is so tedious. It was OK when I painted the budding stage. Like playing with a baby. Simple and fresh, it was a lot of fun. Now my flower is a teenager, but I still treated her as a baby. I got more challenged. I saw more details and more problems. I got more frustrated. However, it is time to get my left brain functioning into a trouble-shooting mode. Be patient. It is the time now to really figure out the rosy structure anatomically.

"Pink Rose Study 2" --- Sold

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The back side of the rose. I just love the translucent warm light going through the petal, and the cool reflection light in the shadow area. For this rose study I don't want to get loose to quickly. In stead of painting my feeling, which I do a lot, I want to be tight for a while. so I can examine the details.

Today is Christmas eve. I wish all of you Merry Christmas.

"Pink Rose Study 1" --- Sold

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I have mentioned that I went to a meditation retreat. You might think at this moment I had calmed my mind, levitated to the clouds, and reached Nirvana. Well .... I lied. I didn't get going. I got an email after I posted on my blog saying that my application was late and the waiting list was too long. I felt a little disappointed, but I will keep trying, because reaching my spiritual goal is important.

On the other hand, things are not that bad. I gained more time, so I started another round of painting studying. This time, I will concentrate on roses. Many people think I have known how to paint roses. I disagree. I might have done a few not bad rose paintings, but I only know the basics. This study will help me to improve.

"Demo in Dallas 4" --- Sold

This is my last demo painting on my Dallas workshop. It is very seasonal. At this time I want to wish all my friends a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

This post maybe my last post of the year. I am going to a meditation retreat and will be isolated for 11 days. If you follow my blog posts in June, you may have remembered that I went to meditate but did not complete due to my father's passing. Now I get a chance to go back. It is the holiday season. Many people want to spend their vocation spiritually. In stead of as a regular participant, I will work as a server this time. It will be a very different experience for me.  In this crazy world, we all more or less lose our mind in this material oriented game. I have been dreamed to find my Utopia. I have failed so many times. I may have a chance next week.

"Demo at Ada 2" --- Sold

This is another delayed demo painting post. I used this painting as a step-by-step guidance for students to following my procedure. I like the turquoise color pot. I feel most of my paintings are lack of good blue colors. That is one of the areas I need to improve.

Nowadays, daily life is getting harder and more complicated. After returned to Austin, I didn't get much time to rest. I didn't paint either. I have spent long hours on the Health Insurance Marketplace trying to get my application completed for the Obama care. However, the website is so bad. No matter how hard I tried (and how many Ph.Ds I have), I just could not get my application completed. I chatted and called many times as well. I finally get through this morning by phone. If you have similar experience with the Marketplace. Please call instead of using the website.

"Demo in Dallas 3" --- Sold

This painting I did during my Dallas workshop, but did not post on time. Due to the bad weather and road conditions, I stayed in Dallas for 4 days, so I did more paintings. I enjoyed painting silver and brass. This one is another example.

On the way back to Austin, we stopped by Dallas again. My friend Kae took us the Meadows Museum in SMU. There is a special exhibition of Joaquin Sorolla's work including his famous painting: "Sad Inheritance" and "Another Marguerite". I can't believe I have seen Sorolla's paintings in such small and quiet place. If you happen to be near Dallas, please don't miss this great opportunity.

Another FYI for you: Master artist and my teacher, Zhaoming Wu will teach a workshop in Italy for this coming summer. Please click here for more info or click the widget on my blog.

"Demo at Ada 3" --- Sold

I have three wonderful days at Ada. This is my third demo. This one has a very obvious "three value design": dark, grey, and light. Still life painting is not a process of copying nature. It is a very deliberate design process.

We left Oklahoma in the misty winter rain. The purplish grey sky overcast on dark silhouette of bare tree branches. We stopped by the school my son is in. Yesterday was his last day for the fall semester. Now we are in Plano, TX. We will have a gathering with a few old friends before we head home. Now I have completed my 2014 workshop teaching, and will have a short break. At this holiday season, I wish everyone of you Merry and Happy.

"Demo at Ada 1" --- Sold

We left Dallas, arrived at Ada Oklahoma yesterday. I want to thank Charlee Lanis and East Central University for putting this workshop together. I really appreciate Loretta Yin for her hospitality and offering her place for us to stay. Thanks to all the artists for attending. This is my first time teaching in a university. ECU has a great art department. This is my first demo.

"Demo at Dallas 2" --- Sold

This is the second day of my Dallas workshop.  The weather has improved slightly, but the road is still very treacherous. However, many artists have come to the class. This is the demo I did. I really enjoyed painting this one.

"Demo at Dallas 1" -- Sold

Song and I drove to Dallas on last Thursday without any preparation for the extremely wintry weather. Friday morning we woke up in the dark, and found out the power was out in the hotel we stayed. The road was covered with ice. In spite of this bad weather, my workshop has started on Friday. Three very brave artists came. This is my first demo painting. The second day, I had more than 10 people attended. I want thank all these artists coming to workshop in this very cold winter. I want to thank ACA and Ann Rogers for organizing this workshop. Specially I want thank Kae Stuart and her family for offering her place for us to stay. Outside the house it is bitterly cold, but my heart is warmed by so many wonderful artist friends. I am so grateful so many people are supporting me and taking care of me.

"Sunflower Study 5" --- Sold

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This is my last painting for this short period of time of my study about flowers. I will be traveling again tomorrow teaching two workshops in a row. For this short study time, I did 9 paintings. Although the time is short, but I am grateful I had it. My progress is noticeable. I feel so fortunate that I am an developing artist, but not a developed artist. We all know many "master" artists, or know their remarkable art works. However, there is a problem with them, that is they have run out of room for improvement. They can not get better. If you compare what they did ten years ago to their recent paintings, you don't see much of difference. Not mentioning that some of them may go down the hill as well. So it is very hard to keep growing for a developed or "master" artist. On the other hand, if you are a beginner, you are in a much better position. Your room for improvement is tremendous. If you work hard, you will gain much more significant progress than the developed artists can. Soon or later, you will be a master as well if you keep growing. So I want encourage all the artists who consider their work are not good enough at this moment. Use all the possible time you have. You will get better and better. I promise.

"Alstroemeria Study 2" --- Sold

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Now I know the proper name for this flower: alstroemeria. Also I know now that flowers have petals, not peddles. Big thanks to the friends who letting me know. I am learning everyday.  Painting this flower the second time, I felt much better. I understood that using my usual spot light illumination for this kind of floral painting is not good, because the casting shadow is too sharp, which makes the edges of the shadow compete with the physical edges of the petal. No wonder Richard Schmid uses diffused fluorescent light for his flower paintings.

“Sunflower Study 4" --- Sold

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Now my sunflower has turned and facing us again. Through this relatively rigorous study, I feel I understood flower painting slightly better than before. I treat my painting exercises as research projects. It is very very left brain approach. I took note for every painting recording my problems, my trials, my tests, and my procedures, and my questions. I treat my brush as a surgeon scalpel. Accuracy is the key.  Of course, as an developing artist, I do paint intuitively. I have a "just-do-it" mode, and I use it quite often, but I have also a "research" mode. I want to use it more and more. Without it, I can hardly progress.

"Pink Lily Study 1" --- Sold

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My flower study is getting harder. I painted this pink lily (I don't know exactly the name of this flower. It is one of the cheapest kind in my local grocery store). It is totally different ball game. I can't make it very painterly like a sunflower. I literally painted every peddle accurately with delicate color changes. Painting the edges is the key to make this flower believable. So far, this painting is the most time consuming among my recent flower studies.

"Sunflower Study 3" --- Sold

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I used an odd angle for painting sunflowers. I don't have much of experience of painting the backside of the sunflower. I dealt with mainly the stalk and sepals rather than the peddles. This angle is not as attractive as the front. I feel a little uncertain if I am on the right track. Rationally, I believe it is needed to keep my study as thorough as possible. So inevitably, I will encounter situations that may not be in favor of me. However concerning my business, I might have shot myself in the foot. As an artist, I want to be successful just like everybody else, but must I show the good side always? Well, it is a question, and I don't have a firm answer for it. I feel a little foolish today, but it may not be a bad thing for the long run.

"Red Daisy Study 2"

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This is my second try of painting a red daisy. This flower is not as picturesque as a sunflower or a rose, but I get stubborn on it. I want to see if the ugly duckling can turn into a swan. You may have noticed that I have placed quite a few restrictions on my recent flower studies. The background is absolutely black and always a single flower. I used to have all the freedom, and my composition process is basically a "cherry picking" process. I turn to be painting similar things. Now, I have forced myself to confront unfamiliar subjects. I think my today's daisy is a little better than my previous one.

Happy Thanksgiving to everybody. I want to say THANK YOU. Your support makes my endeavor in art significant. I am so grateful.

"Sunflower Study 2" --- Sold

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My sunflower study continues. This study gives me more opportunity to practice and understand more the peculiarity of the sunflower. I am working on different angle now. This angle may not be my best choice, but I don't want to paint the flower in only one angle. This angle is more challenge than my previous sunflower painting. I enjoyed specially painting the stem part.

"Red Daisy Study 1"

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Many friends commented and wanted to know what I did to fixed the image problem. I want to thank Andy, a friend who sent me a link to webpage addressing this image issue. I followed the guidance and changed my settings. I didn't download Google Chrome. If you have similar problem, please click the weblink above and change your settings as well.

The problem is not difficult to fix if you know how. I still have a few problems I still struggling and try to find solutions. For instance, I found recently that my blog widget that getting people to sign up for my painting emails is broken. After entering email address, you don't get a confirmation email, so the registration is incomplete. This is another Google problem. After Google Groups "upgraded" their stuff, my widget is no longer working. If you know the solution, I appreciate if you can contact me.

My today's painting is my first red daisy painting. I struggled. I am not in my comfort zone, There are issues, but I still want to share it with you.

I have fixed image problem

I think I have figured out the solution to fix the image quality problem. On your side, do you see this image look better? I feel frustrated that the online tools are keep changing. You just managed how things work, then suddenly it has changed. You have to re-learn everything again. The world is a completely different place now. We all need to learn how to keep a peace of mind when you live in a place you have no sense of in control.

Face the Light --- Sold

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It happened again, the photo of my painting today is lousy on the blog because Google manipulated my image, and I haven't got enough time to learn how to fix it. This problem does not appear everyday. It seems happening if I use very dark background. To see a better image, please go to my Chinese blog. I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I have not done any small paintings for a few months. You may think I may quit painting small. No, I will not do that. Small daily paintings are my major exercises. It is a very effective way to learn. I am considering doing a set of small flower paintings so I can understand the anatomy of flowers much better. Another change I did is: I shorten the bidding time from 7 days to 3 days. So if you are interested to buy this painting will know your result much sooner.

"My 2014 Desk Calendar"

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It is the holiday season again. As usual my New Year 2014 desk calendar has come out. I added on my blog a widget for it. You may preview all the images by clicking on it. I want to thank Jane Frederic and my dear wife Song for putting this calendar together. It has been a great year for me so far. Many things had happened. I traveled so many places, and made so many friends. My art is growing. This calendar is a brief documentation on what I did this year. I feel grateful for life and great appreciation to all of you who have been supporting me. Thanks.

"Song's Portrait"

I have completed my painting project: Song's Portrait. This is my gift to my dear wife Song for her birthday today. This is my first time painting a formal portrait. The size of the painting is 24" x 30". It took me five days to paint. For the first two days, I knew what I was doing. I did her face and got the likeness. However on the last three days, I have exhausted my knowledge and skills. So I painted intuitively. I did her hands, hair, and dress. I really had a hard time painting her hands. I have not painted many hands, so I have used almost two days just for the hands. I finally got it. I am pretty happy about this portrait effort. If you are interested in my process, please check: Song's portrait painting steps.

"AAU Portrait Painting 9"

This my favorite  portrait I did at AAU last summer. With the cool and warm light illumination, I got so many opportunity playing color. It is a relatively large painting (18" x 24") taken me three days to paint from live.

My current painting project is going well. It is the 4th day since I started. I am working long hours everyday and run into quite a few challenges. I think it will take me two or three more days I can reach to a some sort of finishing point. Different from my AAU time, I don't have much opportunities doing long term art projects nowadays. However, I try my best to do at least one or two more in depth paintings every year.

"AAU Portrait Painting 8"

After a couple of days of thinking, I decided to do a few large paintings for the rest of the month. I am still painting everyday, but I need to spend a few days to complete one painting. So I am going to post some of my old paintings you have not seen. Last summer I painted quite a few portraits at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Some of them I have posted, but I still have several I have not shown. So please enjoy.

"Persimmons"

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I had a group of artists coming to my house yesterday, and this is the painting I demoed to them. The two persimmons captured most of the attention because I did not have many colors in the rest of the painting. You don't need to have many colors to create the impact. As a matter of fact, isolating color in a small area produces the strongest color power.

You have seen too many of my demo paintings. You know what, I feel a little lost as well and don't know what I should do next. Hiking on my art trail, I need to sit down on a log nearby, wipe the sweat on my forehead, and drink a little water. The persimmons not only have vibrant color for a painter, but also very sweet to a ordinary person. So I am going to enjoy this sweetness now.

“Tibor Nagy Study 4"

I came back to Austin yesterday. From now on to early December, I will have a relatively long time at home. It is good time I will shift to study mode and hope I can have some progress in art. Nowadays, I have less and less time to learn, but I know many areas I need to improve. I am trying my best to use any of my fragmented time to move on.

This painting I did last month before the four workshops I have taught lately. It is a relatively large painting (18" x 24"). I wanted to see if it is possible I may keep the painterly style even with a large painting. I am still examine the marvelous paint work that Tibor Nagy did, and tried to achieve a similar effect. I used the monochromatic approach so I was able to concentrate on the paint application, but not color. This painting was done with both acrylic and oil. Different from my alla prima approach, I did 4 layers on this painting: acrylic darks, acrylic lights, oil for details, knife work with oil. You all know I did many small daily paintings, but I want to do more larger paintings from now on.

"Demo at Montgomery 2013 2" --- Sold

This is my second demo on my Montgomery workshop. I feel rather happy with this one. I had a few very interesting props to paint with. I just love this delicate white plate and the copper pot. I had a lot of fun doing this one.

"Demo at Montgomery 2013 1" --- Sold

Left Memphis TN, I have arrived at Montgomery AL. Quite a few old friends were waiting for me here. I am so enjoyed seeing them. I also enjoyed meeting many new friends. Another workshop started today. I want thank Sybil Dees for organizing this one. This is the first demo I did. Painting that wonderful blue glass vase was so enjoyable.

"Demo at Memphis 2013 2" --- Sold

This is my second demo at my Memphis workshop. Different from my previous post, the image looks fine. I want to thank all the friends commented and emailed to help me solve the imaging problem. I have not taken any action yet, but I will look into Google+ and see what is going on. It is so wonderful I have this supportive artists community on the Internet. I feel so grateful.

The Memphis workshop went very well. I hope all the workshop artists can practice what we have talked about and show progress on your paintings. I am on my way to Montgomery AL tomorrow. I will let Y'all know what is happening in the Deep South.

"Demo at Memphis 2013 1" --- Sold

Today I started teaching a workshop at Memphis TN. I want to thank Sheryl Hipps for organizing, and thanks for all the artists for attending. This is my image of my first demo.

Now I have a technical issue. You see how bad the image of the painting is. It is not because I took a bad photo. I took a very good photo. I did some minor processing on GMIP. The image looks great on my Mac. However, when I uploaded the image on Blogger, it has changed completely. It became lousy like this. If you want to see a good image of this painting, please click my Chinese blog.  This is second time I have noticed that Blogger change my painting image. This is big problem, because I don't know how to show the genuine look of my painting on my blog any more. Currently, I don't know how to solve this problem. If some of you know what is going on and know how to fix this problem, please contact me. I appreciate it very much.