Painting Pingyao

 

I am painting a scene of Pingyao, an ancient city in Shanxi province, China. This coming September I will stay at this place and do plein air painting with a group of artists. So I am better to be prepared. This painting is not done, but I want to share with you how I started. It has been so enjoyable seeing the painting evolves right in front of my eyes. This time I don't want the painting to be too tight, so I deliberately to keep of my early spontaneous marks. As the details come more and more, it will gets harder to keep it loose. We will see. If you are interested in going with me to this exotic place, please check: https://www.qhart.com/china-2025. We will have a lot of fun there.

Painter's Guide App 4.0

 

I have just upgraded the "Painter's Guide" app. The major change is the data display dashboard. I have added a new color parameter called the "Tint", which measures how green or purple a color is. As a matter of fact, the color temperature and tint are two orthogonal axes forming a Cartesian coordinate system crossing the color wheel. The conventional hue/chroma polar system and the temperature/tint Cartesian system can be transformed from each other. We artists usually emphasize on color temperature, but not on tint. So we have only 50% of information the nature offers us. After I put the "tint" bar on the data display, the dashboard shows a marvelous symmetry. I was stunned by its mathematical beauty.  If something looks good, it usually means something is significant.

The "Painter's Guide" app is a computer tool created by two engineers and myself. It helps artists to see color more accurately. It is also a measurement tool helping us to understand the behavior of the color. The app is free for anybody to use. Please visit: https://www.qhart.com/apps and press the "Painter's Guide 4.0" button. I hope it will help you to make your painting process easier. 

Derek Penix's painting workshop

 

Although we still say "Happy New Year" to greet each other, 2025 has already passed its first week mark. I am getting so busy alternating painting, color research, communications with friends, plan for future events, and so on. Many of you are probably living and working very similarly. No matter how much out of control I am, I try to keep cool, at least I appear to be. However, when a real master works, the situation is the opposite. They are in control for sure, but they appear they can achieve what they want casually. They have all the freedom on their side. This kind of feeling reminds me Derek Penix's painting process. He seems start his painting pretty randomly, but he is in control for sure. His mind follows his plans. His colors and mark making appears arbitrary, but he establishes accurate relationships in value, temperature, geometry, and all other design elements. It is so exciting to watch Derek paints, and his teaching has wealth of information about his think process. I am so happy to let you know: Derek Penix comes to Austin again and teach a 3-day painting workshop next month. We still have few openings at this moment, please take this opportunity to sign up at https://www.qhart.com/dereks-workshop-2025 as soon as possible.

Village painting study 2

 

Continued working on this painting. Concentrated still on the accuracy of the greys. Measured and compared numerically. This is rather an engineering project than an artistic one, but it is OK. After I figure out all the engineering issues, I will then do art. I feel content so far, even I can't really verbalize what is going on. I feel I have adequate amount of tools now to put "grey" under control. I feel I am learning like an AI robot. At the beginning, I am so slow, and clumsy. Until one day, I really get it. I will .......  

China 2025

 

I am very excited to let you know that I have just planned a "Painting in China" trip for the coming 2025.  It is called "Painting and Sightseeing in China 2025". It will be on September 14 - 28, 2025 for 15 days. From 2013 to 2019, we have conducted 5 China painting trips. For each trip, a group of artists traveled together in China for two weeks. In the middle of the trip, we stayed in a special place and had a casual painting workshop. During the two weeks together, we developed a long lasting friendship and improved our painting skills. After a thorough investigation, I have selected the Pingyao Ancient City in Shanxi province as our main painting location for China 2025. After so many years of economic development, the old Chinese culture has suffered significant damage. Old buildings have been destroyed and replaced by high-rises. However, Shanxi province has preserved its heritage much better than the rest of the country due to its relatively slow development. We will stay in a genuine historical place and experience the good old days. At the same time, we have arranged high standard accommodations to guarantee the trip to be comfortable and enjoyable. Please check China 2025 webpage for more information about this new China trip. Please be aware that the openings are limited, so please take advantage of this special opportunity and sign up as quickly as possible. I am looking forward to meeting you in 2025 and we will have another great time of painting and fun in spectacular exotic places.

Village Plein Air

 

This one took me a long time. On the foundation of the previous painting, I have learned that transparent oxide red by itself will not give me accurate warm color. I have to add yellow ochre to drive my greys into the right direction. My ref photo wasn't good enough for this project, I have changed composition significantly. Thanks to Master Hsin-Yao Tseng, and Master Chien Chung Wei for helping me to compose the painting differently. Now I feel content for my warms and cools. I also investigated how to vary the "tint" of color to thoroughly move the colors in the color space. Tint is a parameter of color telling how green or purple a color is. Next time when I upgrade the apps, I will put tint in.  

A village painting study

 

I copied a painting of an infamous artist to practice my color temperature control. The warm and cool were varied by mixing proportionally transparent oxide red (TOR) and Portland gray deep (PGD). The objective of this project is to make the color temperature relationship correct for the light/shadow, and near/far fields. With a home-made color temperature metrology, I use my apps to measure color temperature numerically. If I did this project correctly, I should achieve two visual effects: 1, all 3D structures will looks vividly solid with a consistent local color invariance between light and shadow; 2,  although I used very low chroma colors (grays), the painting would not look muddy. Please be noted: this is a NOT a monochromatic painting. It has two colors: orange (TOR warm) and blue (PGD cool). I am working in the dark by myself now, but I want to keep you posted.

Albert Handell's painting workshop

 

Happy Holidays my artist friends. I can't believe that 2024 is almost over. I have been enjoying my holidays. Relatively quiet, I have been painting and thinking about both art and science. I have not posted much of my own work because I am doing so many experiments, and my images are not that showable. I am re-learning so many things. Meanwhile, I am in awe of so many wonderful master artists doing exceptional excellent work. I want to promote more of their teachings. So I want to remind you that the famous artist master Albert Handell will come to Austin again and teach an 5 days oil and pastel painting workshop in January 2025. With vibrant colors and exquisite textures, Albert's paintings are so phenomenal and his techniques are unique. It is a great opportunity to learn from Albert. Please check the workshop information on  https://www.qhart.com/albert-handell-2025 and sign up.

Qiang's 2025 Painting Calendar

 

As usual at this holiday season, I have made a desk calendar for the coming new year 2025. Sorry to said I am a little late this year to announce this. You may preview my painting images and purchase one or more on https://www.qhart.com/store/2025-calendar.  I can't believe 2024 is almost over. I am so grateful that so many of you are supporting me. Without your help, it is not possible I can survive in this treacherous time. If you think my painting, teaching, and all the related work I do are useful, that will make me very happy. Thank you so much.

Plein Air in Sicily

 

From October 27 to November 3, I was in Sicily, Italy. A group of artists from many countries got together at the remarkable Salinara. We have had a superb time on this beautiful island. I have done 6 demo paintings. The most important part of this retreat was the friendship we established. The people are so lovely, the world is so beautiful. We need more arts, not wars.

 

Our Sicily painting retreat was a fabulous success. A group of friends have had a fantastic time on the beautiful island. I am back to the States now and soon the holiday season will come. It is an excellent  time to promote my 2025 events. I want to talk about Derek Penix workshop again. Every time I see Derek, I learn something. His way of painting is so magical to me. Underneath the spontaneous and energetic appearance of his beautiful paintings, I can see his solid foundation and deep understanding of all the important relationships to make a painting work effectively. I have benefited significantly by seeing his demos, applying his techniques, and improving my own work. He has taught multiple workshops in my place, and all of them were very popular. I am very excited that Derek will come back again in February 2025. We recently have talked and decided to set a new price for the workshop giving advantages to participating artists. Now Derek's workshop are still have openings. If you want to know how the real master creates spectacular paintings and learn the effective painting techniques, please check https://www.qhart.com/dereks-workshop-2025 to get detailed information and sign up. 

A Doorway in Beijing 3

 

I used this small study to test my limited color palette for travel. I have talked before that you can get 90% colors "correct" for a landscape painting with only two colors: orange and blue. That one was done mainly with ultramarine and burnt sienna, plus white of course. It conveys the color temperature distribution of the light and shadow. I like this one because it gives me a genuine Beijing feeling. 

A Doorway in Beijing

 

This is the second painting I did in Beijing, China. It was so nostalgic when I strolled down the Hutong (alley ways) districts in old Beijing. Those old courtyards and the decorated doorways remind me the happy childhood time. They are so special to me. I hope some day I have enough time to paint whole bunch of those beautiful doorways. 

A Doorway

 

I am painting in Beijing. 

Derek Penix Workshop 2025

 

I’ve been delving into color research for a while, and now I’m exploring textures and mark-making. Many contemporary and abstract artists are masters in this area. If you’re a representational artist and want to go more abstract, we share a common interest. I’m following several artists and teachers who excel at creating intriguing marks and textures on their canvases. Derek Penix stands out among them; his abstract and painterly style produces remarkable effects. It’s no surprise he’s received numerous awards and well known. I’m thrilled to let you know that Derek will be coming to my studio next year to teach his painting techniques—a rare opportunity. We still have spots available, so if you admire Derek’s style and want to learn from him, please visit: https://www.qhart.com/dereks-workshop-2025 for more details and to sign up.

A Peaceful World

 

The Fall Show at the InSight Gallery (Fredericksburg Texas) is coming up. I have sent this one in. Painting waterlilies is enjoyable. I hardly used any ref photos. My attention is purely on composing, using all possible design elements: geometry, value, warm and cool, mark making, and  balance. Although the approach is purely abstract, the effect is ironically realistic. That is a good feeling. I will continue paint more waterlilies, bigger and bigger.  When you actually doing this, you feel Claude Monet in you.

Waterlilies in San Angelo

 

"Waterlilies in San Angelo", 30" x 20". This is another commissioned work. You know I enjoy painting waterlilies, because it is so flexible. It is possible to compose the painting without any references. I have designed the geometry, value, color, and texture of the painting purely in my mind. It is possible to achieve likeness without the subject. It is so oxymoronic, isn't it? I did borrow from a few reference photos to get details, but in general, waterlily paintings are pure abstract. No wonder Claude Monet fell in love of painting them. I do too.

The "Big" Challenge

 

Painting large is a big challenge to me. This one is 28" x 60". The composition was based on a 12" x 24" plein air painting. I used the apps to guarantee the drawing and color (value, and temperature) accuracy. The major challenge was mark making. I tried my best to paint thickly, but the brush and knife work were still not shown the effect I hope to achieve. It will be another research field I will get into. The painting tended to get too detail to quickly. I had to remind myself constantly go far away to see. Nevertheless, painting the large one was fun. I felt I was at the site and created the real world.

Demo at Vermont 1

 

Painting a still life is relatively easy, but making a still life painting interesting is not. The setup for this still life is so simple, but I was so sensitive about how the light travels across all the objects and finally makes the lemon sing. The visual orchestration of all the optical effects makes a still life painting exciting, otherwise still life would be the most boring painting to do.

Derek Penix Workshop 2025

 

I am so happy to announce that master artist Derek Penix will come back to Austin and teach a 3-day workshop on February 21 - 23, 2025. Derek's painting style is so expressive and loose. If you consider your paintings are too tight, Derek will show you how to loosen up. Derek is not only a wonderful painter, he is also a great art teacher. So many people keep coming back to his workshops. His class often fill up very quickly. If you are interested in learning from Derek Penix, please visit: https://www.qhart.com/dereks-workshop-2025 for detailed information and sign up.

Demo 3 at Landgrove Vermont

 I taught a still life painting workshop in Vermont recently. This was one of my demos. I am glad that my understanding the behaviors of color is getting deeper. Scientific analysis has made my painting procedure more systematic and controllable. At the mean time, the spontaneous intuition helps me to witness more the egoless process of the art creation. 

"Warm-n-Cool" Filter

 

Many artists (beginner and advanced) can not see color temperature. I want to introduce a filter you may apply it on your reference photos. It can remove the local colors and show the color temperature distribution only. So you will know where the warm goes and where is the cool. Please follow: www.qhart.com > Apps > Painter's Guide 3.1 > Load a photo > Filters > Warmncool. This tool is free for you. You go and figure out by yourself  how important this thing can improve your art. Happy painting !!!

Abandoned Lemon

 

I have tried the second time beginning a painting with a "Bloody Mary" wash. This time the process throwed me off completely.  I start to realize this painting approach just like playing piano with both hands. I am not a piano player, but occasionally I play for fun. Without taking any lessons, I just play with one hand. I could play a melody easily, but I got bored with it pretty quickly, so I wanted to play with both hands. Oh, boy! it was hard. I could not believe how a human can do two separate things simultaneously. But we definitely are able to do it. Painting with a red wash first is rather similar. We play chords instead of single notes. The effects are significantly superior, but needs practice to get there. I am not there yet. I have made many mistakes. The image shows a portion of the painting. The lemon looks good here, but it does not go with other part of the painting. I decide to remove it. Before I do it, I want to document it so I can reference my thought today in the future.

Morning at Lake Martin

 

I am glad I have a few days between teaching, so I shifted to my study mode and tried something new. I have noticed so many artists start their drawing with a highly saturated red. My stubborn engineering mind could not figure out why people do this. For many years, I have been strongly promoting that we start a painting black/white to get the drawing and value correct first, then put color on top of the tonal underpainting. I thought the intense red color would strongly affect the accuracy of the color we put on top of the red. This approach is rather irrational. However this time, it is the problem of the left-brain scientist. Rationality is not always the consideration of an artist. This start-with-red method is illogical for sure, but it does make sense. The bleed-through red underpainting makes the top color vibrating creating a dynamic color effects. It also make the average temperature of painting warmer. This way is a pre-compensation to my intrinsic tendency of painting too cool. So I used this new (for me) approach for this painting and loved it.

Albert Handell workshop 2025

 

I am very excited to announce that Master artist Albert Handell will teach a 5-day workshop in Austin on January 21 to 25, 2025. Albert will demonstrate his painting techniques in both oil and pastels. Albert Handell is a very well known artist and teacher internationally. If you are interested in improving your oil and/or pastel painting skills. Please check https://www.qhart.com/albert-handell-2025 for detailed information and sign up. 

Fountain of Life

 

I have just arrived home after a 47 days trip driving through 17 states in the south and east of US. I have had both good and bad days on this journey. I must admit that I am pretty bad in posting on my social media to share what I have learned on the road. Used to being so active on FB and Instagram during my "Daily Painting" days, now I feel so indifferent about what I have done. Sometime I do good paintings, and sometime not too good. I kind of like this one I did at Chanticleer in Wayne PA. I enjoyed seeing the opaque pigments on top of a transparent wash. I do believe there is a Fountain of Life. I may never find it, or I am in it without knowing it.

Atlanta Backyard

 

This is the first painting I did during the Olmsted Invitational in Atlanta. Plein air painting means artists must face unexpected surprises. I have run into one this time. Before the event, I have done my homework. I have planned where and what to paint. However, this happened.  In the morning of the first day, my wife suddenly felt severe back pain. She could not move and was not able function for her daily basics. Now the priority has changed immediately. I was at her bedside to help what she needs. To make a long story short, on the third day she felt slightly better. I had some time thinking about painting. My only option was painting plein air in the backyard of our housing. So this was what I have done.

Another Demo in Jackson MS

 

This is another demo I did in Jackson Mississippi. 

Demo 1 in Jackson

 

I taught a workshop in Jackson MS recently. I want to thank Mary Alice Lee and Bob Tompkins for organizing this workshop. Thanks to all Mississippi artists who attended my class. I have had so much fun, and this is my first demo.

Hsin-Yao Tseng painting workshop 2024

 

I am so happy to announce that Master artist Hsin-Yao Tseng will come to Austin again and teach a painting workshop in early December 2024. This workshop is quite unique. Hsin-Yao will introduce various kinds of mark making techniques. He will use reference photos of landscape scenes, but concentrate on creating expressive and energetic designs. Hsin-Yao is a very successful artist and wonderful teacher. I hope you can take advantage of this opportunity to bring your art to the next level. Please check: https://www.qhart.com/hsin-yao-tsengs-workshop-2024 for information and sign up.