Livestream from my studio on Sept 13

I am very happy to be invited by Eric Rhoads to talk about my recent art activities. Our meeting will be live streamed online at 11:00 AM central time on September 13 (Sunday). This will be the first time I will live stream from my studio. If you are interested to see my studio and know what I have been doing lately, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/eric.rhoads on Sunday. It will be a fun event. See you then.

"Gondolas in Venice" Phase 3

Please be patient with me. This large painting will take a while to finish. For these a few days, I have been working on the figures. I don't want them to be detailed, but the drawing needs to be accurate, and the color needs to be interesting. This is what I got so far. I know some paintings take years to finish. I hope this one will not be that way. Well, I take it back. I started this one in 2017. Now it is 2020. At least I have not got stuck yet. Please wish me luck to have a smooth ride.

I hope you have checked the information of "Realism Live". I wish I could be a part of it, but I have a time conflict. If you have not checked the program, Here is the link: https://realismlive.com/register-now?affiliate_id=2533996. There so many superb artists will demo for this event. It is a great opportunity to learn from them.

"Gondolas in Venice" Phase 2

If you want to paint a good landscape, 20% is from what you know, but 80% is from what you see. However, if you want to paint a figure better, 20% is from what you see, 80% is from what you know. That maybe the reason some good landscape painters never paint figures or portraits. If you want to be a good figurative painter, Serious study and training in art schools is crucial. Unfortunately only a few art schools nowadays offer this kind of study and training. I visited Florence Academy of Art before, and really wish I can get that kind of training. I did not graduate from any art school and I am not young anymore. I must think some way to expedite my figure skills. I have some new "app" ideas, and I will develop some tools to help mediocre figure painters to excel. I know some people use projectors, It can not solve the problem completely. Without a good "knowing", a normal 3 years old child still can judge if your figure is good or bad.

"Gondolas in Venice" Phase 1

I am refurbishing a painting I did in 2017. I was stuck at the time, did not know how to finish. The painting was painterly and had some good parts, but there were something wrong with the color and the gesture of the main figure needed quite amount of work. It was a large one, 36" x 36". The correctness of the color relationship is crucial. I was not able to manage at the time. Now I am using my "Painter's Guide" app. I can mix color much more subtly and accurately. So color issue of large paintings will not be a problem any more.

Although my painting style is quite impressionistic, but I am always representational and realistic. If you are also a realistic painter, I recommend you attend an virtual event called "Realism Live" on October 21 - 24, 2020. The link is here (for Instagram users, please copy-n-paste: https://realismlive.com/register-now?affiliate_id=2533996). There are quite many excellent artists will share their tips. You will enjoy this great event.

"Painter's Guide" App Announcement

I am so happy to announce that our newly developed app: "Painter's Guide" is ready for you. "Painter's Guide" app is a comprehensive tool for artists, especially oil and acrylic painters. If you paint from photos, you will find this app will improve your painting significantly. It can change your photo to black-n-white so you see value easily. It has the "oilify" filter to simplify the color shapes and hide details. You can vary the photo size to small thumb nails or enlarge to get details. Just like the previous "Color Picker" app, "Painter's Guide" can single out colors from any spot of the photo and provide you quantitative color information, so you can see and match color accurately. It is quite straightforward to use this app, but soon I will make a Youtube video to demonstrate how to use it.

You may access the "Painter's Guide" app on my website for free, simply go to www.qh-art.com and click "Apps" tab, then press the "Painter's Guide" button. If you are curious what the numbers mean on the app, I highly recommend you take my online color course (on my website then click "Online Teaching"). We are working hard to find ways to improve your painting skills practically. We appreciate greatly your kind donation in helping us to further develop apps for artists. We will work together to heal our beautiful world. Thank you so much.

We are still working on Apple and Android versions of this app. We need to cross additional learning curves. Please be patient with us. Thanks.

"Mayfield Water Lilies"

I have finished this large (24" x 24") painting. I concentrated on the realistic presentation of the water lily pads and flowers. It is totally different style from my previous large painting "ICU heroes". When should I do a realistic painting, and when an abstract one? I feel the control is not up to me, especially large paintings. I need quite a few days to paint one, so I just go with the flow. The painting evolves right in front of me, Just like the flowers. I don't think I "created" this painting, I felt like an gardener. My job simply is to provide the as good as possible conditions for the water lilies to grow and bloom. If the painting turns out a good one. I usually spend a long time in front of it to enjoy the beauty of the visual presentation.

"Lake Brownwood State Park 3"

I went to the same location where I did my first painting in the Lake Brownwood Park. I was not completely happy about the colors I used for my first painting. It was so dry that all the grass has turned into that yellowish dry grass color. What color I should use to paint the dry grass, and also the green bushes. It was so vibrant green. I decided to paint again. This is what I did. I think I did better this time.

"Lake Brownwood State Park 2"

My 2nd plein air painting is the Recreation Hall in the park. It is ideal place for painting workshops. Well, now there is nobody here. I enjoy painting buildings and I was not in a hurry. So I got something like this.

"Lake Brownwood State Park1"

Over the weekend, our family camped at the Lake Brownwood State Park. I did 3 plein air paintings. This probably my very first plein air painting outside of my house since the pandemic started. I felt rusty, but I have gradually gained momentum. The park was so quiet. The entire camp site had only 3 sites occupied. We have enjoyed very much the beautiful tranquility.

"Mayfield Lilies" Phase 3

I have not finished it yet, but I will be out of my studio for a few days, so I feel I should update you the status. I enjoy painting water lilies. To make this kind of painting more interesting, I have been exploring the richness of the texture and color. This painting is 24" x 24". To me it is a large painting. So I want enrich the painting as much as I can. Not much on details, but the abstract beauty.

"Water Lilies in Austin" Phase 1

 

Life goes on, painting goes on too. I started another painting yesterday. I loaded my ref photo with my app on an Android Pad (it is very cheap $85 from Walmart). We are still developing the app on Android devices. It is almost ready, but still need some improvements. Then we will get this app on Apple products. We have crossed many technical learning curves. At this moment, This app is on my website. You can access it for free. In addition, it will be helpful if you have taken my "color" courses. Please visit my website, then click "Apps" and "Online Teaching" tabs. Let's make progress together.

"ICU Heroes"

 

I have finished the painting "ICU Heroes" I want to acknowledge Mr. Phillip Reese and "The Sacramento Bee" for the reference photograph. I kept the paint work rather rough presenting a feeling of movement. It must be very exhausted and stressful working in ICUs. Let us help them by not getting sick. Please take Covid 19 seriously: stay home as much as you can and showing you care by wearing masks.

"ICU Heroes" Phase 2

This is my second session on "ICU Heroes" I am using my "Color Picker" app (on my website) to identify my colors, and mainly using a palette knife to block in. I want to thank all the wonderful friends who commented on my previous post. We will go through this difficult time. I can not predict the future, but I know well that we should use the time we have to grow, to be a better artist, and a better person. 

 

"ICU Heroes" phase 1

 

I have decided to do an ICU painting, because I feel personally grateful to all the doctors, nurses, and other medical workers fighting Covid 19 on the front line. In the morning of April 8, I got a call from Toronto. My brother told me that his wife has got the Covid and moved into ICU. Three days later, my brother was also hospitalized and in ICU as well. For more than a month since then. I have been calling ICU daily to check on my brother and sister-in-law. I have talked with so many wonderful people in the ICU. My brother was on a ventilator for more than a month, and my sister-in-law was in ICU for about two months. Finally both of them have recovered. I want to thank all the wonderful people in the ICU for saving their lives. They are risking their own lives to help others. This pandemic has been disastrous for so many people, so many families. We all should try our best to help.

"Walking Dog on Wheels"

 

For a while, my mind has been on developing mathematic model for color systems. I did not paint much. This painting was on my easel for quite a long time. I finished it today. Painting figures and portraits is my goal for being an artist. However, I have not paint this genre during most of my painting times. All the still lives and landscapes for me are really the preparation for the challenges of figure painting. This one is another painting I did from my photos shot in San Miguel Mexico. I hope you like it.

"Color Mixing" class is truly online

The "Color Mixing" class has gone through the evaluation successfully. Now it is truly online. You can take this class on the internet without the concern that video takes too much your computer space for downloading. Please visit: http://www.qh-art.com/online-teaching.html for details. Thank you so much for supporting me. During this difficult time, I have seen more the beauty of the human nature. Let's help each other, we will go through the hard time, and the world will be more beautiful.

"Color Mixing" course is ready for download and DVD

The 2nd part of "Rigorous Color System for Artists" online course: "Color Mixing" is ready for download and DVD purchase at: http://www.qh-art.com/online-teaching.html (or go to my website, click "online teaching" tab). The real online version of this class will come soon. This is a relatively long lesson (about 2 hours), but I keep it the same price as that of the first lesson "Color Theory". After you go through this class, you will gain a much better understanding and experience of using concepts like hue, chroma, value, and color space in your painting. The last part of the class is a painting demo for you. You will know how to match colors. If you have used my "color picker" app recently, you will find this class gives you the rational base of the reason I develop the app. Now you can systematically manage your colors during your painting practices. Please take advantage of my teaching about color and be a better painter in no time.

"On A Street in San Miguel" 24 x 30

I have just finished this large painting. If you have seen my recent Youtube video on "how to use an app to painting", then you saw this painting on the background. I have not done many large paintings. I really want to my painting to show the "painterly" quality. This goal is not easy to achieve for large paintings. I mainly used knifes to paint this one. I must say the newly developed app is really a big help for me to get my color accuracy quickly. It gives me more confidence of doing more large paintings in the future.

How to use an app to paint

I made a Youtube video showing how to use an app to paint. Please click: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DlbvBt9ddE&t=26s to see the video. Let me know what you think.

"Demo at Plein Air Live"

I did a virtual demo on "Plein Air Live". The purpose of this demo was to show how I use a "Color Picker" app to guide my color mixing accurately and efficiently. This app is free and it available on my website. Please check: http://www.qh-art.com/color-picker-app.html. Currently, this app runs only on my website. We are working on the downloadable version now, and hope soon you can download it from the App Store, and Android Store. I hope our effort may make your painting progress a little faster.

"Color Theory" DVD is ready

In order to satisfy the request of artist friends who do not actively pursue the development of technology (I think they are smarter), I start to provide my color course in DVD format. Now it is ready for purchasing. Please visit: http://www.qh-art.com/online-teaching.html to order. Thanks.

"Computer Aided Color Matching Method" Demo

You probably have already known that I will do a demo for "Plein Air Live". The topic of my demo will be "landscape painting from a photo", but I would like to use this opportunity to share with you my newly developed techniques during this pandemic isolation time. I think I have had figured out all the color issues. I have published my online color course and generate apps for you to use. In this demo, I will specifically share one app, which will guide you to mix color accurately. If you are interested in my demo and demos from many other superb artists, please sign up by clicking the link: https://pleinairlive.com/2020?affiliate_id=2533996.

My class in truly on-line now

Finally, my online color course, Part 1, "Color Theory" is truly online now. I am using the online teaching platform "Udemy" to carry this course. If you concern your computer may not have enough storage to actually download my class, or you don't have a computer (you have only an iPad, or a smart phone), this is your option of accessing to my teaching. I am glad I have passed the learning curve, and want to thank my son Jonathan Huang for making this approach viable. If you are interested in taking this class online, please visit: http://www.qh-art.com/online-teaching.html. This is my new endeavor on the journey of art and art education. If you see any issues, I appreciate you letting me know. I will try my best to help you. Thanks.

"APPs for Painters"

I have been collaborating with two software engineers, and we have started to make APPs for artists. Please visit: http://www.qh-art.com/apps.html to see what I have. At this moment, all the apps are related to the information I go through in my recent "Color Theory" class. If you have downloaded this class, you receive a zip file. There are 4 files in it. To attend my class, you only need 2 files: the video file, and the pdf. The other 2 files are the "color conversion" table and "color map" app. They run on Mac only. So that is problem for PC users. Now the problem has been solved. these 2 files can be replaced by the apps on the webpage now. So both PC and Mac user can access them.

I am working continuously to make the DVD and online version of the "Color Theory" class available as soon as possible. I am sorry for the delay, They will come soon. Well, at least you have the downloadable version now. If you want to download, go to: http://www.qh-art.com/online-teaching.html.

"Plein Air Live"

I am happy for being invited to demo for the "Plein Air Live" A Global Virtual Experience on July 15 - 18, 2020.  If you are interested in participating this virtual event, please check: https://pleinairlive.com/2020?affiliate_id=2533996. I was planning to attend the Plein Air Convention in Santa Fe. Unfortunately that event has been canceled. "Plein Air Live" is a good alternative. I hope see you via a computer screen.

“Rigorous Color System for Artists, Part 1: Color Theory"

I am very happy to announce that my color course "Rigorous Color System for Artists" begins to get its fruition. The first class of the course is "Color Theory". It is available now. If you are interested in this class, please visit: http://www.qh-art.com/online-teaching.html. Now you can download the video and my presentation notes. and study on your computer at your convenient time. The true online version is currently under evaluation by the online teaching platform "Udemy". It will be available very soon. I am also working on the DVD version of this class. it will be ready soon as well.

For a long time, I feel art education is lack of formality. Art has been taught casually. I want to use this course to resume art teaching in an academic manner. I hope all of you can benefit from my teaching and heal this wounded world.

"Tomato DIY"

These a couple of days, I was painting plein air in my backyard. Since the pandemic, it has become inconvenient to grocery shop, we decided to grow our own vegetables and raise chicken for eggs. Now the summer is here, and we have got a plenty of fresh organic vegetables and eggs. The yard work keeps us busy and physical. Now these tomatoes have become my plein air subjects. The pandemic has taught us how to live. I really feel grateful to the Mother Earth.

"Sargent's Color"

I did a short demo painting yesterday. My son Jonathan has taped the process, and the demo will be used as a part of my online color course. We will finish the recording the course today, then Jonathan will edit the video and select a online platform we will put the course on. We plan to publish the course at the end of June, or the first week of July. Please be patient with me. I am trying my best to make this course informative and practical.

"On a street in San Miguel"

Five years ago I visited San Miguel in Mexico. I took many photos and thought someday I will paint from some of them. Five years have passed. Now I got a chance. I want to do a large painting, but I did this small one to testing my colors first. I think it looks all right.

"Vicki's Laundry"

I did this painting as a commissioned piece. It has quite amount of colors in it. I have practiced my computer aid color matching technique to mix all the color needed. As a matter of fact, if you know how to match color accurately, you don't have to know color temperature and harmony that kind of junk. The painting will automatically look good. I will introduce the color mixing methods soon in my online course about color. So far my preparation of my online teaching goes well. I have just finished the video taping the first part of the course -"Color Theory". I will soon start taping the second part - "Color Mixing". I plan the get the course ready for upload before the end of June. Please encourage me to cross all the learning curves. We all are adapting the new norm of living with the Covid-19. We will survive.