Information

New Workshop Announcement

I am going to teach a 3-day workshop at Andreeva Portrait Academy (APA) in Salado, TX from February 21 to February 23, 2009. APA is a private painting atelier offering high level professional art workshops and classes. If you are interested in knowing my approach of still life oil painting, please contact APA by admissions@theportraitacademy.com for information and registration. Thanks.

"Halloween Is Coming" --- Sold

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Halloween is coming and I have a real ghost story to tell. You know I was in Mississippi about two weeks ago teaching a workshop. I stayed alone in a small cottage next to an old cemetery. The owner of the cottage has many antiques displaying in the room for decoration. I went to bed around 11:00 PM. I turned off the light…..and it was getting quiet. Well, I started to hear a faint noise. To be precise in the engineering terms, it was a low frequency, periodic buzzing noise –zzz---. Some one was breathing…. I jumped out of the bed and turned on the light. The noise was disappeared. I checked the refrigerator and bathroom, but nothing was looking suspicious. Maybe an animal was in or around the house. Maybe it was simply my imagination. I turned off the light and tried to sleep again. Well, the noise came back. It was REAL I swear. I felt a little scared, but I didn’t know what I could do. I thought about the tombs several yards from me and the spirits under the stones. The house must be HAUNTED…. I started talking to the “ghost”. I chose English for the obvious reason…. Of course, I hardly had any sleep that night. Next morning, I searched the house and inspected the antiques items as careful as I can. You know what, I found the “ghost”. Do you want to know what it was? It was an old electric clock. It has a motor constantly moving (not ticking). It makes a very faint noise just like someone was breathing…. I slept like a log ever after. The end.

"The Only Rose" --- Sold

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I have a rose bush in my yard, given me many beautiful flowers last year. I painted quite a few of them. But for some reason, it did bloom this year. It grew a lot of leaves and thorns but no flower. I almost give up on it.... But finally, I saw a small bud yesterday. This morning it turns into a beauty. I have to paint it. It is the ONLY rose. So here it is.

2008 is a difficult year to many people. Many suffered due to natural disasters, wars, and economical crisis. Life is full of thorns. But we shouldn't give up the hope. We will hang in there waiting the only rose blooming. It will come, and there will be many more to follow.

"Sew Much 4 U" --- Sold

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It took me three days to finish this small painting. After I returned from my Mississippi trip, I found my wife was in bed. She had a severe back pain and could hardly move. Our neighbor and some our friends helped her during my absent. I want to thank them for their kindness from the bottom of my heart. For more than a week. I had to take up all the chores in the house. In the mean time my daytime work had increased its load. We have a major deadline approaching. I don't even have time to unpack my painting stuff until about four days ago. My wife is getting better now, and I started painting again. However my painting time is still fragmented. I even can't finish a 5"x7" in one session. I said it before: being able to paint is a luxury. We should not take it for granted.

"Demo at Mississippi 2" --- Sold

This is my second demo painting at my Rolling Fork workshop. I was using a lighter background to show the transparency of the Ball Jar. The cool color of the glass strongly enhanced the warm color of the orange.

"Demo at Mississippi 1"

Hi You'l! I just came back from Deep South. I taught a 3-days workshop at Rolling Fork, Mississippi. I want thank Pat Walker-Field for organizing this workshop and all the artists for participating. Rolling Fork is a wonderful small town at the Mississippi Delta in mist of cotton fields. I enjoyed several days of the warm Southern hospitality, and tasted delicious grits. Now I know who "Muddy Waters" was and where the Teddy bear came from. I really learned a lot, and have more stories to tell.

This painting was the first demo I did at the workshop, showing how to achieve looseness on a painting.

"Mutual Support" --- Sold

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The shadow of the stem shows today's stock market. Red is THE color. I thought someday I could be a full time artist. Well, it looks like that I have to postpone my plan for a couple of more years. I guess we just have to hang in there, take the challenges. But, I believe there will be a rainbow after the storm.

"After Work" --- Sold

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I drink socially only. Usually a beer and a glass of wine will do it. But drink Tequila was absolutely new to me. This happened at the last day of my workshop at Ajijic, Mexico. We had a potluck party. I was told by one of the artists that I MUST drink Tequila. Well, here is Mexico, I got to follow the rules. So I did. I finished a 50 ml bottle in two gulps..... Wow!!! It was strong! But it tasked really sweet and it smelled really great too. It wasn't what I thought it was. "Now, I am ready for another painting" I thought. Of course, I didn't do it, but I really had a great time at the party afterwards. I took the empty tequila bottles back to my studio and did this tequila painting today. I hope you all like it. Be honest to you, I didn't drink before I paint this one.

"On Red Napkin" --- Sold

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I really enjoyed the shape variation of this setup. The fold on the napkin, the casting shadows, and of course the shape of the pears make the composition such a nice design...... You know sometime you need to pat your own shoulders, especially the depressing time of this a couple of days.

"Blue and Red" --- Sold

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I was listening the VP debate while I was painting this one last night. This election is so important to everybody this year. Blue and Red are the seasonal colors now. I hope all my American artist friends will vote this November. Do you want to know who I will vote for? I will vote for Change.

"Demo at Ajijic Mexico 2" --- Sold

I just came back from Mexico yesterday and this is another demo painting I did at the workshop. I want thank Mrs. Isabel Deblanc for organizing this successful and unique workshop. We had artists from Canada, England, Germany, Mexico, The Netherlands, USA, and China. What an international group it was. I want to thank all of you for coming, and hope to see you again. Ajijic is a very beautiful place. I saw striking colors everywhere. I really need to practise my landscape painting skills and hope to generate some landscapes paintings from the photo I took in the future.

"Demo at Ajijic Mexico 1" --- Sold

Hola World! I am at beautiful Ajijic Mexico giving a workshop. This is a demo I did yesterday. My today's class starts now. I will talk to you later. Chao!

"Lean on Me" --- Sold

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When I setup this group, the green vase was rolling. The black vase and the apple came as stoppers and established the stability. In this world we all need other people's support. As a painter, I am very grateful to have the support from my collectors, and my fellow artist friends. Thank you!!!!!!

Information

Workshop Reminder

I don't remember I have announced this workshop, and I am sorry for the late notice. I am going to teach a 3-day still life painting workshop on October 11 – 13 at Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Artist Pat Walker is organizing this workshop at a beautiful place full of nature and wildlife. We still have several openings left. Please check Pat’s website and contact her to get more detailed information. I hope to see you and paint together with you.

"A Glass of Apple" --- Sold

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I have got so many responses on my post yesterday about naming a painting. Oh boy, I have learned a lot, both linguistically and culturally. Thank you'l so much, partner (got to sound like a Texan). You know I have lived in America for more than 20 years, but English has never been stopping challenging me, but I am grateful that people are very nice to me and tolerating my broken English. Meanwhile, I also got quite a few international messages. Art is a dramatic thingy. I am making friends all over of the world.

"Another Rose" --- Sold

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"Another Rose" - What a boring name it is. I am not good at naming my paintings you can tell. I admire some of my fellow daily painters who can generate really exciting names for their work. If you have some tips, please help me out.

"Fishing Float"

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I found this float in a park the other day and was attracted by its vibrant fluorescent colors. It gives a wonderful texture contrast against the metal pot in this painting. Plastic items usually give an impression of cheapness, and not every artist likes to paint them. Well in some cases, they do have a position in art. Next time my wife going shopping, I will ask her to buy me a rubber ducky.

"Green on Red" --- Sold

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I have violated the cardinal rule of composition by placing my painting object exactly at the center of the canvas, but I think the painting will still work because of asymmetrical background and light distribution. I hope you can enjoy the drama of the light with this supper simple setup.

"Mexican Vase"

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I have spent last several days working on this gallery level painting. I really like this colorful vase and I have painted it many times. I think it is from Mexico. In two week, I will go there and give a workshop. Knowing almost nothing about this country, I am excited for this trip. I am pretty sure it will be fun to gain new experiences.

"Iron Bowl" --- Sold

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Actually, the bowl in this painting is not made of iron, but I like the rusty color. The Iron Bowl has several meanings. To most of Americans, especially Alabamians, Iron Bowl is a football game. I don't know much about football, but I did live in Alabama for seven years. To most of Chinese, especially the Mainlanders, iron ball symbolizes the job security, because iron bowl can not be broken so it will provide food with no end. The logic is a little shaky, but you have got the idea. At this difficult economic time, an iron bowl is surely good to have.

"White Nectarine" --- Sold

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I was informed by the Riverbend Gallery today that there is an article about me showing on a newspaper. Please check Lake Country Life page 6 for details. I am really happy to see my art growing healthily, and I am even happier to see my work make you happy.

"A Peach" --- Sold

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I just can't stop painting fruit. Apples, pears, grapes, plums, and so on, they are my color carriers. Today is the peach. My son is addictive to peaches. He can eat them without stop. There are only three people in my family, but we consume more than 30 lbs. of fruit each week.

"Being Preserved" --- Sold

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The odd shaped tomato is about 7 days old. It is from our yard. The Ball jar is more than 70 years young I think. An artist friend of mine Kathleen McElwaine loan it to me to paint. I like the contrast of these two objects, and the relationship between them. I think painting is a way of preserving time. It establishes the relationship between the current moment and eternity.

"Sweet Colors" --- Sold

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Can a color be tasted? Maybe not, but beautiful colors give us such an enjoyment very similar to the experience of tasting a sweet fruit. As a matter of fact, the fruit on this image provided both wonderful sensations to me, because I ate them after I painted them.

"Copper Kettle"

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A friend of mine loaned me this hand made copper kettle to paint. At our technology-flooded age, I still enjoy more hand made stuff. I admire astonishingly the craftsmanship created by human hands. When I touch this copper pot, I can feel the relationship between its creator and me.

"A Pair of Pears" --- Sold

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Pear in Chinese symbolizes leaving, separating, or going to a place far from home. I had this "pear" feeling last night. As many of you, I watched the Olympic Marathon at my American home. Through my HD TV screen, I really enjoyed Beijing, A city I spent 24 years in this place. Following the athletes from all over the world, I saw the place I was born, the place I spent my childhood, and the building my parent still live in. I felt I was at home.

"On a Glossy Surface"

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Newton first law of motion says: Every body perseveres in its state of being at rest or of moving uniformly straight forward, except insofar as it is compelled to change its state by force impressed. For these two weeks. I have been in a slow motion mode and have not painted as frequent as I used to. According to this Newton guy, I have to apply a force to get my momentum back. Oh boy, that is not easy.
Well, Forgive my excuse in terms of classical physics. On this painting I am continuing working on reflections. This light effect has been trademarked by many landscape painters. I think it works well with still life as well. Don't you think so?

"Fruit Pyramid" --- Sold

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It has been more than a week since my last post. The Olympics is so exciting to watch that it overwrites my painting time. Finally, I got a chance to paint yesterday, and here you go.

My main idea of this painting is the reflections of the light. The setup was on a glossy surface. I really enjoyed painting the red light surrounding the apple. Actually, this setup was done by my wife, Song. I don't think I could do this. I think the apple and pear are competing for being the center, and the vertical edge of the pyramid destroys the setup continuity. Well, She is the boss. I can't argue with her. Surprisingly, the painting turns out not bad. I think it demonstrates that rules are made to be broken.

"Afternoon at the Mission"

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I spent last several days and did this gallery level painting. It feels so different doing landscapes than still lifes. It was fun. I thought I would take a break, but I just couldn't. I am so behind in satisfying my galleries requests. Oh, by this way I am going to show a painting at the OPA Western regional exhibition in September.

I am not going to paint tonight. I will watch the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. I was told that there were painting related performance in it.

"Mission San Jose 1" --- Sold

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Under the harsh Texas Sun, I have been burnt out. On my still-life stand, grapes have turned into raisins. I am not very productive lately. Maybe it is the time, I should consider take some days off for a vocation.

I have received many emails and comments on my last post. I greatly appreciate peoples giving me so many suggestions on how to re-fresh a painting. I really am grateful to this artist community.

I hope my post today give you a fresh feeling. I have not done much of landscape paintings for about two years. Recently, I received quite a few requests from galleries and individual as well about my landscapes. Even I am not experienced painting landscapes, but it does not hurt to give it try. So I did this small painting as a warm up.

I really like San Antonio Missions. So many great artists have painted them. I did some plein air at the location as well. But this one is from a photo I took two years ago.