"Demo at New Braunfels 2013 2" --- Sold

The second demo I did was with a black velvet as the background. I painted it completely black using transparent oxide red plus ultramarine blue. I did this because I saw quite a few students struggled when they deal with completely dark background in the previous day. As a matter of fact completely dark background has an advantage. It provides very high contrast to the foreground, which enhances the brightness of the center of focus. However, you really need a relatively large area in grey. Otherwise the center will look floating.

"Demo at New Braunfels 2013 1" --- Sold

After a few days of working on web design and got my Plein Air painting in China trip launched, I have arrived at New Braunfels, TX yesterday. My workshop here started this morning, and here is my first demo. I want to thank Mary McIntosh for putting this workshop together. I want to thank all the artists for attending. The weather is so nice. I really enjoyed coming back to Mary's place.

Announcement: Plein Air Painting Trip to China

If you have followed my blog posts lately, you may have known that I visited a few water towns when I was in China about a month ago. Now, I plan to go back there in the near future and paint plein air. First, I was interested in Wuzhen, but it didn’t work out. Now I have located another beautiful place called Zhuozhuang. I have asked a professional touring company to arrange a painting/touring trip for me. The time will be this coming September. Now I would like to share the information of this trip with you. If you have two weeks time this fall and are interested in going to China to paint, or simply touring a few beautiful places, I would like to cordially invite you to go with me.

Please check the website of my Plein Air Painting Trip to China. We will mainly paint in Zhouzhuang, and touring Shanghai, Guilin, and Beijing. I also have placed a link to this website on my blog and newsletter, so you can get the information at any time about this trip to China. I am very excited about this trip, and looking forward to painting together with you in exotically beautiful places.

"Glazed Pottery"

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I have this glazed pot for a long time, but this is the first time I painted it. For some reason I always think this pot does not make a good still life object. However, when I actually painted it today. It wasn't bad. As a matter of fact, I kind of like it.

"Zhouzhuang Street"

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I did this painting with my fragmented time for several days. I took the photo in a place called Zhouzhuang near Shanghai, China. I had some struggle dealing with cool grey colors when I painted this one. You know I like to use warm colors in my still life paintings, but I must learn how to control my cools without making the  color muddy. I have not achieved that kind of control yet. I will keep practicing.

"Head Study 031313"

I went the "Bee Cave Painter" group and did this head study. Having not painted portrait for a while, I felt a little rusty. I concentrated on the value only, so be able to get some degree of finish look within 3 hours. So if you feel overwhelmed by the complicated subject matter in front of you, just work on the value. That is the most effective way to paint.

“Small Stone Bridge"

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This painting took me two days to finish. It is from a photo I took at Wuzhen, China. I feel more control on my grays now. How to do less but showing more is my goal. I didn't do much of details, but I want imply there are many going on. Wuzhen is the place I really want to go back and paint plein air there. However, I got some bad news. I was told that the Wuzhen authority does not allow artists to paint there, especially oil painters. They are worry about the oil paint may drop on the old structures causing irreversible contamination and damage. Well, that is it. But I am not giving up. I am looking for an alternative place. I will let you know when I find one.

"Melody of Metal"

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I usually do not paint only metal. I like to use metal as background to support fruit or flowers as the center of focus. But this time I used two metal objects. I don't have very bright color here, but the shapes and the high lights really give the drama of the painting.

"Apple and Orange"

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"Apple and Orange", what a boring name it is. But it is the most genuine, most sincere, and most I have painted on this 6" x 6" panel. In today's art world, everybody wants to be creative, be different, be doing  something hasn't been done before. Well, let's take a break. paint some apples and oranges, and be down to the earth.

"Demo at Kinston 2013 2" --- Sold

I have come back from my North Carolina trip. This is my second demo at Kinston. The flowers are camellia.

I slept whole day yesterday and my energy comes back a bit. Tomorrow I need change my hat and go back to the company I left about two years ago (Wow, it is shocking, two years have been gone) to start a consulting contract. My schedule is so full, and it makes me wonder if there is something wrong on my path of these a couple of years. I want to spend more time on improving my art. But when I plan my time, somehow my painting always gets left out. The temptation of making a couple of more bucks, the obligations of my promises I made too casually, and opportunities I can't let go have become the major driving force of my daily life, and they overshadow my art. When I was in Cary, the owner of Waverly Gallery (where I did my workshop) Gary Bradley passed on me a book entitled: "Making Money is Killing Your Business" by Chuck Blakeman (Google it if you are interested in this book). I haven't got time to read it yet. However, it did make me think. I want to elaborate a little more. Making Money is not only killing my business, it is killing the world.

“Demo at Kinston 2013 1" --- Sold

A couple of hours drive brought me from Cary to Kinston. I want thank Kinston Community Council for the Arts for organizing this workshop. Thank you all new and old friends for attending. This is what I did today. Warm light and warm shadow. Do you get more confused now?

"Demo at Cary 2013 2" --- Sold

As usual, my second demo was about flowers. Also I did this one with a high key scheme. I demonstrated this painting on a Ampersand Gessobord. It show the brushwork very differently than that on a stretched canvas.

My Cary workshop was very successful. A couple of hours from now I will drive to my second North Carolina workshop location, which is in Kinston. This area is also called the Research Triangle.  Many boitech and pharmaceutical industries are located here. I am no longer technical. Otherwise, I maybe interested in visiting some of the companies.

"Demo at Cary 2013 1" --- Sold

I am traveling again. Now I am at Cary North Carolina teaching a workshop. I want to thank Monica and Waverly Gallery for organizing and Beth and Howard for hosting me. I want to thank the artists from all over for attending. The first day went very well. This is my first demo.

"Quiet Dock" --- Sold

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This is my first painting after I return to the US. It is based on a photo I took at Wuzhen China. In this water town, the main transportation to the local people are boats. This is one of the sites people get on their boats, or load and unload their stuff. I love this place. There are fantastic painterly scenes from any arbitrary spot and orientation.

Since my "on the Beijing Street" series, I feel I am in the mode of doing more landscapes. My color is getting subtler. I am learning how to pick up my interest from the overwhelmingly massive amount of details from the scene. It took longer from me to paint landscapes, because I have not painted enough yet. This is a good start, and more to come.

I am recovering from my jet lag and fatigues from my China trip. Many thanks to many friends for your warming and caring words to me and my family.

"When We Are Not Able to Paint"

Tears were in my eyes when I left my parents in Beijing. Holding my father's skinny hands and looking at his misshaped face, both of us were getting emotional. He might have wondered if this were the last time we were together. Those a couple of months. I saw he suffered. I did the best I could do, but wondering how much would have been really effective. My mother looked very tired and overburdened. She has to face all the challenges during the time I am not able to be with her.

Reality is reality. Now I am back to the States, facing to the other part of my life. I am so happy seeing Song and Jonathan again. It has been hard on them when I was on the other side of world.

Real life likes a sharp knife, slicing and dicing our time and energy into smaller and smaller pieces. I found it becomes more and more difficult to do paintings, even small daily's. I am not alone. So many artists nowadays are facing this challenge. Should we give up now? Well, I leave the answer to you.

Now, I am on the road all the time. In the airport, or in my hotel rooms, I see my time gets chopped. On my way back from Beijing to Austin. I have to wait in SF airport for more than 4 hours. I found several small pieces of paper from my previous hotel stays, and a pen. I turned on my laptop and copied some of the images I like. They took very short time. and they are kind of cute.  It will definitely help my composition. This is at least one method to keep my art going in this difficult time.

"Photo: Goodbye Beijing"

I have spent more than two months in China. Tomorrow I will be on my way back to the United States. It has been a very significant trip. I've learned a lot and accomplished a lot. The photo was shot yesterday at the Tian-An-Men (Gate of the Heavenly Peace). There were and will be many historical events happening here. Nowadays, China is a super capitalistic country. However, only at the Tian-An-Men square. I still feel nostalgic of the Red China days. The history is so dramatic and the time is so ironic. Now I am leaving China. My very dynamic 2013 in the America will begin. Goodbye Beijing!

"Photo: Frozen Beauty"

Here in Beijing is the second day of the Chinese New Year holiday. These a couple of days I didn't do anything except giving company to my mother and father. 27 years have passed since I had Chinese New Years with them. This is my second dream came true after I left my full time engineering job (my first dream was fulfilled after I attended AAU last summer). Besides all the difficulties with our family, I am happy I had time spent with my parents. In this changing world, nothing is permanent. We are here only temporarily. We are responsible to make this short life significant. Several days ago I took this photo. It has shown me that beauty can be formed in a difficult time. It may exist for only a short time, but no matter what we have encounter, we need to remain positive.

"Demo in Beijing 3"

This painting was the third demo in my Beijing workshop. I should have posted it two weeks ago, but as usual I am behind on many things. Tomorrow will be the last day I teach in Beijing, and I will do a portrait demo. I did quite a lot in art teaching in Beijing, besides the 5-day painting workshop, I also gave quite a few private lessons, and an senimar on art business. I made many new friends and so happy of spending time with artists. I want to thank all the artist friends attending my classes and specially thank Patty Hudak for organizing all the events. China has a great potential for my art. I will come back again, and I would be more than happy to bring artist friends from all over with me.

I had some Internet problems lately. My website was down for several days. Now the problem has been solved. People who are interested in participating in Colley Whisson's workshop in Austin you can get detailed information on my website now.

In China the Internet is very different. Many websites are not visible. To post my blog, I have to remote control my computer in Austin. This post has already been late for a day

New Workshop Announcement: Colley Whisson's 4-Day Workshop: Impressionist Painting in Oils

Time: May 2 - 5, 2013

Locations: QH Art Studio, Leander Texas (near Austin)

Tuition: $530

Contact:Yuehong Song for information and registration (15 students maximum)

Workshop Description:

Colley's students will be learning techniques to paint subjects matters for seascapes, landscapes, interiors and city scenes. This will help you produce works that are "bold, confident, and skilfully handled; paintings filled with sunlight". We will be covering edges, tonal values, composition, brushwork and focal points. The workshop will be conducted in a daily step-by-step process. The class will focus on the core principles of painting from photo references that Colley supplies from his native Australia finishing with instruction custom tailored for each individual's specific needs. All Colley's studio workshops are conducted in an inspirational and positive environment. We will paint from 9 AM to 4 PM daily.

Artist Bio:

Colley Whisson is an internationally recognized artist born and raised in the northern regions of Brisbane, Australia. He held his first Solo Exhibition at the age of 24. His early career was guided by his father respected Queensland artist Eric. Colley has held over 25 Solo Exhibitions and many magazine articles, books and DVDs published. He has long believed &quot It is not what you paint but how you paint it &quot. He sees himself as a painter of light, aiming to paint with precision to convey the purest message possible and striving to capture spontaneous loose impressions each time he returns to his easel. He is at his happiest professionally when he is painting full of confidence using his brush like Zorro would wield his trusty sword, dashing in marvelous darks, highlights and rendering each painting with as much skill and accuracy as possible. He loves nothing more than the challenge of pushing himself to find new subjects to paint. In the near future he will revisit and travel to the USA, Italy, France, New Zealand, United Kingdom and new locations like China, Russia & Greece. He is happy to carry the tag as one of Australia's finest young Impressionist painters. Colley has a strong belief that he is not copying nature but giving expression to visual ideas.

Artist's work:

Please check: Colley Whisson's website for his wonderful art work and information

Wu Zhen

I finally find it. This is the place I really want to paint. This place is called Wu-Zhen. It is about 100 Miles west of Shanghai. I want to come back here in the near future and spend several days painting here. It is also an idea place to run a workshop. It is so beautiful and quiet. Not very commercial so far (I really hope it keeps that way). If I organize a workshop here, would you come and paint with me?

Su Zhou

I am traveling again. I took a 5 hours super fast train ride today. Talking about the high speed trains, I must say that China is more advanced than the United States. The conditions are superb. The stations are well built. Much better than Amtrak.


I have arrived at a beautiful south China city called Su Zhou. This trip is basically for me to search future places I would like to paint and may run plein air painting workshops at. I will visit a few places like this one. I like small towns, trying to avoid big crowd. Find a place to slow down. Zu Zhou is very different from Beijing. People are living around many water alleys. If you like Venice or San Antonio, you will like here too.

"Courtyard for the Queen" --- Sold

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This painting was done based on a photo I took in the Summer Palace. The design of the gate indicates that the owner of the courtyard behind it was a female. Now this one is a special one. It belonged to the queen of the second last emperor. Different from the several Beijing landscape paintings I did earlier, I start to add trees in the scene. I am now more comfortable of painting landscape.

"Demo in Beijing 2013 2"

As I have mentioned before, I decided not to talk about "demons" in my life any more. However without my attention, it comes by itself. Last week, I did my first demo painting in my Beijing workshop. When I sent my painting email, I had misspelled "demo" as "demon". It might be simply a typo, or it might have reflected the struggle I am have constantly encounter in my daily life. Well, we all have difficulties, it is just part of the life. I think the best attitude we should have when we confronting problems is to accepted them, keep positive and calm as much as you can, and do what you can only do.

This painting is my second demo I did it on my Beijing workshop. As usual, painting flowers was the topic. It has been more than a month since I came from the States. I think I have adapted the living conditions here, and found more and more beauty and opportunities in my hometown.

"The True Love"

I visited the Summer Palace in the winter. It is special treat. There were not many people, but many stray cats. In this quiet corner, in front of this empty house, in this cold afternoon, in this grey scene, in this world full of misery, I SAW TRUE LOVE.

"The Great Wall"

These several days, the air quality of Beijing has reached to the dangerous level. However, it didn't stop me going out (not very smart). In this strong foggy day, I went on the top of the Great Wall. I was stunned by its remarkable beauty, especially in those bitter cold winter days. Thousands years ago, the ancient Chinese built this grand structure trying to stop the bloodshed of barbaric battles. Now thousands years later, are we really civilized? The blood and bones have resulted in the beauty of the Great Wall. The history is so ironic.

The sun light has being putting a great effort to penetrate the super dense smog, and only the bloody red rays can go through. The human greed and selfishness have made the mid-day sun looks like dusk. Beijing is so surreal.

"Demo in Beijing 2013 1"

On last Thursday I started my painting workshop in Beijing. Artists are coming from France, Germany, Japan, Argentina, Columbia, Taiwan, and the United States. It feels like a miniature United Nation. Quite a few of them we met in my last Beijing workshop in 2011. I also met a few new friends. I want to Thank Patty Hudak for organizing this international workshop. This is my first demo on a local canvas with local paint.

"Beijing Tangerines"

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Having not painting still life for a while, but I need to prepare for my workshop tomorrow, so I did this small daily painting yesterday. To overwrite the predominate grey color I see everywhere, I chose the objects with brightest color possible, and used the best quality paint possible. Of course my bedroom (used as my studio) is full of oder of paint. but you just can't take care of everything in life.

Gate with Red Lanterns --- Sold

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 I have spent more than two days on this painting. It is a little larger, and I used regular oil colors. After several monochromatic paintings, I decided going back to color. Since the buildings in Beijing are dominated by grey color, I have to be careful about subtlety and try my best not produce mud. The light area is warm and the shadow area is cool. I still use palette knife a lot to create the texture.

In Beijing, I am going to give a 4-day painting workshop. It will be on the Thursday of 4 consecutive weeks starting this week. I didn't advertise this one since the workshop is already full before I know it. It will be a very international one. I will let you know how it goes.

On a Beijing Street 6 --- Sold

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I thought I was a still life painter, but some how I can't stop painting Beijing cityscapes. It must be my childhood memory keeps me going. When I paint these paintings, I feel I am still a little boy playing there. Hua: please post this one and create an auction page.

On a Beijing Street 5 --- Sold

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Now I resume painting in Beijing. This painting took two sessions: majorly brush work on the first one, and palette knife for the second. The perspective of this painting is rather interesting. A couple of days ago, I went on the street taking pictures. I saw one of courtyard very similar to the one in this painting. I went in and found out it was a hotel. The price per night was 1680 yuan (about $280).