Demo at Salt Lake City

 

I am teaching a still life painting at Salt Lake City, and this is my first demo. I hardly have any colored objects in the setup, so it is good exercise of using colorful grays. 

Specular Quartet

I usually do not paint tight paintings, and many people in my workshops expressed that they want to learn to be "painterly". However, this one is an exception. I worked on the details intensively. I have learned that a specific painting "style" is actually the limitation of the artist. If you don't mind to be "nobody", you have opened the possibility of being anybody.

Timeless Beauty

 

Peace, Happiness, Love, and Beauty are the nature of our being. They can not be gained externally. They are always here. If you still look for them, you are moving in the wrong direction, because they never leave you. The flowers bloom only for a short while, but the Beauty is timeless. Therefore, stop searching, because you are Perfect.

Silver Prismatics

 

"Silver Prismatics", 11" x 14". After exploring the unknown art world for a while, I came back to my comfort zone. I am painting still life again. As an old dog, I have had a hard time to learn new tricks. Now I am at home, enjoying my own cup of tea, laying back in the homey coziness. We love the world, but we should love ourselves first.

Backyard Apples

 

We planted an apple tree in our backyard about 15 years ago. For more than a decade, it did not bear any fruit. Finally, we saw a few apples in the summer of 2019. I took 2 photos of them and waited for them to ripe. But we are not lucky, The squirrels got them first. For then on, we have not got any apples from that tree. Our only harvest was two photos. 

I decided to paint from one of the photos. The result was not bad. I like the color opportunities and the shadow patterns casted on the fruit. I must admit this kind of heavy texture painting is not my cup of tea.  The true expert is Derek Penix. I announced Derek's Workshop in Austin recently. The registration has been very active. Now we have only 5 openings still available. So please take your action as quick as possible. 

New workshop announcement: Derek Penix 2023

 

Now we have adapted to the new norm, and I will gradually resume my usual art activities. Before Covid, I had invited well known artists to my studio to teach painting workshops. Now I am going to do that again. I am very happy to announce that Derek Penix will come and teach a 3-day workshop in Austin. Derek is such a phenomenal artist that his expressive brushwork has inspired so many people. I have been so amazed to see how he can paint so freely and abstractly but still be able to represent whatever subjects he paints so accurately, vividly, and dramatically.  I wish I could have that kind of skills in my art. So this will be a great opportunity we can learn from the master. If you are interested in taking Derek's workshop, please check: http://www.qh-art.com/derek-penix-2023.html for detailed information and sign up. I know the time is still early, but this workshop will be full in a very short time. So please take an action quickly. 

Sunset at a campground

 

It is the last day of July today. I am so grateful that I have had a full month of painting time. It was so much fun to be lost in the wilderness and painting something that I don't have much experience with. I feel the last sentence of my previous post might have been misleading. I don't mean I want to destroy art or give up painting.  I was trying to say that the process of creating art is actually impersonal. I should not label that I (Capitalized) created that painting. As a matter of fact, every time I stepped into my studio, I really don't know how that painting will turn out. The best approach is simply going with the flow. I often feel surprised when the painting happens. That is right: "Happening" is the word I am looking for. If you are an artist, have you had similar experience? 

The last piece of sunshine

I am still wandering in the Texas wilderness. With this painting I played the game of two light sources, one warm and one cool. Many people who have seen my recent paintings made this general comment: "Qiang, that does not look like your paintings any more". I agree absolutely. It is what I mean that I have lost my identity. I often ask myself why I paint. The reason is very simple: I want to be recognized. I feel good if I have got recognized. I feel I have accomplished something. That makes my life meaningful. Painting is the second face of mine, and the paint on it is the makeup. I want to my paintings look good so I can hide my weakness in other part of my life. However, I have understood now that my ego is the biggest trap of my life. I have lost my freedom with it, and I feel the hesitation to come out of my comfort zoon. I am suffering because of all the limitations I have. I have made my art. Now it is the time to destroy it.

Two Trees

 After I give up my identity, I feel I am lost in the woods. The senses of freedom and lack of security combined, my art path has led me to the big unknown. I suddenly realized I genuinely know nothing. Having a brain is a serious disease. If you let it go, you will get it.

Hot Summer in Palo Duro Canyon

 The purpose of this painting was for me to learn and practice on how to paint shrubbery and grass. I used to use random brush works to hide my lack of knowhows when encountering brushy and grassy area. Then I will say I just want the area abstract so it will not compete with the center of focus. This time is different. I selected a ref photo which has a large area of shrubbery and I spent about 7 days on this painting and most of the time I have worked on those green areas. I will not say I have got those shrubs nailed, but I have gained some experiences. This is a relatively large painting. My green colors are still a little boring. As a piece for learning, I feel content. 

Workshop Reminder

 

I will teach a 3-day still life painting workshop at Salt Lake City, Utah from August 26 to August 28.  This workshop is almost full, but we still have 3 openings. If you are interested in the way I paint, Please check: https://www.workshopslc.com/schedule/still-life-painting-with-qiang-huang for information and sign up.

"Rock Solid"

 

This is a painting I created recently. You might have noticed from my recent paintings that I have gradually lost my style and even identity. The painterly brush works and the dramatical ways of using light are disappearing.

Here is the reason. I reviewed my art career and found that I have been spending more time as a teacher than as a student. I have found that so many things in art I don't know. The month of July is very special for me. I have not arranged any outside activities. The only thing I want to do is to paint and learn. You have seen I painted so many new things the first time recently: lotus, detailed trees, aspens, and rocks. I will keep on trying new things.

Since my sickness, I have realized that all things related to my ego, like reputation and so called "success" are actually meaningless. Moreover, It is not only meaningless, but a stronger ego is more harmful. Because the ego is the source of all suffering. Most of us live our lives based on a false belief that we are individuals separated from each other, and have a limited time on this planet. We are not perfect, so we need to work hard to improve ourselves. So our ego grows day-by-day. We feel that is the major motivation and that is the meaning of our lives. Now I don't believe this anymore.

Cool Breeze Through Aspen

 

First time painting aspen. I have enjoyed it very much. The photo was taken last year in Utah. It was a cloudy day after a storm. The color temperature distribution had cooler light and warmer shadow. I like the color purple. It reminds me the cool weather in the parks. Austin was 107 F yesterday. It will be similar today. It is just another hot day in Texas.

Calmness

 

Did another boat painting. The scene was at Lake Martin, Alabama. I did a plein air demo at the site. Now at home, I used a photo and did a studio one. I enjoyed painting the water. It reflects so many colors. 

Nature's Way

 

Painting a tree in detail is my first time. I usually paint trees as background to support a center of focus, but this time I just want to do a tree painting. I thought painting a tree is not as interesting as painting a building or a figure, but the result makes me want to paint more trees. The scene was at the Lake Summerville State Park in Texas.

Afternoon at Tilghman Island

 

Happy 4th of July to all of you. The month of July is the time of Plein Air Easton, which is the event marked the starting point of my plein air painting journey a few years ago. Unfortunately, I am not attending Plein Air Easton this year. I did this small boat painting based on a photo I took from one of the previous Easton events. I really enjoy painting boats. The graceful curvatures, the color echoing of the water reflections, the illusive foreshortening of the perspective, and the vertical and horizontal rhythms of masts, posts, and the horizontal structure in the far field, are a few aesthetical elements of the marine paintings. 

Lotus at Mayfield

 First time painting lotus leaves. The green is intense. I have to use Cad unfortunately. I have tried to tackle the color of green, but so far I still have not got it completely. Of course I can say: I go with the flow, or I painted intuitively, but .... I will continue to work on it until someday.

Wild West

 

As an artist living in Texas, I need to paint cactus. I was at San Angelo State Park in June last year. It was the season that cactus bloomed wildly. I am glad I took a few photos with my phone. Now I have this studio painting done. By the way, I am preparing for a solo show in this December. This one will be shown in Fredericksburg, TX.

Demo at Dahlonega GA

 

It has been more than two months since I posted previously on my blog, Facebook, and my painting email. I have received emails from my art friends asking if I am doing OK. I am so sorry I have not been up to the date on the Internet. I have to admit that I have been slowing down since my health issue last fall. Besides that I also have some IT challenges. I am in a transition time of moving out of Mac and going into the PC system. Without adequate know-how in computers, I am having a hard time to manage my online activities. In any event, I sincerely apologize my delay of keeping you posted. I have been busy in art. Since March to now, I have taught 4 in-person workshops, and attended two Plein air competitions. The painting image I posted here was one of my demos at the Dahlonega workshop. BTW, I do maintain active on Instagram because it is much easier to post with a smart phone. If you have missed my posts, I highly recommend you following my on Instagram. My Instagram ID is: qiang.huang. In a nutshell, I am doing fine. I am learning about life every single day, and hope someday I will reach maturity.

Workshop reminder: May 16 -17 in Wayne

 

Teaching at Scottsdale Artists' School has given me confidence that I can go back my normal art journey. In May, I will participate the Plein Air Festival in Wayne, PA. I would like to remind you that I will teach a 2-day still life painting workshop right after the festival. If you are interest in getting a feel of my painting approach, this short workshop will be a good opportunity. Please visit the webpage: https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/wayneart/activity/search/detail/10427?onlineSiteId=0&from_original_cui=true for more info and sign up. Thanks

Demos at SAS

 

I have finished my very first in-person workshop after my medical treatment. I felt very happy that everything went smoothly. I want to thank Scottsdale Artists' School for the opportunity and their special arrangement so I was able to cook for my special diet. I want to thank all the students for their support. I am grateful to my body, which educates me that human structure is much stronger than I thought. We are indivisible from the entire universe. If we can see through the illusive ego, we are actually Divine.  

A day of gray

 I admit I don't have much of experience of painting this kind of white flowers, so I struggled, but I did enjoy playing with the gray colors. Life is not always colorful, we had so many gray days. Sometimes, I feel depressed, and scared. They are all parts of life. We might not always feel happy and comfortable, but those gray days teach us. They are opportunities of learning. I say thanks to my gray days. 

Eternal Glory

 

This painting has been done from the same bouquet of flowers for my previous floral work. There has been 9 days in between. I am so amazed that all those flowers did not collapse and die. I am even more amazed that most of them have even held their original shape for those 9 days without opening too big. The reason could be that they stayed in the dark most of the time because my studio is in the garage now. The existence of time is the biggest lie that we have believed.  The truth is that "Now" is eternal.

Life Manifestation

 

My obsession of painting flowers continues. I feel they really manifest the true meaning of Life. Beauty, freedom, egoless, and being at the present moment. They come and they go. They maybe short lived, but they exist forever.

Alive and Blooming

I named this painting: "Alive and Blooming". We are alive. We take this for granted until one day. Most people know it only theoretically, but some know it experientially. All those beautiful roses who modeled for me have passed away. They have demonstrated what "alive" means vividly in a very short period of time. However, we don't feel sad when those roses die, because we think flowers as entire species. Those individual roses have passed, but more will come. Similarly, if we don't emphasize too much our individuality, we will be a part of the eternity. 

Sunflowers for Mary Alice

 

This one is a commissioned work for my friend Mary Alice. There is no cadmium colors in the painting. I am happy my painting momentum has come back. Painting is therapeutic. I feel very fortunate I have something I can concentrate on and over-ride all the other mental chatters. Painting is a cosmos event, the individual who puts colors on a panel is merely a carrier of the universal energy.

Water Lilies for Helen

 

I did this relative large painting a few days ago. As a matter of fact, I was not feeling well that day. Partially it was because I had some reactions after my medical treatment, and the other part was my mood was unstable with all the challenges I have been facing lately. I started to paint without think about the results, I decided to surrender my self conscious mind to the flow of my body movement and what ever my heart leading me. During the painting time, I have bad body sensations and negative thoughts coming and going. I aware of them but tried not react to them. I was very surprised to find that my body is a way stronger than my mind. The best way to live is just let the body lead and do not think.

This painting was done for a friend of mine. I am so grateful that so many friends around me have helped me, and encourage me to come out this hard time, and became more mature as a human being.

Valentine's Day painting sale

 

You know I have painted a few small rose paintings recently. Now the Valentine's Day is approaching, I would like to sell those paintings. I will charge $300 for each plus $15 shipping. The size of the painting is 6" x 6" unframed. You may see the image of the paintings in detail and their titles on my blog: http://qiang-huang.blogspot.com/. I have 8 rose paintings available. If you are interested in purchasing, please email me as soon as possible. The availability will on first come first serve basis. I will send a PayPal invoice to collect the payments. I am sorry that I have announced this sale too late, so the painting may not reach you on the Valentine's Day. Although I am not a good business man, but I sincerely wish you all a happy Valentine's Day.

Solvent Toxicity

 

Do you use solvent (or medium) in painting? I did, but I want to go solvent free as much as I can. I have put more info on my "Painting Safety" webpage. 

People who took my workshop have known that I like to use paper towel to wipe out the lighter area with gamsol. I tried the same technique with my today's paining without gamsol, and found out the result is compromised badly. I could not get the sanding out high light anymore. I reluctantly keep gamsol near my palette, but I put it in a small eye-dropper bottle so I don't have an open solvent surface to air. I may try Gamblin solvent free medium later. I also tried the water mixable oil with this wipe-out technique. I have not get a satisfied result yet. 

Paint safety webpage

 I have just made a web page talking about the safety of oil painting. If you are interested to know how to identify the toxicity of pigments and the actions I have taken to be safer in painting, please visit: http://www.qh-art.com/painting-safety.html. Thanks