qiang-huang, a daily painter

"Demo at Sacramento 2012_1"

2012-01-27T21:49:00.000-06:00

Continuing my travel to the next station, I have arrived at Sacramento and started my workshop teaching at the Capital Art Center at S12. I want to thank Patris Miller for organizing my workshop again. I have met many new friends and feels so good to see many old friends. Thank you all for coming. This is my first demo. I put a lot of gray colors on this one. It was a lot of fun.

"Fruit Conversation"

2012-01-26T12:22:00.000-06:00

This is the second 16" x 20" I did in Northern California. My friend Fongwei has many beautiful bronze props. I enjoyed so much painting them. The subtle greenish color really enhances the dark purple of grapes. Plus the warm orange color of the tangerines, I feel I have heard the chatting among those fruit friends. Similarly I enjoy chatting with you all on the Internet. I am the small grape on the table top.

FYI: Max Ginsburg Workshop in Austin

2012-01-25T21:56:00.000-06:00

Master painter and illustrator Max Ginsburg will teach a workshop in Austin, TX on April 2 - 6. My friend Danny Grant will be the organizer for this workshop. Following is a brief information for this workshop:

Max Ginsburg will teach and demonstrate his unique approach to portrait and figure painting in an intensive 5 day workshop at the Gemini School of Visual Arts just north of Austin, TX.

Max has had a long career as a commercial illustrator with over 200 book covers under his belt. He has also won many awards for his fine art paintings including Best of Show in this year's Art Renewal Center Salon. In 2011 Max released a retrospective book spanning 50 years of his work coinciding with retrospective shows opening in New York City and Indiana. Max taught for many years at the School for Visual Arts in New York City and continues to give workshops at the Art Students League.

This is an opportunity not to be missed for artists in the Southwest as Max rarely teaches outside of New York City!

Max Ginsburg: Painting From Life in Oil

April 2- 6, 2012

Venue: Gemini School of Visual Art

Contact: Danny Grant

dannygrant79@yahoo.com

214-454-2172

Workshop Website: www.maxginsburginaustin.blogspot.com

"The Song of Silence"

2012-01-24T20:01:00.000-06:00

Painting still life when moving constantly. It sounds really oxymoron. Well that is my life now, and it will be like this for a while probably. I am learning to adapt this new life. Currently, I am staying with my friend Fongwei Liu in northern California. This is a painting I did in Liu’s studio. I spent two days on this 16” x 20” and plan to send this painting to a gallery. It feels so good painting together with a good artist. Painting large is very different from painting small paintings. I feel happy I am able to do some gallery level paintings when I am traveling. So I gave a oxymoron title for my today’s painting as well.

"Young Blood"

2012-01-23T10:20:00.000-06:00

I was so happy meeting so many young artists at the Putney Painters Show. The artists in this photo are all in their 20th, well except one. From left to right are Tyler Murphy, Daniel Keys, Anna Rose Bain, Ryan Mellody, Michelle Dunaway, me, and Taaron Parsons. It is a great sign for representational art. Thank you Anna for the photo.

With Nancy Guzik

2012-01-22T08:55:00.000-06:00

I am sitting at Phoenix airport waiting for my flight to San Francisco. The three day excitement at Scottsdale has not subsided yet. I had an extremely informative several days with this incredible group of artists called the Putney painters, especially Nancy Guzik. I am humbled in front of their remarkable paintings, and learning like sponge. They are wonderful teachers. I watch a few wonderful demos. they are very helpful for the improvement of my art. Besides this marvelous show. I really enjoyed spending some wonderful moments with a few local artist friends. Specially I want thank Li Hua and Mark Mahalik for their hospitality. Li Hua is a fantastic contemporary artist, Please check her website to see her great work. Scottsdale is such a wonderful art center. I will come back in the near future.

"On a Cruise"

2012-01-17T19:01:00.000-06:00

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This is a very quick plain air sketch I did when I was on the cruise ship to the Caribbean Sea. I have been watching the recent Italian cruise ship sinking. It is shocking to see the a luxurious vocation turned into a nightmare just like that. So value the time you have. Live well and be careful.

I am on the road again. I will be in Scottsdale attending the Putney painters show at the Legacy Gallery. I am so honored to be part of this wonderful group of painters learning art from Richard Schmid.

"Delicate Grays"

2012-01-15T22:11:00.000-06:00

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I use this painting to practice the variation of subtle gray colors. The vase and the mug are slightly different in color. I used ultramarine blue, cad orange and white as my core gray and shifted that gray into yellow, blue, and purple by mixing with corresponding colors. I feel satisfied with this one. The value maybe a little dark, but in general I see progress.

In my yesterday's post I mentioned the failure I had. I didn't mean the painting wasn't working, but it was my theory. I thought I could use terre verte and ultramarine violet to mix a purplish gray, but it was not a good choice. The color could not get dark value. Having wrong theories is very common in research. That is why experiments are so important.

“Out of the Shadow"

2012-01-14T14:36:00.000-06:00

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After several value study exercises, I carefully moving into the domain of color. My main goal is to understand gray. I opened my palette widely and involved quite a few colors I didn't use very often: Transparent Oxide Yellow, Transparent Orange, Terre Verte, Phthalo Turquoise, Raw Umber, and Ultramarine Violet to name some. I theorized models for the color gray, and I used this small painting to test my theory. But I have failed. I need to modify my theory and try again. Now my art has turned into a full blown scientific research. Do I need to write a thesis? Maybe I will.

“Head Study 122611"

2012-01-13T14:17:00.001-06:00

This week I didn't paint much, but I did some research on my art. There is so much I don't know in painting, Instead of simply just paint constantly, I need to examine my process to figure out the missing parts. I spent these several days researching on grays. Previously, I figure out several pair of colors I can make grays. This time I made some color charts by tinting different mixtures so I would know their individual characteristics. Next step, I will put those gray charts side by side so I will know their relationships. I feel this rigorous approach is necessary to achieve a true understanding. It will take me some time to finish this research and I will share with you what I have learned.

Since I don't have a recent painting to show, I want to show this head study. I did this one on the cruise ship a half month ago. My portrait painting needs a lot of work too, but let me take care of value and color research first. We must set priorities.

"Get Closer"

2012-01-10T12:48:00.001-06:00

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Coming back from Houston, I resume my small painting immediately. I know that is the only way I can improve myself in painting. Time will slip out so quick and you MUST grab it with a significant effort. With this painting, I continued on value study. I want make sure I can put high lights on the white vase, and use low values dominantly to paint the white cloth. I think it worked.

Recently, I have noticed some major glitch on my website. My website hosting company said I owe them several hundreds dollars, which I don't think it is right. The Internet is very tricky world. There are wonderful tools, but they are not dependable. So if you see any problems related with my website, please don't be surprised. I am dealing with it now, and I apologize in advance if it causes you any inconvenience.

"Demo at Houston 2" --- Sold

2012-01-09T15:44:00.000-06:00

I came back from Houston last night. This is my second demo at the workshop. This year, I have scheduled far more workshops than I did last year (for a very obvious reason). I need to adapt this new dynamically "nomadic" life style. I don't think I have the luxury of staying in my studio and working on my paintings systematically any more. I have to learn how to regulate a very irregular life and still progress. I wish I could slow down and live a life like the good old days, but I don't see that is possible. I will learn how to stitch all my fragmented time together to make it mean something. It is so ironic that a still life painter is having a very un-stilled life. Hee-Haw!!!

"Demo at Houston 1" --- Sold

2012-01-06T18:00:00.000-06:00

After three days of rest, I am traveling again. I am at Houston now teaching a workshop at Houston Civic Art Association. I want to thank Jerrie Powell and HCAA for organizing this workshop together, and thank all the artist friends for attending. This is the demo I did today. I hope you like it.

"Red Balance" --- Sold

2012-01-04T16:00:00.000-06:00

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Continuing on value design and fold study. I hardly use any white for painting the table cloth. The illumination of the setup was very warm, so the brightest area on the cloth was pure "naples yellow light" (Winsor & Newton). My goal of this study is to see how dark I can go but still keeping the cloth appearing "white"looking.

"Lonely on the Boat" --- Sold

2012-01-03T15:47:00.000-06:00

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For these a couple of months, life to me likes a bowl of Gumbo. There are too many flavors combined. Good and bad things hodgepodged together like mixing too many colors on the palette. You know what it will turn into. I need a break from breaks and be still for a while to let my mind clearing up. I have detoured from my regular painting practice too long. I saw the quality of my art is going down, and it pushes me back almost to the drawing board, literally. Can't wait to be back to my studio.

I did this painting last night. Down to the basics, the value design was my main focus. Improving on painting fabric folds is my second purpose. I feel pretty rusted now, but I will be better after some warming up.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T20:56:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! We just arrived back to Austin. It feels so good to be home. I considered to post some photos on the cruise ship, but the cost was too much so I gave it up.

This photo was shot at Costa Maya, Mexico. It was our first stop after two days voyage. Costa Maya is very small costal town. Because tourists come here by cruise ships only, it is rather quiet and not very commercially hit. The local people are very friendly, the beach is very clean. I have chances talking with the local people. There was not much traffic. Sitting on the beach with a coconut in hand, I think I am very lucky to see this virgin beauty of this planet. I hope this beauty remains for a long long time. I wish my visit would have not added stains on this pure land and water.

I have done three paintings on the ship and I will share them with you later. We had several bad days on the cruise too. All three of us got sick. Some sort of stomach flue. I was so sick yesterday even I doubt I could drive back from New Orleans back to Austin. Well, I made it.

Way to the Sea

2011-12-24T22:46:00.001-06:00

We are in New Orleans right now. We will be on a cruise to Honduras I guess. I am not sure if I can access the Internet on the boat. If I am not able to communicate with you, I will be back on the New Year's day. I apologize in advance for the delay for shipping my sold paintings. I will do that right away when I get home. I have my painting gears with me, and will have a great time. At this holiday season, I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

"Head Study 122111"

2011-12-22T21:28:00.000-06:00

These several days I felt my brain has been short of lubricants. It didn't run fast enough to catch up what I need to do and think about. I let my intuition take over, moving here and there like a robot. I went to our local portrait painting on Wednesday night and did this head study. In a couple of days, I am traveling again. Where I am going? I will let you know soon with my postcards.

"Tangerine with Leaves" --- Sold

2011-12-20T20:36:00.002-06:00

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This is another small painting I did in Beijing. I haven't resume painting in my studio yet. It is my technical working week for my ex-comany. Life is full of contrast.

"Chinese Tea" --- Sold

2011-12-17T11:32:00.000-06:00

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I am so happy coming back. Now I am able to post on my blog myself. Thank you Eric (my brother in Canada) for helping me posting all my Beijing photos. When I was in Beijing I did several small paintings. I didn't post them because I didn't want to overburden Eric in spending too much time dealing with creating auction pages. To facilitate my daily painting in my parents' place was a big challenge. It took me several days to setup. I got only under a half of a desk area for all my painting activities. Two shoe boxes were used as the base for my setups. I used toilet paper to wipe my brushes since I simply didn't know where to buy paper towels. Lighting was a big issue. I wasn't able to find simple incandescent light bulbs more than 40W. Painting under this condition made my really appreciate the luxury I have in America, and I was so proud of myself being able to hack a quick-n-dirty way to keep my art going.

"LAX Snafu"

2011-12-16T06:39:00.001-06:00

I am in the US now, but LAX didn’t say “welcome back home” nicely to me. Even I had close to two hours transfer time between flights but I still missed my flight back to Austin. I have to wait here for another 8 hours for the next one. I want share my bad experience with you and hope to help some of you who travel international to prepare better in the future: If you transfer from an international flight to domestic at LAX, you must give at least two and half or three hours in between. I arrived at LAX via Air China, went through border checking, got my bags, and went through the customs. All of those activities took me about a hour. That was quite normal. Then I walked out of the International terminal. I couldn’t find any sign of guidance or TV monitors showing how to connect to my domestic flight. I needed to go to United Airline, but I even don’t know which terminal I should go to. There are 8 terminals at LAX. I spent quick an effort and found an information counter but nobody was there. I feel a little rushed and grabbed anybody I could asking information: workers move baggages, security guys, .. you name it. I got all kinds of answers. I went upstairs and came down. finally I found an information has a person working. I was told to go to Terminal 7 and I needed to take a shuttle bus outside. The location of bus stop was not marked obvious. It took forever for one bus to come, super crowded. Every stops took a long time for people going up and down with bags. Finally I arrived at the Terminal 7 I only had 20 minutes before my flight taking off. There was a long line for security checking. I talked to the guy who was assisting and got the permission to cut the line, but it still took me about 10 min. I ran with all my might and ...... still one minute too late for my flight. I complained to the person at the podium. With no emotion showing on her face, she told me: “Go to the customer service”. I guess she sees someone like me everyday. I booked my next flight but need to wait for 8 hours. So I got time to write you.... Now my jet-lag starts to attack me. I crawled to a corner seat like a homeless guy, while the background music were singing: “Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle all the way .....”

Goodbye Beijing

2011-12-14T22:53:00.000-06:00

One month has passed so quickly. Tomorrow I will be on my way back to the US. Even I am still here, I have already started to miss this place. My parents are getting old. They have problems which I don’t see good solutions. I wish them the best and be prepared to be back to them as quick as possible. This is a city full of energy and opportunities. There is so much she can offer. I am excited that I have met many new friends this time, especially artists. I hope to see you again in the future. I want to thank all of you who helped me. I had a wonderful trip here. The photo I am showing today is an ideal image of Beijing, homey and beautiful. Goodbye Beijing. I will be back to see you again.

Mother

2011-12-11T22:56:00.001-06:00

My mother is in better health than my father. We went out shopping together several times. I took this photo when we went to get dumpling wraps. In Beijing, if you know the local culture and where to get things you need, living is rather easy and inexpensive. You don’t need a car. You can get almost everything needed within walking distance. I am learning more and more, but the time to leave is coming soon as well. This is my life: forever changing.

Demo in Beijing 3

2011-12-09T19:54:00.001-06:00

I am so happy I had the opportunity to continue my art in my hometown. After my two portrait demoes, I did a one day still life painting workshop in Beijing yesterday. This is my demo painting. I want to thank Patty Hodak for putting this workshop together in a super short time, especially, she organized this workshop in the situation that my blog is not visible. I want thank all the artists for attending. they come from Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Japan, and the United States. I felt so happy with this international art group.

On a Beijing Street 4

2011-12-07T12:15:00.001-06:00

I went out with my mother doing some grocery shopping. This photo is showing she was talking with a vegetable vendor on the street. Most of people in Beijing get their grocery not from supermarkets, but the vendors like this one. The price is lower. Shopping is a big challenge for me in Beijing. I was trying to get some daily basics such as paper towels and light bulbs. It is not easy. I am really lost in my hometown. I feel really odd. I am both a native and a foreigner here.

The White Pagoda

2011-12-05T20:54:00.001-06:00

I was born in Beijing, not far from this white pagoda. I had many childhood memories around this area. Today I went the place I was born. Our old house was gone completely. I went to where I went to school. The school was gone too. But I still can find traces of old days. The white pagoda is still there. It was built in 1279 as a part of a Buddhist temple. I walked slowly in the cold Beijing winter, watching the drama of the change. The scene in front of me was felt illusive and surreal. Time is a real artist. I was speechless in front its masterpieces.

On a Beijing Street 3

2011-12-05T10:22:00.001-06:00

In the morning I went out search for an exotic breakfast. This scene got my attention. So many people in Beijing make their living this way.

Demo in Beijing 2

2011-12-03T05:56:00.001-06:00

I went to the Yin Yang again and did the second Demo. Next Thursday I will give a one-day still life painting workshop at this location. I feel so good I have found the opportunity to do art in my home town.

BTW, if someone of you are still interested in getting my 2012 desk calendar, please click the calendar banner on the upper right corner of this blog.

Casts for Drawing

2011-11-30T19:17:00.001-06:00

The art education in China emphasizes the training in basic skills. I was in an art supply store, and this photo showing the section of casts for drawing. In art schools, students spend significant amount of time doing cast drawing to develop the sensitivity of observations, obtain thorough understanding of perspectives and anatomy. This rigorous training lays a solid foundation for these artists. They have a plenty of tools handy for their creative processes. So it is not surprising that so many wonderful representational artists coming from this part of the world.

I can’t believe this is a painting

2011-11-27T18:27:00.001-06:00

I went to the Chinese Fine Art Museum today. It has a wonderful show there. I saw a painting by an artist named Leng Jun. Photo realism is not my cup of tea, but I was really stunned by his work. It is really amazing what human can do. I am wondering how much time he has spent on this work.

Yin Yang

2011-11-25T19:29:00.001-06:00

This is the place I did that portrait demo. Yin-Yang is a small courtyard house. It is miniaturized Beijing “Ci-He-Yuan” style. All rooms are built around an open courtyard. It is very cozy and homy. It is very self contained. You may forget temporarily what is happening outside. I wish I can have a house like this.

Demo in Beijing 1- Sold

2011-11-24T23:34:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I met a group of International artists in Beijing. They meet every Thursday (include the Thanksgiving) at a marvelous courtyard house called Yin-Yang, practicing drawing and watercolor painting. I was invited to do a demo. I felt so good being able to resume painting and this was my first painting since my last China trip, in my home town and so far away from my current home. More importantly, this is my first portrait demonstration. The light condition wasn’t ideal, but the result has turned out OK.

On a Beijing Street 2

2011-11-23T18:21:00.001-06:00

In contrast with the post of yesterday. I want to show this one to depict what is taking over the ancient civilization. China is modernized leaps and bounds. Money is everything. People of all levels are chasing money with all their might, otherwise they will soon fall into cracks. It was a very cold day. I watch this money swirl with cold eyes.

On a Beijing Street 1

2011-11-22T21:15:00.001-06:00

This is a typical street scene in Beijing, very the third worldish. You can get all kinds of food on the street. To me, they are very delicious, but you need a strong stomach. The street vendors have very limited space for their business. They have all the creative ways to make their business going, very primitive but functioning. As a matter of fact, I feel rather comfortable here. I can get a taste of the special flavors I missed and long for. In Austin, Song and I occasionally drive 3 hours to Chinatown in Houston, just try to quench our craving for those flavors, but we don’t always feel satisfied with the authenticity of the food there.

My 2012 Desk Calendar

2011-11-21T06:10:00.001-06:00

Click here to preview images and purchase. (link to http://www.qhart.com/Events/Calendar_2012.htm).

The holiday season is here. I would like to wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. At the mean time I would like to announce that Song and I have made a desk calendar for 2012 with my paintings images. It is a snapshot of my effort in art this year. If you like to have one (or more) please click above link. The price is $10. I hope you like what I did. Thank you so much for your support to my art.

(This post has been 2 days delay because technical issue on internet. Sorry for that from Qiang's brother in Canada)

Father

2011-11-20T17:10:00.001-06:00

The main purpose of my China trip is to see my parents. They are not in good shape. I want to see what I can do for them. My father has Parkinson’s. He has problems of walking, and requires constant attention. However within a decaying body, he still has a very alert mind. He arranged some still life designs for me, and I will paint them.

Aging is photo realistic. We have no choice but facing it. We go through all seasons of life, and eventually harmonize with the world like falling leaves. All my effort is for that day to make my leaf (and leave) with maple and ginkgo colors.

Then and Now

2011-11-19T23:14:00.001-06:00

In my art, I stress on contrast. In my everyday life, I also try to capture any glimpses of contrasty moments. This photo is showing one of those moments: old vs. new, traditional vs. modern, feminine vs. masculine, humility vs. aggression, ... That is life. That is art.

Calendar back ordered

2011-11-18T20:11:00.001-06:00

After I announced my calendar 2012, we have received massive orders, and we exhausted all our inventory in several hours. I back ordered immediately, and will received the next batch in 7 days. I sincerely apologies for the shipping delay to many of you. After we receive the back ordered batch, Song will send your order to you right away.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Gold is Everywhere

2011-11-18T09:09:00.001-06:00

Twenty six years ago, I left Beijing and arrived in US. At that time, The Chinese had mysterious feeling about America. “There are gold everywhere in America” was a popular saying. However for 26 years, I had worked really hard toward my American dream. On the other hand, “gold is everywhere” was true literally, but it happens only in the fall. Beautiful maple trees carpet most of the USA with dazzling golden colors.

Now, many Americans think about China is full of opportunities. “Gold is everywhere” forms the Chinese dream. Holding an American passport, I am strolling on the street in Beijing. “Gold is everywhere” is literally true as well. Beautiful leaves of ginkgo trees gently spreading golden colors all over the place.

Good Morning from Beijing

2011-11-16T22:17:00.001-06:00

It is 4:00 AM in Beijing (or 3:00 PM Nov. 16 in Austin). I don’t know if I should say good morning or good afternoon to you. Due to the jet-lag I can’t sleep. So I am recording my first note for you. I arrived last night. Everything went smoothly. Now I am staying in my room which l left 26 years ago. It brings me a very nostalgia mood. Many things in this room has been kept the same: my crib and my mom’s old keyboard, some of my brother’s furniture. The calendar on the wall was the year 2000, which is the time my brother left this room for Canada. I turned on the ceiling light by pulling a string attached to a switch located up high. I don’t see this kind of switches any more. As a matter of fact, it has been the most reliable “remote control” I have ever used and it is still functioning like a charm. I remembered my grandma used to tie the switch string to the corner of a table near her bed so she could turn on the light conveniently. We didn’t have table lamps at that time, and the ceiling light is the only light source. Time goes by so dramatically. I am sure the old switch will still clicking after I have been long gone.

See You in Beijing

2011-11-15T14:23:00.001-06:00

I am sitting at the Gate 94 of San Francisco International Airport waiting for my flight to Beijing China. About one hour later I will board my flight to Beijing. I feel really excited. I have not seen my parents for about three years. This is my last normal posting on my blog, and I am glad the test I did with my brother yesterday was successful. I took a snapshot of my flight to document this trip. Now the loudspeakers around me are speaking all kinds of languages . I have a hard time to concentrate, so I will stop now. I will talk to you again in Beijing.

I will spend a month in China

2011-11-14T19:42:00.001-06:00

Starting on November 15, I will spend a month in Beijing, China. Since I may not able to view this blog there, I have teamed up with my bother. This post was done by him from Toronto, Canada via my email. What a global effort it was. I have investigated the possibility of using RSS feed to sync with another blog I have in China, but It was so difficult and I am not savvy enough for that. So I am trying this low tech way. For a month from now, I may not paint much, but I will document my travel and try my best to keep you posted about what I see and what I feel. I hope you enjoy “riding” with me to see the other side of the world. Zai-Jian (bye in Chinese).

"Red Lanterns"

2011-11-10T11:24:00.000-06:00

I want to express my sincere thanks to all the friends writing and praying for me. I am really touched and encouraged to continue on. In life we have seen so many "successful" people. They became well known because one or two gimmicks they have and the right timing. However their shine was short lived. Like shooting stars, Bright and soon disappeared. I want to seriously work on my art, and it is a long and difficult journey. So please bear with me, if you see I do a boring painting, or a crazy painting. That is all parts of my growing up. Our conditions are not ideal. Our time and energy are limited. We move in baby steps. However, we are progressing.

This painting took me more than ten days to complete, due to my lousy time management. I started to deal with some new objects to make my painting more interesting. This painting will be sent to a gallery. I am so behind on providing works for my collectors.

"Demo at Rosenberg 2"

2011-11-08T14:39:00.000-06:00

I am back to Austin. This is my second demo at Rosenberg. I hope all the workshop artists can practice what we have talked about, and turn my approaches into yours.

Now I have finished my 2011 workshop teaching. It is a good time to calm down and examine myself as an artist, and a new entrepreneur, as a dreamer, and as practitioner.... most important, as a human being. Last night I had a dream. I dreamed I was in a hurry to attend a very important event (but I don't know what is was) in a far away place. I just had an old bicycle not going very fast. I was so out of shape and my legs were so weak. I tried all my might, but just could not pedal the bike fast enough. I was exhausted, zigzag out of balance, but my destination is far beyond reaching..... I think this reveals the worry in my mind. I have no right to complain because I am far more fortunate than many many people in the world. But I do have some wishful thinking. I wish life is much simpler. I wish I can be less busy. I wish I could paint more. I feel I have entered a difficult phase of my art development. There is a demon growing with my art and trying to destroy my art and my life. Fighting this demon takes a lot of my energy and time. I have seen more and more time I lost my battle now. If you see my art is not in good shape, that indicates I am dealing with the demon. However, I will keep going. I can't guarantee I can make it, but I will keep going.

"Demo at Rosenberg 1"

2011-11-05T20:22:00.000-06:00

I am at Rosenberg, TX (near Houston) teaching a workshop. Thank you Diana for organizing and all the artists attending for this wonderful opportunity. The small beady red things in the painting are grape tomatoes. They are from the garden of Angie and Mike. I want to thank them for their great hospitality. The small tomatoes are so sweet. Now I understood why the part of Texas is called the Sugarland.

"Head Study 110211"

2011-11-03T20:54:00.000-06:00

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I did another head study last night. I like the cool colors in the shadow.

"Autumn Glow"

2011-10-31T17:39:00.000-06:00

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Happy Halloween! This is the season full of warm colors. It is the time I always reminisce my New Hampshire days (I used to lived in Keene, NH for several years), beautiful colors everywhere. In Texas, we don't have much color this year. It has been so dry.

Head Study 102611

2011-10-28T10:03:00.000-06:00

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I did another head study on Wednesday night. We had another superb model. She has ideal facial features. With such a wonderful model, I could totally rely on my observation to compensate my lacking of anatomy knowledge. I am glad that these many years of daily painting practice has given me rigorous training on how to see. This painting was predominately a value study, but a slight color suggestion have given it a totally different look. I remember I read a piece of advertisement in an airport: "Simplicity is the highest level of sophistication." I really want to my painting has that kind of taste.

New Workshop Announcement: Zhaoming Wu, Italy, 2012

2011-10-27T09:53:00.000-06:00

A good friend of mine and a master painter - Zhaoming Wu will teach a 8 day workshop in Italy in the summer of 2012. Following is the information from Zhaoming:

Dear Friends,

I am writing to let you know about a unique workshop opportunity coming up in the summer, 2012. I will again be teaching a workshop in central Italy, May 24- June 5 in the charming medieval town of Corciano. Corciano is located just south of Tuscany in the Umbria hilltop region. The workshop will be an on-location landscape and figurative painting intensive workshop with 4 days of painting the towns and countryside of this beautiful region and 4 days of working from a live model. We will also include 2 days of site seeing and museum visits inFlorence and Siena. If you are interested in receiving more information, please contact Jason Bowen at jasonbowenart@att.net. Jason is organizing the workshop for me and will be able to send you an information packet and application to fill out. If you have any specific questions please also email Jason or call him at 925 323 0664. Attached you will find the brochure for the workshop along with an image of the town of Corciano where we will be staying. I hope you can join us this summer for this unique workshop experience,

Best Regards,

Zhaoming Wu ( see the workshop brochure)

"Let Us Drink"

2011-10-26T08:32:00.000-06:00

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I will continue on my figure painting exploration, but I also want to keep my small still life going. I had this brass thingy for a long time, and I saw it among other props too in many of my workshops. So It must be a common item of American daily life. But what is it for? Is it for tea or liquor? I am wondering how that skinny spout can allow any liquid go through. This is my first time painted it. It was fun.

“Bouguereau study 1"

2011-10-25T12:09:00.000-06:00

I don't know much about art history. I only know a few artists I really like. William Bouguereau is one of them. Yesterday I spent almost the entire day paint this study from Bouguereau. Lately, I have been pondering my art. I predominately paint small work still lives. If I only do that, I don't think I serious enough as an artist. I want to do more larger and figurative paintings, but I don't know how to do that. First, I need to take the challenge to tackle anatomy and many subtleties related to figures. This painting I consider is the starting point. I did have quite a bit of hard time when I painted this one, especially the hands. I will work hard and across the learning curve as quick as possible. I know this is not easy. Academic painters spend years of professional training in art schools just to manage the skill of painting people. But I will be patient and get there eventually, step by step.

"Head Study 101911"

2011-10-20T17:34:00.001-06:00

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I went to live painting in South Austin last night. This is what I did. We had a superb model. I really enjoyed the cool reflections in the shadow. Figure and portrait painting are my true love, but I have been shying away from them because it is a relatively longer way to be successful. I detoured into still life painting because I could put aside anatomy and all subtlety of dealing with human subjects, so I can be quickly pass the basics and come to the artistic concepts like composition, colors, edges, and paint textures. Now I have achieved what I wanted in still life. and now I will try my best to paint humans more.

It is more fun to paint portraits, but marketing them could be an issue. Nobody wants to put a stranger's portrait on the wall, and I don't quite enjoy doing portrait commissions from photos. So I don't know the solution. I am going to put this study on auction with a relatively low starting price. I am going to experiment placing more artistic designs on my human paintings and make them more universal, more story telling. If you have good suggestions, please let me know. Thanks.

"Happy Ghost"

2011-10-18T11:20:00.000-06:00

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I usually have a difficulty to resume my daily painting routine after returning from a travel. If I am not paying attention enough, I could lose many days without noticed. Of course I always have tons of excuses for this time lag, but it is hurting me, not anyone else. So this time after I came back from Albuquerque, I immediately set up my studio. Even I have engineering duty this week, I did this small painting last night. This happy ghost is reminding me that my time is getting shorter. Our days go by so quickly. I can't believe we are close to Halloween again.

Having said about traveling, I am planning to go to China for a month from mid November to mid December. I will stay in Beijing most of the time in my parents' place. I don't know how many my artist friends are in that part of the world. If you happened to in China too and are interested in getting together, please let me know. I should have time to paint and teach there. I know my blog is not displayable in China. Does anybody know how to sync a blogger to corresponding Chinese social media?

"Demo at Albuquerque 3" --- Sold

2011-10-17T10:43:00.000-06:00

I am sitting at my cube right now, starting my one week of engineering work for my ex-company (I need a proper name for this place). I keep a win-win relationship with my ex and agree to work a week per month as an engineer. This work pattern works out so far so good.

This my third demo at my Albuquerque workshop. I enjoyed very much those several days in New Mexico. Thank you again, Peggy and Julie, for your great hospitality and wonderful work of organizing this workshop. I hope all of the workshop artists practice what we have talked about and turn my understanding into your skills.

Demo for Portrait Society of America

2011-10-16T15:54:00.002-06:00

Friday night, I did a portrait demo at the Albuquerque Artist League. This event was hosted by the Portrait Society of America. I was one of the six demo artists. I didn't get a chance to plan for this demo. It just happened to be that this event was overlapped with my workshop at the same city. This was my first portrait demo in public. I shifted into my "just do it" mode, and had no expectation what it would turn out. So here you go. This was I did.

"Demo in Albuquerque 2" --- Sold

2011-10-14T22:02:00.000-06:00

This is the second demo I did on the workshop. I tried to show many things with one: I painted a rose (sort of), a blue glass bottle, and a copper. The painting is a high key one.

"Demo in Albuquerque 1" --- Sold

2011-10-13T18:13:00.000-06:00

I am in Albuquerque, NM. I want to thank Peggy Jones and Julie Ford Oliver for providing this wonderful teaching opportunity for me. I want to thank all attending artists for coming. This is my first demonstration. This is a very strong group. I saw many artists in advanced level, and I am very happy to see many good paintings coming out in the afternoon.

"Wrestling Pears"

2011-10-11T16:10:00.000-06:00

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You may have noticed, my paintings of today and yesterday have shown perspectives above eye level. I felt like a child full of curiosity trying to figure out what mom has put on the table top. I am fifty some years old now. Bouncing around in the world for so many years has exhausted much of my energy. I feel tired and numb. Sometimes, I feel depressed too. But art is my therapy. This kind of above eye level setups refreshes me. We cannot resist the natural process of aging, but let try our best to keep our mind young forever.

"Color Before Light"

2011-10-10T13:31:00.000-06:00

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I have arrived at where I was about three weeks ago. I was working on high key with a lots of colors. I always consider that light (or value) is more important than colors. However, my recent high key approaches starts to shake my foundation. We know in history how strong was the impact of the Impressionist upon the tradition. Now, I am experiencing the same impact in my personal art history. So at this moment, I put “color before light”. I see more opportunities. There are still many beautiful ways to depict nature I haven’t managed yet. But I want promise to you that my history will be very different.

"Bottle Study"

2011-10-09T19:21:00.002-06:00

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I like this prop. It gives me so much color opportunities. I gradually come into my learning mode again. I don't have much to say today, but I surely enjoyed doing this small study.

QH and QH

2011-10-08T19:53:00.000-06:00

I was at the InSight Gallery this afternoon. Master artists Quang Ho and Scott Christensen were having two man show There. Both Quang and Scott did wonderful demos. I admire both masters. I met Quang many years ago, and so happy to see him again. We had fun talking about the similarity of our names. Our first names have only one letter different, and we have identical name initial: QH. I had several cases in art gatherings where people mistakenly thought I was Quang Ho. I was really flattered when that happens. At the mean time. It is always great inspiration to me when I get closer to great artists, physically or namely. It gives me tremendous motivation to improve my work.

New Workshop Announcement

2011-10-07T16:28:00.000-06:00

Many of my local artist friends asked me how come I taught so many workshops all over the places but not in Austin. Well, I don't have a good answer for the question. Now I have arranged a workshop on February 16 - 18, 2012, and my wife Song will organize it. Please click here for detailed information, and contact Song to sign up. For the friends who have contacted us before, now it is the time to secure your spots. We are looking forward to meeting you or seeing you again in the beautiful Texas hill country.

"iApple" --- Sold

2011-10-07T11:12:00.001-06:00

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I have been a PC person all my life until about two years ago I got my first Ipad. About a year ago, my HP died on me, so I got my MacBook Air on the first day it came out. Since then I have been happy instead of frustrated with computers. I usually do not include technology stuff on my paintings, but this one is exceptional. I share many Steve Jobs's beliefs. I hope all of us can follow our hearts and make something significant to both ourselves and the world. With same kind of spirit, I left my job (I am hungry) and stepped into a new field which I am not educated for and in a not very young age (I am foolish). Life is short. However, painting will turn that several hours of you at your easel into infinity. So happy painting and happy daily!

"On the Same Boat" --- Sold

2011-10-05T13:21:00.000-06:00

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After more than two weeks down time, I resume my small painting project again. My learning process lost it continuity and I am almost "back to the drawing board". So today I stay in my comfort zone. The painting is relatively low key and my colors are in light area.

My business management is improving, and thanks to many of you sharing what you use. Life is so complicated nowadays. Simplicity is hard to come by. No matter where you are, I think we are all on the same boat. We are trying our best to be floating.

BTW, my next workshop will be in Albuquerque, NM on October 13 -15. We have one opening. If you are interested in attending, please contact Peggy Jones.

"Demo at New Braunfels 3" --- Sold

2011-10-04T12:33:00.001-06:00

This is the 3rd demo. My intention was to show how to paint metal objects and get perspective correct. I have spent some time on the design. The painting involved size and shape variation of the props. The colors near the center of the focus capture the attention effectively.

This a couple of years. My art has progressed and brought me more opportunities. My small paintings are selling well. I am traveling all over the place teaching workshops. I got more galleries who are interested in representing me. Now I start to realize that planning and managing all the activity is non trivial issue. I haven't had a good management system and tools to coordinate all the events. I merely put most of (if not all) things in my brain. Now I start to get an anxiety worrying that I might forget things. Sometime I wake up in the middle of night and questioning myself if I should be at another location. Recently I begin to search for any good system to manage my art. I have encountered a book called GTD (Getting Things Done) by David Allen, and started to use ICal to record my activities. I think it will take me a while to get a working system going. If you are workshop organizer, gallery owner, show planner, press, or someone who have any work relationship with me. Please send reminders to me before any events. I am learning and will catch up soon. If you are using an effective management system. I really appreciate if you let me know. Thanks.

"Demo at New Braunfels 2" --- Sold

2011-10-02T20:46:00.000-06:00

As usual, my second demo at the workshop was a rose painting. I am sorry the photo is not that good. There are quite amount of abstractness on this painting. I really want to achieve the spontaneity and give the viewers more room to think what is going on.

I have come back to Austin. Song is back to normal. Now I can relax a little after a really busy life for about two weeks. I feel tired and I am going to bed now.

"Demo at New Braunfels 1" --- Sold

2011-09-30T20:22:00.000-06:00

I am teaching a workshop at New Braunfels, TX. This is my first demo. I want thank Mary McIntosh for organizing this wonderful workshop and artists from all over the place to attend my class.

Song is much better now. She is back to normal. Her doctor told us that she does not need a surgery according to her MRI result. Thanks again to all of you who care.

"My update"

2011-09-26T12:08:00.001-06:00

I can't say enough to thank you. After my post on Song's back problem. I got so many emails and comments showing care, sharing experiences, and giving us support. Song and I are very touched and appreciate your kindness very much. Song is getting better now. After several days in bed, She was able to move around with a walker. She did a MRI and we will visit her doctor tomorrow to discuss the result. Over the weekend she was even better and could walk slowly without the walker. I had to make a short trip and she was doing well. Our life is gradually going back to normal.

I am sorry I don't have an painting for you today. I will try my best going back my art as soon as I can. This week I have to do some technical work in the company I used to work full time. So I can get an income to pay our medical insurance. Then I will teach a workshop in New Braunfels, TX. Life is continuing, and I will try to paint with my fragmented time.

"Fire Ball" --- Sold

2011-09-20T21:58:00.000-06:00

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I didn't paint for several days. My wife Song has a chronicle back pain problem. It comes back about 3 days ago, and this time is very severe. She has been completely bed bound. Standing, walking, using bathroom, and everything we take for granted she is not able to do by herself. I have paused everything and been by her side full time. We visited a back doctor today, and an MRI has been scheduled this Friday. She feels slightly better this afternoon after high dosage of Hudrocodone. Now she is in sleep. So I got a chance and did this small painting. It is quite a challenge for me too. I am a lousy cook, and made several dishes by googling recipes online. She will get better soon, and our life will go back to normal. It is amazing that life can turn very suddenly. So please be careful and treasure every minute you have, because we never know what will happen next.

"Taigu"

2011-09-18T09:29:00.000-06:00

I have been doing many small paintings. Painting larger is not my cup of tea. Now, since I am painting more seriously, I must do more larger paintings. This one is 16" x 20". It feels like a giant to me. I spent two days on it. It is totally different ball game. I had some hard time, make quite a few mistakes, and learned a lot.

I did this one from a photo. The place is a small town called "Taigu" in central China. Recently, China has been developed so fast. The economics is booming. You see new modern skyscrapers sprouting like bamboo shoots everywhere. However on the other hand, old buildings got demolished day by day. My previous visit of my home town was about two years ago. The area I used to play and go to school has been completely rebuild. "Completely" means I can't even find a single tree which I know before. When the bulldozer went across, thousands of years culture crumbled into dust. Very soon the scene showing on this paintings will be completely disappeared from this planet. I guess that is the motivation I want paint this one, and perhaps many more in the future. I plan to go back to China more in the future and do more plein air and maybe workshops in this kind of culture locations, before it goes away.

“Good Morning" --- Sold

2011-09-16T19:43:00.000-06:00

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Yesterday was one of those "nothing works" day to me. It was a hot day, but I decided to do a plein air painting anyway. I checked PAA website and got their paint-out location, and packed my stuff and got going. After one hour driving, I arrived, and found nobody was there. I realized that the paint-out was scheduled for next week. OK, it was not a big deal. I found my spot and started painting alone. Then I found I didn't have the palette knife I like. You know how much I like the knife work recently. I felt a little disappointed, but that should be the reason to stop me. I started put out more paint on the palette, and that make me sad. I found I didn't have the white paint, and I was planning to paint a white church. Well, what can I do? I put away my stuff, and went home. Is that what you call the "Murphy's Law"?

This painting here, I did it last night. I placed a computer monitor on my still life stand, and painted from a photo I took in the morning. I do not recommend painting from photos, if you haven't painted from life for a while. Since I have painted from live objects for several years, I am going to paint from photo reference more in the future.

"Limes and Grapes" --- Sold

2011-09-14T16:59:00.000-06:00

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I have reached another milestone today: I have 1000 people following my blog up to now. I feel so grateful that I have so many people liking my paintings. Your support encourages me to explore more in the art world.

Texas has come back to the over 100 F temperature. So I stay indoor and did this high key still life. My colors are getting subtler. I tried to establish a airy perspective like we do in landscapes. When I painted the pot, I softened deliberately its edges and decreased the value contrast of the shadow. I felt I can enhance the depth of the painting with the value contrast variation. There is so much fun and so many possibilities.

New Workshop Announcement

2011-09-13T17:00:00.000-06:00

After hosting amazing painting workshops given by Calvin Liang and Zhaoming Wu, I am very excited to announce that the internationally well know Australian artist Colley Whisson will come to Austin and teach a 3-day painting workshop on March 16 - 18, 2012. Colley is very good friend of mine. His landscape and interior paintings are full of light and energy. I love his way of using color; very energetic and impressionistic. He can make his paintings with very high luminosity. Sometime I feel I need to wear sunglasses to see his paintings. He has a very painterly style. I really enjoyed his calligraphic and expressive brush works. Colley has published multiple books and DVDs on painting, and his work has been featured in major art magazines. In case you are not familiar with Colley's art, please check Colley Whission's website.

I want to share this wonderful opportunity with you to learn from the master painter who is so good and from so far away. Please check Colley Whisson workshop information. Colley and I would love to meet you in the beautiful wild flower season in the Texas hill country.

"Morning Glory" --- Sold

2011-09-11T19:55:00.000-06:00

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I did this painting really early this morning. I have these morning glories in my back yard. They bloom beautifully, but as soon as the sun shines on them they quickly collapsed. I started this plein air painting around 7:00 AM. It is also my very first morning glory painting.

"OPA at the Mission"

2011-09-10T20:41:00.000-06:00

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This is Mission San Jose in San Antonio, TX. I got up early yesterday and drive two hours to attend the plein air paint-out organized by the Oil Painters of America. It was a hot day, so I found a spot with shade. When I started, the Mission was completely in shadow. I only can see a dark silhouette. Apparently, It wasn't good for a painting. However by observing the movement of the sun, I could anticipate the right side of the Mission will be lit in two hours. So I worked on composition, perspectives, and proportion for a while. I was right. Around noon time, the right side was lit up beautifully. So I had this painting portraying the image in my mind. The experience with this painting makes me think: following the law of nature we can get what we need much easier than conquering nature destructively to get what we want. Unfortunately, human did too much of the latter.

"Hill Country Water Garden" --- Sold

2011-09-09T20:44:00.001-06:00

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After I previous painting post, the response was phenomenal. I got so many comments and emails. There are about 95% positive messages, and 5% negative. It is very valuable piece of data for my art development. I like all the messages. They help me in different perspectives. I really really appreciate your input. Thank you so much.

My today's painting is a plein air piece. Yesterday, I joined the local Plein Air Austin group and painted at the Hill Country Water Garden. This is my first lily pound painting. I wasn't very confident when I started, but it turned out all right. My palette knife work is a keeper now. I have seen I used it more and more. Now the weather in Texas is getting better. You will see more of my plein air landscape paintings.

"Afternoon Tea"

2011-09-08T14:31:00.000-06:00

My recent experiments in art have pushed me out my usual way of painting. I feel I am in an intersection, and I am a little confused which directions I should go. I did this 9"x12" yesterday and kind of like it. There is no doubt that the painting is getting more abstract. However, I was doing my best to keep the forms of the tea kettle and the white bowl as accurate as possible. So the painting is still representational. With the realistic presentation of my subjects as an anchor, I tried to push the envelope with color and brushwork as abstract as I can, so I can push the dynamics and energy to a higher level. There is definitely a balance issue. I am wondering how far I can go. Please help me to keep my sanity checked. If you don't like the direction I am going, please do not hesitant to let me know. I believe that it is the failure of the artist if the art does not communicate. I would like to keep this painting to myself for a while, I might send it to a gallery show in the near future.

"Dried Up Creek" --- Sold

2011-09-06T17:38:00.000-06:00

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At the time I was painting my previous painting “Neighbor’s house”, the house of my friends Carol and David Marine was burning in the most severe wild fire in Texas. They have lost almost everything. Thank God they are safe. I was so sorry when I heard this devastating news yesterday. I want devote my current painting to help them. I sincerely hope you can help too. The donation can be made by visiting: http://www.noonesthebitch.com/http:/2011/09/05/carol-and-david-lost-their-home-a-fundraiser/ Thank you.

"Green Enchantment" --- Sold

2011-09-05T19:31:00.003-06:00

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Jade is so popular in Asia. I don't see many people wearing jade here in America. I heard that wearing jade is not only for its beauty, but more for its therapeutic effects. Jade pendents can help to calm down emotional disturbances, and protect your heart. Well for this painting, I like Jade for its translucency and graceful green color. I had this small jade cup for a long time, but I haven't painted it often enough. For this painting my main purpose of putting this jade cup in is to contrast the purple color of the drapery.

"Neighbor's House" --- Sold

2011-09-04T14:59:00.002-06:00

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It is a beautiful day today, cool and breezy. The temperature is only 100 F. After so many super hot days, I felt very refreshing, and decided to do a plein air. I didn't go out, but went up to my balcony. The subject is the doorway of my cross street neighbor. Several days of color study and palette knife practice made this painting like a piece of pie (or cake whatever). I feel very happy about it and I am looking forward more cooler days coming and more plein air opportunities.

I want to devote this painting to the recent Daily Paintworks Challenge: fundraising to help the children of Africa. The fund will be donated to the American Red Cross for the children of Africa.

"Apple on Stage" --- Sold

2011-09-03T08:23:00.000-06:00

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Painting white drapery is challenging and it is relevant to my recent shadow color study as well. Like leaves and flowers, drapery can be both difficult and easy. The difficulty is that the structural information is hidden behind apparent arbitrariness. You need to really analyze and practice to understand the relationship. However, after you understood, painting drapery becomes easy because it is more flexible and forgiven than an apple and a cup.

"Blue Reflection" --- Sold

2011-09-02T07:46:00.000-06:00

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I am not so good at giving titles of my paintings. As the continuation of my colors in shadow experiment, I tested introducing blue into my reflection. I know red and orange are good eye catching colors, but I want to see if other colors can do the same or similar. I know the objects in this painting are difficult to be related. However, they are simply color manipulators to me.

"Red Reflection" --- Sold

2011-09-01T08:49:00.000-06:00

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I am getting close to what I really want in high key paintings. My cadmium red is moving out of my apple. I am using darker values painting my white mug. I have a piece of red paper, but I bleach out its color in the light area. My major color design is in the shadows. My previous gray study has paid off. For the background, I used cadmium green pale plus manganese violet with white.

"Birdie's Home" --- Sold

2011-08-31T08:33:00.004-06:00

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This one is still life/landscape, high key, back-lit, colors in shadow, and knife work. It is the first time I put a piece of rock in my setup, and the bird house is new to me as well. It is so exciting and challenging. I am out my comfort zone completely, and away from my typical style too.

Talking about styles, I think they come naturally. We can't force it. I remember a master artist wrote: "Styles are limitations of an artist". I don't know if you agree or not, but it is a good way to see it. I will keep my exploration going. I will travel happily in the art world, and my blog is my travel journal.

“Away from the Heat" --- Sold

2011-08-29T12:53:00.003-06:00

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The temperature of yesterday was 112 F, we are getting 109 F today. It is almost September. I can't believe it is still this hot. So far we got more than seventy days above 100 F and it has broken the record a few days ago (last record was 69 days in 1925), and the summer is not over yet.

I was too ambitious with my painting yesterday, and almost lost my control. So I backed off a little. This painting is a combined approach: I used knifes for the lights and bushes for the darks. I felt happy, especially the subtle value change between the top and lighter side of the box.

"Distorted Time" --- Sold

2011-08-28T20:38:00.005-06:00

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We arrived home last Monday around 2:00 in the morning. After a short sleep, I arrived at the engineering company and started my one week of technical work. Nothing has changed since I was here three weeks ago. Time seemed stopped in this concrete building. I felt I was experiencing Albert Einstein's relativity when I transferred from art to engineering. Time has been distorted. I didn't accomplish much last week, but I didn't get chance to paint either.

I was so tired. I have cancelled several activities and slept almost whole day yesterday. Finally, I put myself together again and did this small painting this afternoon.

This one was very hard for me. I was studying many new things all together. I did this painting almost completely with a palette knife. I was so clumsy and really struggled. I had a back-lid illumination for the setup and worked on colors in shadow. I still was testing my high key scheme. Oh boy, I used almost twice the time I usually did. I think I have opened a can of worm for myself. There will be more fun time waiting for me. Folks, please wish me luck.

"Demo at Noblesville 2" --- Sold

2011-08-21T16:47:00.004-06:00

I am at Indianapolis International Airport waiting for my flight back to Austin. The workshop was very successful. Everybody was happy about it. This is my second demo. Thanks again to the workshop organizers and all attending artists.

Our family and I had a wonderful vocation in Indiana. Purdue is a great campus. I am glad we came, because Song's niece did need some help to adapt her college life. In three days, We have visited Walmart at least four times and we have visited all local AT&T stores. I was amazed how well these young Chinese college kids equipped electronically. Iphones and blackberries are absolutely mandatory for them. Having one is not adequate. They all need several smart phonesto survive.

Noblesville is a nice small town. I love driving through corn and soybean fields. People are very nice and friendly. We have enjoyed here very much.

Believe it or not, I will be back tomorrow to my engineering company and work there for a week. Life is so interesting. I will try my best to paint something using my old routine.

"Demo at Noblesville 1" --- Sold

2011-08-19T15:07:00.004-06:00

Today is the first day of my workshop at Noblesville IN. I want thank HCAA and Cheeri Dennis and Judith Weiss for organizing this workshop. I want to thank all the workshop artists for attending. This is my first demo. I hope you like it.

"Purdue University"

2011-08-16T21:07:00.004-06:00

I have to interrupt my daily painting for a week. Right now, I am at Lafayette Indiana. Song's niece is attending Purdue University. She just came from Beijing China. We are here for three day helping her to settle down. Then I will teach a workshop in Noblesville. near Indianapolis. I will be back this coming Monday. I will send paintings sold this week immediately after I return to Austin. I am sorry for the delay.

“Plein Air Indoor"

2011-08-13T18:01:00.003-06:00

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I am continuing my practice in my high key world. I felt I painted a plein air landscape today. I had so much colors on the painting. Since I haven't done enough this kind of painting, my brush work is not free enough, and the painting took much longer than I thought it should. Anyway I felt good. There is so much I can work on.

"Submerged in Color"

2011-08-12T16:57:00.005-06:00

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Today I painted completely opposite of my usual style. I turned off my spot light and opened curtains of my studio. I removed my shadow box so I had no background drapery. I had this white sugar bowl and no other color object in my setup. I had extremely high key design. All my colors on the painting is in shadows, but not in lights. All my colors are in background, but not in the center of focus. I used many cool colors, but not hot cadmium orange and red. Wow!! I felt I have entered the anti-world. Just like in physics, we talk about matter and anti-matter. I realize such anti-world is also existed in my art. I have mentioned before I don't like high key as much as low key paintings. That was because I had not entered the "high key" world. I was outside. In my bones, I start to feel what artists felt when the Impressionism started. It is so great. At the mean time I must remind myself: it is nothing wrong by going modern, but I will never ever abandon the wonderful traditional art. Otherwise I would get lost so quickly and my art would turn to trash, and "modernism" or "contemporary" would turn to be dirty words.

“Happy Hour"

2011-08-11T14:24:00.003-06:00

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I am gradually coming out of my gray study and start to pay attention to other colors. High key painting gives me more opportunities for color designing. Different from my usual approach, I didn't do value establishment at all, but jumped into color directly. Of course, I was aware of value when I painted colors. The painting is much more colorful than most of my low key paintings, but effect of light is relatively weaker. You will see I toggle between high and low keys.

"Make Me Clean"

2011-08-10T13:47:00.006-06:00

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My today's painting is one of the high key paintings that I feel satisfied. You may have noticed that my paintings are getting a little tighter lately. That reflects my recent mental uptight-ness. Now I must rely on my art to bring food on the table, so I am not as idealistic as I was before. This concern has its positive effect. It makes me paint more. However, I don't want to see my art life is completely controlled by the market. This a couple of days I lost more and more confidence on the almighty Money. Maybe that is the beginning of the real freedom. We feel bad when our dreams turn into nightmares. However on the other hand, our nightmares will wake us up, so we will realize that we have been attached so ridiculously to something so unreliable. I think this realization will be the so called "Enlightenment". I hope someday I may reach that. But, I am not there at this moment, so you have to pay if you want to buy my paintings. But I can promise you that the value of my art will not go down with the paper money.

“Fruit for Today"

2011-08-09T13:07:00.003-06:00

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Transparent oxide yellow + ultramarine blue + white makes a good yellow gray, and I used it for my background today. With this painting, I practice chroma contrast. The yellow pear and the yellow background are similar in value, but the intensity of the yellows are quite different. This contrast in chroma can be used for the design.

"Silver and Gold"

2011-08-08T13:55:00.007-06:00

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I think everybody has been staring at the stock market for several days. It feels that our dreams turn into nightmare just like that. I don't know much about investment, and for me it is always too late to do the right thing. It looks like something very bad is happening, but what can we do? I remember one of the Titanic movies. The ship was sinking, but the band was still playing. I can't do much. I just keep painting.

"Roses in a Hot Place" --- Sold

2011-08-07T11:43:00.006-06:00

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I am so amazed that even at this extremely hot place and hot time the roses in my yard are still blooming. Song cut some this morning and set up a still life for me. These are different roses from the ones I painted before. They are fresh but already full of scars. Their young life is just starting but winkles have crawled up their tender faces. I feel melancholy when I painted them. They don't know what will happen to them tomorrow. Well, in this chaotic world, we don't know either to us. I just keep painting.

"Freshly picked" --- Sold

2011-08-06T19:20:00.005-06:00

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We have an apple tree and two peach trees in the back yard , but they didn't give us much this year. It maybe because it is too hot here. The temperature has been above 100 F every day and no rain at all for a long time. I really don't know what is going on in the world. Like everybody, I am concerned, but what can I do? Well, I just paint.

"My Secret" --- Sold

2011-08-05T16:11:00.004-06:00

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I felt the gray I used yesterday is a little too cool. So today I tried a new combination: transparent oxide yellow + ultramarine blue. I like this one better. It made the background warmer. I really appreciate several friends sharing their gray recipe with me. I don't have any secret in painting. I have been growing right in front of you.

This is my 5th painting of the month. I have been a genuine "daily painter" for this week. I will try my best to make this momentum going.

"A Pair of Pears" --- Sold

2011-08-04T16:51:00.005-06:00

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I used the same gray I used yesterday to experience this color more. After my post yesterday. I got a few comments and emails mentioning that ultramarine blue and burnt sienna to make a gray. I used to do this combination, but I have stopped using it. I feel it is too purple. If you add more blue, it will turn too blue very quickly. That is because those two colors are not complementary enough. The mixing of the two does not neutralize enough. I still use those two for warm darks, but use them much less to get gray now.

"Lime Water" --- Sold

2011-08-03T10:53:00.006-06:00

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When I am asked what I like to drink in a restaurant, I usually say water with lemon or lime, and no ice. I heard a theory that drinking ice water makes people tend to eat more. So if you consider lose weight, maybe drink water without ice will help.

With my painting today, I was testing my grays again. I found recently I use less and less ultramarine blue. I used to use this color a lot. I found I have been using viridian more. I have learned it is hard to make a gray with ultramarine blue on my palette. But I like ultramarine blue. So I did a search today, I have found that "transparent brown oxide" (Winsor & Newton) and ultramarine blue makes a wonderful gray. I used this gray for the painting above.