Window To My Soul Exhibition

 

The reception for the Window To My Soul Exhibition commenced on June 4th at the Athens Public Library, in beautiful Athens Ohio. The exhibition was a mixture of some of my most poignant earlier work that has resonated well with a wide audience, plus a few newer pieces that cohesively blend into my artistic vision and body of work.

 

 

The exhibit displayed 10 pieces, from limited edition prints to original paintings. It called for each visitor to have a sense of connectivity with fine art; connectivity that is increasingly lacking, as fine art is being vastly devalued because of what I believe is the de-sensitivity to it, partly as a result of the oversaturation of the market with bad or meaningless art. In my artist talk which is an important presentation at all my exhibitions, I challenged each individual to engage in provocative conversations surrounding each work as they engage with the symbology embedded in every piece.

Peilian Wu

 

I had the opportunity to share the space with another phenomenal artist, Peilian Wu. In her own words, Wu explains that her artwork is “influenced by formulas in traditional Chinese paintings which can be traced back to texture strokes in Ming landscape painting.” Her interpretation of the Ohio landscape in this style was a refreshing take on the natural beauty of the area, which I as a fellow international artist have come to love and represent in my own art. What I admired most about her work is her conveyance of cultural identity through her traditional style, which is seen as a direct extension of herself as a Chinese artist.

 

It was nice to see a few familiar faces who supported my previous shows in Athens, but even better to see some new faces who got introduced to brand ABFA that evening. My gratitude extends to each and every person who attended the exhibit and to those who helped to make it a complete success.

Myself and Curator Todd Bastin

 With another exhibition under my belt in Athens, I set my sights on surrounding towns in Ohio, aiming to diversify their artistic landscape and open doors of opportunity for artists of color like myself who have found a home in hidden gems across the American landscape similar to Athens Ohio.

 

 

 

 

 

On the easel today…

Today 8/27/2015 I have on my easel a piece that initially begun as a warm-up painting, if you will, to a commission I recently received. I say “warm-up” because I sometimes take breaks from painting, and when I get back in the mode small paintings are my practice pieces. In a sense I refresh my talent. I initially thought this painting to be an experiment with technique as well. In so doing I would also find my comfort level, seeing that the commission would be considerably larger. After posting some initial pictures of my process on sites like Instagram and Facebook attention towards the piece grew, that’s when I decided to not only use it as practice but as an actual composition.

The colors I chose in the piece were from a very warm palette. I also wanted to add vivid life to the composition through the application of bright highlights coming from the setting sun, which I wanted to affect almost every object and every part of the painting. I wanted to create a calming mood; the mood you get in the late evening, leisurely walking along the beach, enjoying the warmth of the setting sun on your skin.

I added some natural elements to the composition- rocks, a few birds in the distance, little patches of land rising up out of the water showing depth, and a sailboat. These all serve to harmonize the whole composition. In the lower right of the composition an easel with a canvas propped on it is present. On the canvas an unfinished representation of the sunset in the background is present. I used this technique to create a dual point of engagement for the viewer. I want you the viewer to be engaged in the piece, where you can imagine yourself being the one painting this beautiful scenery, right out on the beach.

Feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear them!