Head drawing

I have not done any drawing for years, I think I need to get used to my drawing tools.

Final 4

Hi, I am back. This was a very busy summer for me. I just moved to my new house, it took me a month to do the remodeling, and the good news is I got a bigger studio, I can imagining that I will produce a lot of great paintings in my new studio :-)

This will be my final semester for my MFA degree, I have followed my teacher Zhaoming Wu for two and half years, and I decided to do a one on one study with another master painter Huihan Liu as my last class, hope I can learn more from him.

I have another good news, New Masters Gallery started to carry my paintings. They put my painting in the window, and sold the first painting in two weeks. So after I finished my final project (nude figure – for sharping my skills) you will see more gallery paintings from my blog.

Summer head study 9 (last one - a quick study)

Summer head study 8

The model agreed me to take a picture, so I post it here with my painting.

Lot of artists knows that the idea and technique are very important for an artist. Here is another element I want to talk a little bit today, I call it - Art taste.

The Art taste for me includes the taste of idea, the taste of technique, the taste of composition etc, and each element includes more sub elements, for example, the taste of composition includes the taste of shape composition, the taste of value composition, the taste of color composition and so on, each of them could be a big topic to talk but I can’t talk too much here.

The Art taste decides the painting style because the artist paint the thing that they think is good; also they pick the technique that they think is good too. It’s important for an artist to have a good Art taste when you choose the idea, the technique, the composition, and the color combination… for you painting.

If you have a good Art taste, then you know how to pick the things to paint when you face to your object. You will know what you need to paint even the thing (shape, value, color or texture) is not exist there; you also know what you don’t need to paint even the thing is just in front of you eyes. This is very important because we are artist not a camera.

How to improve the Art taste? I think it’s more from our life experience. Music, book, design and much more, see more and think more, LEARN FROM THE NATURE.

I don’t know where my seven years old daughter learned from, and she said this to me: Be smart, use your brain! I answered: Ok, I will. I think she was joking to me, but it works here :)

Summer head study 7

I did this study on Monday and just no time to upload it because I was busy in paint my house. Yes, my house, not my canvas. My wife wanted to find guys to paint it, but I bravely said: (I hope I didn’t say that) “I can do this because I can paint on the canvas so the wall.” Then I spent 3 days to finish this job, no idea needed here but lot of labor.

Today, I want to talk a little bit about my painting philosophy, hope it’s not too boring.

I never talked to anybody before but I find that my painting philosophy is from Chinese philosophy Dao. I don’t want to talk about Dao here, but it dose apply to everything in this world.

When I paint a painting, I will think about the shape (big and small), the value (dark and light), the color temperature (warm and cool), the texture (thin and thick), and the edge (hard and soft). That’s all come from nature, all belong to “Yin and Yang” which is Dao’s theory.

Dao talked about keep the balance of Yin and Yang. A good artist knows how to balance the Yin Yang too. I heard a chef said that add a little salt if you want your food sweeter. Same thing when I paint something, I may need something small if I want to paint something big; I will use dark if I want to show something very light; I may need to use some purple around if I feel my yellow looks not yellow enough; I may need to paint some part just by wash if I want to represent some thick texture. So in a painting, big supports small, small supports big, warm supports cool, cool supports warm and so on… this is nature.

Dao also talked about the nature, and I believe that too. I think my idea should from the nature; my paint technique should follow the nature because everything is from the nature. Two years ago, my friend Qiang Huang visited me when I just restarted paint, and we talked about need the power for our painting and we couldn’t get the answer, but now I think I found the answer – learn from the nature.

Summer head study 6

Thank for other artists sent me the comments for study 5, the result was better, a guy collected it.
I just remind that I need to write journal for my final review, so I will write more of my thought on my blog here, it's my homework, more like I talk to my self, but feel free to make your comment if you like.

Currently I am busy in remodeling my house, and next month I need to take care my kids, they are in summer break, I know I have too many excuses for myself.
But today, after my teacher Zhaoming talked to me about the problem of my art work, I think I do need to sit down and take some time to think about how to improve my work even I am not able to paint much now but maybe I can think more, I should learn more from each study.
The idea is very important before start a painting, all the process during the paint should work for the idea, and the final result should represent the idea, I should pay more attention at that for my next study.
The good idea is most important for a good art work even just a study, I think the idea could be about color, shape, your thought, your feeling, or anything touched you; the hand skill is the tool to support you to achieve you idea; Hand skill is important for a artist, but it comes from your brain too.

Summer head study 4

Summer head study 3

Summer head study 2

Summer head study 1

I am going to do some head studies this summer, here is the first one of them. I changed somethings from what I saw from the model to what I thought and felt, I think the result was better.

Smallwork 1

$60 include shipping and handling. email me for how to purchase.

I feel a little tired to paint big painting recently, just want to try some small paintings for fun. Let me know if you like it or you don't like it :)

Final 3

Girl by the window

Final 2

Thanks for many artists emailed me the title for my previous post. It was selected for a fine art show last week, wish me luck!
This is my second painting for my final project, I hope my next painting better, always.

I need a title for this piece, any idea?

Red Coif

The model sat between two windows, the nature lights came from both side. I changed the color temperature on right side to create more interest and the difficult part was the light kept changing from morning to afternoon.

Green Skirt

Purple robe

I am working on a few big paintings recently, and I just realized that I have not take care my blog for while already. I find a old painting here - last year's :) hope your like it!

Mexican girl

The noon of Bayfront park - Menlo Park (Plein Air)

Bayfront park - Menlo Park (Plein Air)

The Entrance of Rancho San Antonio

Rancho San Antonio County Park in Cupertino is a great place for hiking, I had been there many times with my family and friends. Today is the first time I did a Plein Air painting there with my artist friends, we enjoyed a beautiful day in the park...

Here is a painting I started last spring but could not finish it. I find it last night and I am happy I finished it today. Looks like people don’t like my nude figure :( and the nude figure is not my favorite subject either. Hopefully, not more nude figure next year…

A homework, and I don't have a title for it, any suggestion?

Allied Arts - Menlo Park (Plein Air)

Portrait Study 2

Figure Study 2

A halfway painting

This is an unfinished painting I did last week. I don’t want to continue it now, but I think I should post it here to share my progress.
By the way, left up corner is the photo reference I taped on my canvas.

Napping

A two days pose, the angle and the color were challenge for me.

Head Study 2

I did not paint many black peoples, let me know how do you think about this little piece.

Figure Study

Bird Pond

I am glad that more artist friends joined us for the plein Air today. Especially Bonnie, first time joined us and did a beautiful landscape, hope we can see you more!

Portrait Study

A Message

Before Wedding

A rainy day

Thursday is the only day I have time to do Plein Air painting, so I didn’t want to miss the opportunity today even I knew it’s going to rain.

Believe or not, this painting was painted by oil paint plus rainwater :)

Cheer! Kelvin and Alan, we did great job today.

Head study

This is a new picture for the painting, and the color is closer to the original.

Low key and High key (Plein Air)

Plein Air 2

Today is the Chinese New Year of Ox, in China we call it Spring Festival too, and so on Chinese calendar today is the first day of the spring.

My feeling is totally different as last week when I painted at same location this afternoon. The sky is blue and every thing is starts to grow again, the scene looks spunky! I can feel the energy full in the air…

Bayland

It was very cloudy this morning, but luckily did not rain. I went out and did this plien air painting with my friend, I felt very good be able to painting outside even it was very cold. Hope I can keep doing this once per week!

I am appreciate other artists sent me the informations about the painting location around south bay here, that's help a lot!

Fisherman

I did this quick study from Palo Alto art center this afternoon, last time I painted there was one year ago, the challenge for painting there is the lighting is not perfect...

By the way, if you live near south bay of San Francisco, and you know some good locations, please let me know, maybe we can paint some Plein Air together.

An old story

Winter memory

Boats (Monterey Bay)

Evening Fall...

I am so happy this is my last nude figure for the year! The nude figure is not my favorite subject to paint, but it is the best subject to practice my skill; I believe I can paint better next year.

I hope you enjoyed my blog this year, and wish everybody a wonderful holiday season!!

Two figures study

Recently I did some two figures studies, here is one of them. I don't feel it's harder than one figure, but I need to think faster and paint faster because the time for the painting is as same as one figure.

Plein air painting. this is first time I painted on a wood board, pretty smooth!

Rest

San Francisco 5

Market street