Russian Girl

Available at Waterhouse Gallery.

I am going to China for a two and a half months vacation. I will bring my painting tools with me, but might not be able to post my new paintings on my blog.

My email will be available if you want to contact me :)

Wish you a wonderful summer ! :)

Rose study series - SOLD

The show last weekend

Here is a picture of the opening of my show at Silvana Gallery May 21th, I have more pictures on my facebook if you are interested.

The show had been recorded by Countdown Los Angeles Television Show on KCAL 9 and interviewed by art critic Terri Martin. I will share the video later if I look good on the TV :)

Thanks for everyone who come to my show, and special thanks to Silvana Ambar, the gallery owner who made everything possible!

The invitation from Silvana Gallery

My show is coming ! Hope to see you there this weekend.

Hen - SOLD

I like to paint this way! :)

Rose study series - SOLD

Pink Roses

Available at New Masters Gallery

Something wrong with blog, 6 comments disappeared :(

The roses are blooming everywhere around my house, love to paint them!

Kitten - SOLD

Click here to bid

The kitten is so cute! I have to paint her :)

Cooking for the festival

Available at Silvana Gallery.

The fire is really cool, isn't it ? :)

The painting is for my solo show at Silvana gallery, the opening reception is May 21th, 6pm to 10pm, I will be there.

Also I am going to have an open studio at my home studio in Santa Clara, California this Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm, just want to get more connection with local people. Although most of my painting already sent to Silvana gallery for my show, but if you are nearby and want to visit me this weekend, please feel free to send me an email for my address.

Blooming Roses - SOLD

Click here to bid

I like the size of the canvas, will paint more in this size...

Rose study series - SOLD

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Another small rose study in different approach, I actually spent a lot of time on this small painting, back and forward many times, and I think the result is not bad :)

Rose study series - SOLD

Click here to bid

I think the small study offer me more chances to try some new ideas that I was afraid to try on the big paintings.

On this small rose study, I applied high key and less modeling, so I got more room to play on the colors, please let me know how do you think and if you like it :)

Frowning Rooster - SOLD

Click here to bid

My daughter named it. Hum, pretty fun :)!

Tahoe Snow - SOLD

Inspired by some artist friends, I started to do some small studies (no bigger than 8" x 10") before I paint them to a big canvas. I think this is very helpful to see the design (composition) and the unity of value pattern and color pattern before I spend a lot of time on a painting.

For my small studies, you have chance to get them by a very good price from "Daily Paintworks" if you like them :) but my painting bigger than 8" x 10" will be more finished quality and the gallery price.

Kelsey - SOLD

A double lights portrait demo I did yesterday, hope I got more time for the painting.

flower series

Available at Silvana Gallery.

My first try for flower painting.

Some friends ask me if I want to change my subject because recently I painted landscape, still life, bird, and a lot of other things, I think I never changed my subject, I enjoy capturing all the beauty around us, it is just like I have all the good food on my list, after eating some meals, I may want to try some vegetables.

Enjoy the painting :)

Lunch Time

I did not feel well (cough) for a few weeks, I should not play soccer before recovered :(

So I did not paint enough for a while, need to catch up now!!

This is a painting I did a month ago, and did a few changes but no time to retake a picture. It will be the biggest painting for my solo at Silvana Gallery this May (I want to but I don't think I will have chance to paint something bigger before my show).

Enjoy it, and hope to see you at Silvana Gallery :)

Sweet Dream

Available at Silvana gallery.

Lemon and Carnation

Available at Silvana gallery.

Lemons

Available at Silvana gallery.
Lemons from our lemon tree, very fresh :)

Fishing - SOLD

Sketches

Available at Silvana gallery.

I planed to do one finished portrait painting per year, here is the one for this year, spent me about 5 days on it. the best result was on the second day, but I did not stop, back and forward a few times and used all the techniques I can imagine on the painting. I don't really like the finished result, and I almost teared the painting by the end of day five but didn't do it, I know I am getting old now :) I will do a better one next year.

Still learned a lot during the process, I feel much more comfortable when I work on next big painting, I will share the painting later when it's finished, I like it a lot.

Portrait Demo 2 - SOLD

I had lecture about color today, and did this small demo in my class.

By the way, I am working on bigger paintings for my solo, it's take me at least a few days to finish one painting, also I don't want to post all my big paintings here before my solo, so people can see some of my new paintings in the opening of my show, but if I have small piece like this, I will share with you here :)

Figure for my solo

Available at Silvana Gallery.

I have replaced the image :)

Last month I did 3 big nude figure paintings for my solo at Silvana gallery this May, here is two of them.
I am not good at take picture for the big painting, but I can tell you that the original paintings looks way better than the images here, please join me for the show at Silvana gallery if you want to see the original piece. I will have the detail information later on my blog.

Portrait Demo 1

Available at Waterhouse Gallery.

I never done monochrome painting before, here is the first one I did for my portrait painting class last week. Feel good to back to the same class room when I was student.

Seaside

Available at Silvana gallery.

Children always my favorite subject to paint. Tomorrow is Chinese New Year, don't forget the lucky money (压岁钱) for them tonight :)

Small still life

I did this small still life with my artist friends last week, they did the beautiful set up, I like it.

Black knight - SOLD

Quiet creek

Available at Silvana gallery.

Merry Christmas

Available at Silvana gallery.

After the cold and foggy weather, I may need some sun shine for my life.

Merry Christmas!

Foggy Standford 2

Available at New Masters Gallery.


One more landscape from Standford, please email me if you are interested to purchase these two small beauties.

Foggy Standford 1

Not for sell.

Just finished a small landscape, this is first time I painted on an Oil Primed Linen Panel, not bad :) Please email me if you are interested.

Sketches - SOLD

by New Masters Gallery.

Small Still Life (persimmons) - SOLD

A small painting I did tonight with two of my artist friends, it was fun to paint with friends. This is a pretty small painting for me, but please email me if you are interested.

Natural Light - SOLD

by Silvana Gallery.

I enjoyed to paint from both cool and warm lights.

Tomorrow I am going to down to the Waterhouse Gallery, Santa Barbara for the opening of "Great American Figurative Artists Exhibition", hope to see you there :)

Girl with a jar

Available at New Masters Gallery.

Figurative Series (Mary in the studio)

Available at New Masters Gallery.

Mary is a good artist, and she is so lovely, I am glad that she modeled for me, maybe I will do more paintings from her.

By the way, one of my last year's summer head study (#8) has been selected to Oil Painters of America's Western Regional Exhibition at Mountain Trails Gallery in Jackson, Wyoming, the show will start from October 9 through November 10.

I am also going to have a group show "Great impressions - Masters of Fine Art" at Silvana Gallery Oct 23th, I have 7 paintings for the show, I will try to be there. You can find more information about the show and me at "American Art Collector" October 2010 issue.

Figurative Series (Before the performance 2) - SOLD

by Silvana Gallery.

Figurative Series (Before the performance)

Available at Silvana Gallery.

Figurative Series (learn from master)

Available at Silvana Gallery.

This was a moment from my museum trip to DC, the girl was learning form a Rembrandt's self portrait, really catched my eyes.

The awards banquet

A little behind, I came back from my trip to DC and NYC a few weeks ago, here is a picture of the winners on the stage of the 12^th Annual International Portrait Competition hosted by the Portrait Society of America. The trip was great, met a lot of great artists and saw a lot of great paintings.
I am a little busy with my family recently, but I will keep post my new works here as soon as I get chance to paint.

Landscape Series (Provence, France) - SOLD

I am going to have a Fine Arts museum trip to New York and Washington DC with my friends later this month. I want to see some paintings from Fechin, Rembrandt and Sargent, any suggestion about good museums in that area?

Figurative Series (03-28-10)

Available at Silvana Gallery.

I have a good news here, my painting "A quiet moment" (January 8th's post) has been selected to the top 30 of 12th Annual International Portrait Competition by Portrait Society of America.
I expected something better, but I am still very happy this time because I only did one finished portrait painting last year.

Figurative Series

#1 24" x 30" Available at Silvana Gallery.

#2 24" x 30" Available at Silvana Gallery.

Figurative Series (Make a friend 2)

Available at Silvana Gallery.

I painted a few kids paintings recently. This is a new subject for me, but I really enjoyed to paint it. I think I will paint more if I have the chance later.

Small Still Life 03-02-10

If there is no light, we are not able to see any shape, value or color. So, no matter what the subject is, we just painting the light.
I put the still life under the "portrait light", than painted it as a portrait painting, and if I put them under the nature light, I think I can paint it as a landscape painting (I will do it later once I get a stabled nature light). So I think the subject should not be a matter for an artist, the matter is how to see the subject in the light environment.
Please email me if you are interested in this one.

Figurative Series (Make a friend)

Available at Silvana Gallery.

Figurative Series (Fresh and Sweet)

Available at Silvana Gallery.

It's took me longer to finish a painting since this month and I don't know why, I hope it just temporarily because I know that I still have too many paintings need to be finished :)

Here is the one I would like to share with you today.

Happy Chinese New Year of Tiger - SOLD

This is a painting I posted before, and later I used it as an example for my graduate study class (a theory and writing class) a year ago, I post it here again to share a little bit of my thought with you.

Tomorrow is valentine's day and it is also the first day of the year of tiger in China, I wish everyone a good year ahead! 虎虎生風, 虎年行大運!

Below was my writing for the GS class:

"I want to use this painting to “mapping” some of my current concepts about painting.
Idea: My idea for the painting.
Sharp, value, color: The elements I always need to keep in mind when I paint.
Finished and Unfinished: finish the important part and the contrast with unfinished part will bring the viewer’s eyes to the focus of point, also make the unfinished part looks like finished. With out finished part, the unfinished part will looks like nothing.
Detail and No detail: less detail in the shadow part will make other part looks more detail.
Edge control and Brush works: Use the edge control to make the painting looks 3D; Use brush works to make the fur looks like real.
Chinese painting techniques: The techniques I want to add in to my oil painting (hybrid)."