FP Gravity (孝力)

Oil on Canvas. 24" x 30". March 2005.

FP = Filial Piety = "孝"

Originally, I've started to paint a more tranquil moloncholy piece...but as the work progressed, the outcome metamorphasized into something different. Suddently in my mind, I see bronze color to complete my work...and thank goodness, there is actually bronze-colored oil paint.

Numbers' Memoir I & II (數回顧 I & II)

Oil on Canvas. 12" x 48". Janurary 2005.

Oil on Canvas. 12" x 48". March 2005.

These are meant to be a set. However, I don't really know whether this can be considered as a diptych, because these two pieces are not connected by a hinge or anything. I think I had better check the dictionary or something...

If you look closely, you will see Chinese words there....can you see it?

Silence is Sh*t (沉默是屎)

Oil on Canvas. 36" x 36". March 2005.

This is the biggest piece I have painted yet. I realize that when I have too much detail of what I want to paint (down to the last detail) in my head, it turns out terrible. I doodled much with this painting. It took awhile before I got something that conveyed what I want to express. This painting just evolved by itself.

Interaction: Art for Sale...

One of the Galleries on Geary Street, San Francisco.

Tonight, after a few hours of painting, my painting buddy, Jenny and I went to downtown SF to look at some galleries. Several questions came to my mind....

What are these artists' goals when they paint?...to express or to market?

Do artists paint to please themselves or to please viewers with the mindset to sell?

So has many modern art become so commercial that it mutates into some form of prostitution?!

Waiting (枯候)

Oil on Canvas. 36" x 24". February 2005.

This painting really needs to be looked at in person, because it has so much texture. I have used a tremendous amount of rock/sand medium to create the texture. A lot of time was spent to just stare at the canvas (mostly at night and usually in a meloncholy mood), in search of what colors to use and what strokes to execute, to express what I feel inside.

Surround (圍攏)

Oil on Canvas. 18" x 24". December 2004.

This is the real thing....an oil painting on a 1.5" woodframe. Here, I am still trying to find my style in representing what I see as image of people. I am attempting very hard to think outside of the box, and paint whatever came to mind, without worrying what is right or wrong.

Do notice that this painting was done about 10 months after 'Touch'. I did not paint in-between. Mostly because I don't have a direction. But I now I do (read my Feb 23 entry).

Reaction: Asian Art Museum of SF

I have not been in this Asian Art Museum for over 20 years. This location is a renovated library. Interior-wise is very beautiful and well lit. But its lighting is also its biggest flaw. Due to the sensitivity to light, many Asian art has to go into storage for 5 years after it has only been displayed for 6 months.


Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

There were literally hundreds of Buddhas and demi-god statues from all over Asia. I was so sick of Buddhas by the end of the day!! My big misconception was treating these sculptures as art created for memory of significance. But in reality, they were only tools for worship and was never intended to be done for 'art' sake. Nonetheless, the handywork and its details are phenomonal!!

One of the featured exhibition is called "Sui Jianguo: The Sleep of Reason". Sui Jianguo’s sculptures raise questions about China’s modern past and its future. A highlighted work is the Dinosaur with the words "Made in China" imprinted on its stomach. His work is very manacing and amusing. It's great fun.


"Made in China" Dinosaur. Fiberglass.

The Other Side of Love (愛的背面)

Acrylic on Canvas. 24" x 36" each. January 2004.

Frankly, I hate these (well, I kinda do like the red one) to the point where I almost forgot I had them, even though they are right above my bed.

At first, I wanted to do some kind of abstract figures with unique facial features of my own...but they started to look like Anime characters. So, for the lack of ideas, I painted in cubics....how un-original!! I am still creating within my comfort zone and painting with the mindset to please a 'wider audience' with colorful images. Hense, I hate these.

Interaction: Comfort Zone

For some reason, doing art is so different now, especially from commercial art. It's all about stepping outside my comfort zone. I am constantly afraid to put down things that can ruin what I have done thus far. My mind is bombarded with doubts and the fear of 'right' and 'wrong'. Learning to let go and let my imagination run wild, is one of the hardest mental block to overcome.

I recall when I improvise in music... it is when I forego the key signature, the chord construction, the familar rhythm, and the fear of making mistakes, that the most creative solos and chops came out from me. It is like being part of the essense of music...everything surrounding me disappears into the background; and yield to the music to carry me along like a river.

I am practicing that. Looking hard into the painting and see/hear what the canvas is suggesting me to do... my interaction.

Right now it is all hit or miss. Mostly miss. But I have to make these mistakes in order to open up new horizons. In the weeks to come, I will post some of my latest work. Hopefully, you will see some progression. Something more daring, more creative.