My painting entitled 'Ashworth's' won first place in the Town of Cary's inaugural En Plein Air - Paint the Town contest. JJ received the award at the town's Friday night gala and silent auction on May 30 at the Cary Art Center. My second submission entitled 'Market Day' sold during the silent auction!

After experimenting with oil for the past few months, yesterday I was feeling the urge to paint watercolor during our weekly life drawing session. The figure was painted in a very tight time frame and was finished when the paper was still wet. I made a mess with water splashing everywhere. Exhausted from hunching my back over the painting for over 40 minutes, this was what I had to show by the end.

 

Happy New Year--A Year of Horse! I have been working on this oil painting for quite a few days now, and I hope that I can finish it in next a few days. Come to the Village Art Circle to see the finished original.

The sentiment of the Hometown Water painting series

One customer recently bought two of my Hometown Water painting series.  She traveled in China during the 90s, and my paintings brought back some good memories for her.  I am just glad that my sentiment behind creating this painting series is not just unique to me, but it can also vibrate on someone else's emotional string.  Here is the poem which shows the emotional impulse behind my Hometown water painting series  

 

                                   Hometown Water by JJ

                                                   I drank it

It is my mother’s milk

Nourishing and vital

 

I bathed in it

It is my lover’s tear

Bitter yet sweet

 

I painted with it

It is my blood

Vibrant and luminous

 

I sang of it

The lyric was nostalgic

The melody melancholy

 

I dreamed of it

In it I saw a face of a child

Transparent and pure

I reach to embrace it

 So close, but too far…

 

Pick up the ink brush again

Last year I gave a presentation to the Cary Fine Art League on traditional Chinese Art. Ever since then, I have become more conscious about integrating the traditional Chinese art techniques and its inspirations into my current work. I have started to use the ink brush a lot more. It is very difficult to control an ink brush. But if one uses it well, the results are often very rewarding.

These two paintings were merely done for our Holiday Art Spectacular opening reception at the Village Art Circle last night. The canvases were still wet and they could still use a few touch ups here and there. I titled them "Dreaming of a ...white Christmas". Some of you may recognize these two paintings depict the Ashworth Drug Store and the church crossing the street from the store. The snow is used to blank out all the non essential details from the street and cars are purposely omitted. I tried to create a timeless small American village feel. One of the paintings was sold at the opening!See More

The drawing is titled "New Woman," though it is not meant to associate with the idea of Feminism in any way.  I was intrigued by the model's appearance from the onset as it seemed to transcend race and ethnicity.  I posed her in such a way not very typical in the sense of emphasizing traditional feminine features such as curves and a slightly reserved nature.  Instead the model in this drawing projects confidence and an assertive outlook.