Still life study 112722

 

I hope all of you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I have completed all my planned art business activities. Now I am in the learning mode again. With this still life painting study I have tried combining acrylic and oil together. I did my underpainting wash with acrylic inks, then I painted oil on top. I really like the acrylic inks. They are transparent and dry super fast. So I don't worry about the under painting darks contaminating my foreground colors. They are water based so I can wet my canvas with water and apply watercolor techniques. I just loved it. Applying oil on top of the acrylic has no problem. I have left massive areas of underpainting showing through to maintain an abstract quality for the background. I used a small amount of opaque paint to build the contrast of transparency vs opacity. Using a due light sources to make the colorless metal object colorful. It was so much fun going through the design process of this study.

"Vicki's Laundry"

I did this painting as a commissioned piece. It has quite amount of colors in it. I have practiced my computer aid color matching technique to mix all the color needed. As a matter of fact, if you know how to match color accurately, you don't have to know color temperature and harmony that kind of junk. The painting will automatically look good. I will introduce the color mixing methods soon in my online course about color. So far my preparation of my online teaching goes well. I have just finished the video taping the first part of the course -"Color Theory". I will soon start taping the second part - "Color Mixing". I plan the get the course ready for upload before the end of June. Please encourage me to cross all the learning curves. We all are adapting the new norm of living with the Covid-19. We will survive.

“Demo in Sacramento 2020 2" --- Sold

Metal and glass: how can you show different textures of the objects in your still life setup was the intention I did this demo. Of course they all boiled down to light and shadow, but they do have their own characteristics.

Now we all need to be a home as much as we can. You might want to think more about painting, which it can keep you occupied in a positive way. I consider painting is an activity that can "solidify" time. Your time is not simply passed away, but you can preserve it on your canvas.

"Demo in Sacramento 2020 1"

My workshop in Sacramento started in the gloomy atmosphere of the Covid-19 pandemic. That was March 14. At that time, 50 was the maximum number for people gathering. I had 12 wonderful artists coming to my class. This is the image of my first demo. I put a bottle of "Dawn" detergent in the setup. Of course, I was checking the color variation when I set it up. In hindsight, I can see now my subconsciousness at the moment might imply that we need to wash our hands more often before we touch the tea cup and fruit.

To follow the restriction rules during the pandemic, my workshops and painting competitions either canceled or postponed. I sincerely apologize the inconvenience to access my teaching at this difficult time. I am learning in full speed of making videos and online teaching. Currently I have one DVD available on my website (http://www.qh-art.com/dvd.html). Please check it to get more info.

"Demo at Templeton CA 2020 1"

I am teaching a workshop at Templeton CA, and this is my first demo. The world of 2020 is very different from the good old 2019. I hope everyone of you be safe, wash hands, and take care.

"Demo in Charleston 2020 1" --- Sold

I have started my 3rd workshop of the year. I am in Charleston SC. I put vegetables in my first demo.

"Demo in Little Rock 2020 2" --- Sold

The workshop in Little Rock went well. This is my second demo. I have some free time today and I will tour this beautiful city. Excited.

"Demo in Little Rock 2020 1" --- Sold

I am in Little Rock Arkansas teaching a still life workshop. I want to thank all the artists for taking this class. This is my first day demo.

"Demo in Austin 2020 2"

I had some odd feeling lately (well, maybe you felt the same but not odd any more). My college attending son came back home for the holidays. So we are under the same roof for a while. The odd thing is: every time when I see him, I feel I see myself. Some how my son has become my mirror image. However, every time when I watch myself in a mirror, oddly, I see my father. He has passed many years ago, but he is in front me vividly. Is that strange? The time is playing a trick on me, well, all of us.

I like this painting. simple and consistent. The design is what I like.

"Demo in Austin 2020 1"

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year, all the holidays and festivities have passed like a mirage. Before we know it, we are in the year of 2020. As usual, I have started teaching my painting workshops. Apples, dark backgrounds, glasses and metals, I painted as I usually do. Nothing seem happened. (however, so many have already happened.)

"Demo at Gainesville GA 2019 1"

My final workshop teaching of the year was at Gainesville GA. Having done so many landscape paintings, it felt really good when I was painting still life again. Nowadays, my paintings get a kind of "stylish". I don't know it is good or bad. Definitely, the painting is recognizable. I am happy about that. However in a negative connotation, my painting is getting more cliched. I am not surprised this happens. As a human, I never dreamed to become a super man. I just wish I could have been smarter, so I could have not fell in traps the commercial world. I will try harder and come out of the "burn out" phase. Let us allow the art being "cliched" for a while. I will cook something new when the future comes.

"Demo in Austin 2019 2"

I bought an interesting looking oil lamp from an antique store of somewhere a long time ago. Finally I got a chance to paint it. Here it comes.

"Demo in Austin 2019 1"

Back from Indiana, and started teaching at the hometown. Doing still life again. Life goes on as usual. "Compromise" is the word. I will never give up my art, but I have to give in almost everyday. I wish, I surely wish, some day I can paint without guilt.

"Demo at Enumclaw 2019 1" --- Sold

I did a workshop at Enumclaw Washington on April 12 - 14. Two weeks have passed. Here is my delayed post of my first demo. Thanks to Pat Doyle and Susan Taylor for organizing.

"Demo at Springfield 2019 2" --- Sold

Sometimes, it is hard to say weather I am going too much or not. The 2nd demo is here. I feel I am so borderline now. It was fun to play the abstractness on the background, but I do wonder where this spirit of playing leads me to. Even my son comments quite often that dad is still a teenager. He just wants to play.

"Demo at Springfield 2019 1" --- Sold

Left the Deep South, I have arrived at the West Coast. This is the demo 1 I did at Springfield Oregon. I want thank Gene Costanza and the Emerald Art Center for organizing my workshop, and thanks to all artists for coming. It rains a lot here, but we had fun indoors.

"Demo at Lake Martin 2019 1" --- Sold

This is my first demo on the workshop at the Tallapoosa School of Art at Lake Martin, AL. I want to thank Dorothy and George Littleton for organizing this workshop, and thank all the artists for attending. Lake Martin is a beautiful place. If you are interested to visit and paint there, please check: http://www.tallapoosaworkshops.com.

"Demo at Dahlonega 2019 2" --- Available

Demo 2 at Dahlonega. Falling in love with cobalt teal and pthalo blue.

"Demo at Dahlonega 2019 1"

I am on my teaching trips again. At this moment I am at Dahlonega GA, teaching a still life workshop. I want to thank Anita Elder for organizing this workshop, and thanks to all the artists for coming and paint with me. This is my today's demo painting.

"Demo at Paso Robles 2019 1" --- Sold

This is my 1st demo on my Paso Robles workshop. I really want to thank Marion and Robert for offering their lovely home for me to stay. Thanks to all California artists for attending this workshop.