I’ve tried to move beyond
tradition to create new images, composition and mood—to introduce a sense of
freedom and life and harmony, free from the rules and constraints of the
past. I stress mood and feeling in my paintings, achieved through the
harmony of colours in the background. I paint my feelings and allow the
appreciative eye to interpret my works according to what it sees. Others may
not see my work as I intend, but that’s fine. Reading a painting is
personal.
I
paint mostly from memory. I use my mind like a camera. I seek inspiration
everywhere...on my travels, in the works of other artists, and especially in
nature. I dream about the subject and the scenery in my mind. Then the
driving force of inspiration pushes me to put that dream onto paper. Many of
my paintings contain birds. To me they symbolize the essence of life—beauty,
harmony, and freedom. And of course, romance. When I look at a bird in
flight—free to go wherever it wants—dreaming is easy. Recently I find myself
moving toward the contemporary...Chinese painting should not be just plum
blossoms, bamboo, and mountains. Contemporary painting gives me the chance
to explore new directions and to expose myself to a new world where what
matters is image and emotions, not just subject. But even then, I blend East
and West: the delicacy of Chinese brush painting with the excitement of
Western art.
I
often experiment with new methods and media—acrylics, oils, even newspapers
and sponges. I like to try new things – new subjects, new techniques. But I
always paint the way I want. I believe in following my inspiration, wherever
it leads—a personal, never-ending task. I’m always somewhere but I never
arrive.
At the end of
the nineteenth century, several revolutionary-minded young Chinese artists
attempted to create a "New National Painting" style reflecting the impending
cultural and political changes. From other cultures, they brought innovative
ideas, new subjects, and techniques such as fixed perspective, shading light
effects and strong unconventional
