Artist Statement

For the last half century, I have been enamored by the textures, complex tones and elegance of oil paintings, but it wasn’t until the end of 2018 that I picked up the brush and tried my luck on the canvas for the very first time.

I was born in China, and came to the U.S. In the mid-80s for academic advancement and greater economic opportunities following the Cultural Revolution. I attended graduate school at UMass, and decided to stay in the region after my studies. I was always taken by the awe inspiring landscapes of the Northeast.

After I retired from teaching in 2018, with a donated easel from a former colleague, and a home office converted into a makeshift art studio, I put paint to canvas. Once I realized that I was a vessel for these visual stories to come forth, painting quickly became a newfound obsession, where within that first year alone, I produced 40 new pieces.

Having merely dabbled as a youth (if chalk on blackboard is considered experience), and never having received formal art training, I am pleased that many friends and family are astonished and delighted by my paintings.

Using the painstakingly methodical and rhythmic medium of oil, I hope my works are quiet, serene and contemplative—and that they capture my deep reverence and love for landscapes—both real and imagined.