I would like to begin with my father. When I was a little boy, my father built a small garden in the backyard, and filled it with various carefully potted plants. A new routine that became part of my life was to come and find my father tending his potted treasures. Bedecked in an apron with the tools in hand my father practiced the ancient alchemy of root carving shaping each one into a work of art. (Root-carving, an art form using the roots of trees.) I feel it was my father that gave me inspiration me to grow and craft my works of art which define my life.
When I was around seven or eight years old, I refused to attend voila, calligraphy and gymnastics classes, they were the most commonly approved after-school activities of the time. I pestered my mom into taking me to an old artist that I came to call Grandma Nian. She was an artist who was teaching a painting class, and Grandma Nian is the first person who showed me the world of art. Under her patient tutelage, I began to develop my world in small sketch books, with watercolor pens. Grandma Nian always offered me praise saying that I show the talent to be a painter. In addition she would always share her praise of my skills to my parents when they would visit; this filled me with such confidence that when I was asked about my future I would always answer with great confidence “I WILL BE A PAINTER.”
Due to my natural artistic talents, my classmates in middle school would always seek me out for assistance in their art homework, which I always enjoyed. My talents also led to me being in charge of making of my classes display board.
Before I had even taken the university entrance exams I had already determined that I would apply to attend an academy of fine arts in China. The main determining factors were that my grades in other courses were mediocre and my paintings were exceptional. I was finally blessed with acceptance to seek admittance to the Sichuan Art Institute. Despite my initial adulation at acceptance to this prestigious institute, my ego was soon dashed when I realized that my classmates far exceeded me when it came to sketch techniques.
During your sophomore you have to decide which primary art medium you will enter; you are given a choice between oil painting and mixed media studio. I chose the latter with-out any hesitation; we learned photography, videography, performance, installations etc. This branch helped me to learn the different languages of art.
I finally found my key inspiration in Yoshitomo Nara. His works presenting figures of little girls with bright child-like eyes to dogs with eyes of a docile nature presented in pure white. He even presents children wearing animal cosplay that are amazingly cute but yet presented in a lonely dim background promoting sympathy in the viewer. Since childhood I have been greatly fascinated by cartoons everything from: Dragonball to Doraemon and Rama ½. Comic books also played a major role in my life at this time as they helped to get through my youth. I soon realized that cartoons presented a way to express my feeling through, and this realization is all thanks to Yoshitomo Nara.
I constantly strive to express the inspirations that I receive in daily life through my cartoons. This inspiration can come from a person I see on the street, a song or even a movie.
From a young age my mother taught me to be neat, the result has shown an influence in my works. It does not matter if it is a draft or finished work they must all must be clean and tidy. In the beginning I resented that, until I determined it had become my style.
A majority of my works I consider experimental, which is drawn from my days of studying mixed medium arts. It was in the mixed arts I tried new mediums in my paintings; everything from piling of plastic paste, collage cloth and gold leaf and powder. I feel the exploration of different mediums is as exciting as chemistry experiments. From the beginning you never know the results until the end, but this never prevents you from having a good time when doing it.
Finally I would like to discuss the title of this exhibit: “First Kiss.” This also happens to be the name of one of my works, from the viewer’s perspective you see two boys from behind in a passionate embrace kissing each other deeply while one cradles the head of the other. Although you cannot see their faces you can feel their emotions; their shyness, tenderness and growing love between them. We see this as a budding plant upon one boy’s hand.
As you can see here I am not like other people, but I cannot tell people my feelings through words. So instead I express these feelings through my paintings to share with my audience the experiences of my life. From every brush stroke to every drop of paint they represent my feelings and emotions. All I seek through my works are the love and appreciation of my audience.
Two years of time, thirty big or small paintings, every small daily happening of life, all about love.