My post on my beginning as a painting prodded me to inspect myself deeper. One of the convenient way to do so for me is inspecting self-portraits I did in the past. Those paintings including portrait-studies, and other genre of works I conveniently stepped in as the model.
Many artists painted self-portrait - one of the most familiar objects to most artists, and the model is most readily available and can be requested with any order, without much ado, therefore the attraction, plus the sense of self-discovery and a little vanity. Therefore, in the following paintings, technically speaking, though I "modeled" for all of them, only a handful are really me, while in the rest, I was only a vessel.
http://www.matthewfelixsun.com/
Painting list:
- A Moment with Oneself
- Three Figures
- Drifting
- Beach · Elements
- Dissonance
- Self-Portrait, Black and White
- Interaction
- Dancing (or Wer tanzt?)
- Sheltering
- Vegetable Garden
- Orange
- Irises
>> Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part X: Paintings of Interiors
<< Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part VIII: "The Triumph of Saint George"
(2003)
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
An Accidental Artist -- My Beginning
Despite my apparent aptitude for fine art since childhood, I didn't plan to become a fine artist. My parents didn't encourage me to wade into any fields relating to human conditions; considering I grew up in totalitarian China, one can easily understand their attitudes. Even so, I did a lot of drawings when I was young till middle school, at which time I felt more excited by science and mathematics, and turned away completely from fine art and literature and that attitude carried me through high school.
When in college, the aim to come to the US to study become ever clearer and I devoted most my time to English, when I didn't have to struggle with my engineering study. I remembered an instance when I casually did a drawing for a friend and how he was amazed by my ease, which contrasted with my hard labor with my courses. That moment, though not watershed, was a moment hard to ignore.
After graduating with a bachelor degree on Engineering Mechanics (almost Applied Mathematics), I managed to come to the US for a master degree on Civil and Environmental Engineering. While working on my master degree thesis, I nurtured a hope of becoming a writer and worked on an ambitious family saga. Once my thesis on mathematical model simulating pollutants movements in groundwater and the manuscript were completed, I found myself had too many time handy, particularly after a short but intense relationship, and when I was not hanging out with a British friend, who was my partner on tennis court as well as commiserating over the shallowness of Americans. The problem was solved when I noticed an advertisement for art class.
The class didn't go too well because the teacher tried to impose his chosen style, however, it did reignite my love for visual art and I started to explore painting with acrylics and oil. After those classes, I enrolled with Cincinnati Art Academy for several classes, such as landscape painting, portrait painting in old master way, etc. I also met several established artists during monthly gallery tours, and I got more instructions and encouragements to continue.
A few years later, I decided to move out of Midwest -- five years was long enough. After I left my professional field and arrived in San Francisco, I soon befriended with someone with some connections to publishing world. Incredibly, that friend of mine was impressed by my writing and offered to edit my work, on the condition that I'll use only part of the novel, and turn it into a memoir. I took his advice and he soon secured a literary agent for me, a couple months before the agent quitted the field. When my friend failed to find another agent, he persuaded me to turn it back to novel. But he by then was in a personal financial trouble and had no time to read my revisions and I started to devote more of my time to painting.
By then, I started to show in galleries, albeit small ones, and in competitions. I also was invited to teach painting and had works published by several art review magazines. Thus my fate was sealed, though time to time, I was really attempted to write again, particularly when my painting could not convey the underlining full context of a complex narrative. Fortunately, I took this as a challenge and the direction of my artistic growth and strive to enrich the iconography of my paintings and drawings.
Unexpected but hardly surprising to people who had known me long. Therefore, an artist, I am.
>> My Path, Part II: Growing Up in Cultural Desert
When in college, the aim to come to the US to study become ever clearer and I devoted most my time to English, when I didn't have to struggle with my engineering study. I remembered an instance when I casually did a drawing for a friend and how he was amazed by my ease, which contrasted with my hard labor with my courses. That moment, though not watershed, was a moment hard to ignore.
After graduating with a bachelor degree on Engineering Mechanics (almost Applied Mathematics), I managed to come to the US for a master degree on Civil and Environmental Engineering. While working on my master degree thesis, I nurtured a hope of becoming a writer and worked on an ambitious family saga. Once my thesis on mathematical model simulating pollutants movements in groundwater and the manuscript were completed, I found myself had too many time handy, particularly after a short but intense relationship, and when I was not hanging out with a British friend, who was my partner on tennis court as well as commiserating over the shallowness of Americans. The problem was solved when I noticed an advertisement for art class.
The class didn't go too well because the teacher tried to impose his chosen style, however, it did reignite my love for visual art and I started to explore painting with acrylics and oil. After those classes, I enrolled with Cincinnati Art Academy for several classes, such as landscape painting, portrait painting in old master way, etc. I also met several established artists during monthly gallery tours, and I got more instructions and encouragements to continue.
A few years later, I decided to move out of Midwest -- five years was long enough. After I left my professional field and arrived in San Francisco, I soon befriended with someone with some connections to publishing world. Incredibly, that friend of mine was impressed by my writing and offered to edit my work, on the condition that I'll use only part of the novel, and turn it into a memoir. I took his advice and he soon secured a literary agent for me, a couple months before the agent quitted the field. When my friend failed to find another agent, he persuaded me to turn it back to novel. But he by then was in a personal financial trouble and had no time to read my revisions and I started to devote more of my time to painting.
By then, I started to show in galleries, albeit small ones, and in competitions. I also was invited to teach painting and had works published by several art review magazines. Thus my fate was sealed, though time to time, I was really attempted to write again, particularly when my painting could not convey the underlining full context of a complex narrative. Fortunately, I took this as a challenge and the direction of my artistic growth and strive to enrich the iconography of my paintings and drawings.
Unexpected but hardly surprising to people who had known me long. Therefore, an artist, I am.
Awakening
Oil on Canvas
18" x 24"
Completed in 2009
© Matthew Felix SunOil on Canvas
18" x 24"
Completed in 2009
>> My Path, Part II: Growing Up in Cultural Desert
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
"The Triumph of Saint George" (2003)
Not content to stay in his Texas ranch and chop the bushes, George W. Bush invaded our post-GWB era with a blitz of media event to promote his book. This intense publicity brought back many bitter memories of that era devoid of human decency and humanity.
One good thing came out of that wreckage for me was a group of emotionally highly-charged, iconographically rich paintings, which formed the main body of my ongoing "Apocalypse Series". Below is an excerpt from my statement for this series:
One of these paintings was a direct protest to George W. Bush's drumming up of invasion to Iraq - The Triumph of Saint George, a Cassandra's cry, deemed as traitorous by many at the time. I saw burning oil fields, I saw nuclear bomb's explosions and skeletons of burned houses, I saw bones and skulls stacked up on which a triumph George W Bush flashed his derisive smirk. He carried a large flag with coat of "Saint George" - red cross on white cloth. On the banner's staff, he carried his trophy, a lump of monstrous object -- I couldn't deny his military might and I was sure that he would parade a trophy about, whatever it might be.
Whatever George W. Bush and his staunch supporters and apologists might justify for this atrocious actions against humanity and democracy, I, an American citizen grew up in a totalitarian China have this to say, complacency destroys democracy. Though we yanked our country from the dangerous ant-democratic road GWB led us onto, we might slip back very easily.
>> Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part IX: My Self-Portraits
<< Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part VII: My Bird Paintings on YouTube
One good thing came out of that wreckage for me was a group of emotionally highly-charged, iconographically rich paintings, which formed the main body of my ongoing "Apocalypse Series". Below is an excerpt from my statement for this series:
As a society, I wonder whether we have lost track of the human spirit. We live in a privileged time and place, with abundant materials to consume. We are blessed with scientific understanding of the physical universe and we have been able to plant our national flag in the virgin soil of the moon. But have we built the world we ought to live in? As an artist and a human being I have serious doubts. Can we truly be meant to be the masters of the earth, if reckless consumption, pollution, and mass extinction are the result of our mastery? Will we destroy our own civilizations through irresponsible selfishness? Will our extinction follow those of whales, tigers, foxes and dragonflies?
One of these paintings was a direct protest to George W. Bush's drumming up of invasion to Iraq - The Triumph of Saint George, a Cassandra's cry, deemed as traitorous by many at the time. I saw burning oil fields, I saw nuclear bomb's explosions and skeletons of burned houses, I saw bones and skulls stacked up on which a triumph George W Bush flashed his derisive smirk. He carried a large flag with coat of "Saint George" - red cross on white cloth. On the banner's staff, he carried his trophy, a lump of monstrous object -- I couldn't deny his military might and I was sure that he would parade a trophy about, whatever it might be.
Whatever George W. Bush and his staunch supporters and apologists might justify for this atrocious actions against humanity and democracy, I, an American citizen grew up in a totalitarian China have this to say, complacency destroys democracy. Though we yanked our country from the dangerous ant-democratic road GWB led us onto, we might slip back very easily.
>> Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part IX: My Self-Portraits
<< Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part VII: My Bird Paintings on YouTube
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
My Bird Paintings on YouTube
My video of fish paintings was rather quite received and I was encouraged to continue the effort, therefore I uploaded a video consisted of my bird paintings.
This group of bird paintings, almost universally ominous, perhaps that reflects the reaction of a city dweller towards those ethereal but somewhat nasty creatures. Many of these paintings were created in the difficult times, from the looming Iraqi War to the big economic downturn we all suffering from. But there was still sliver of upbeats can be discern, if one observe closely enough.
Painting list:
- Shadow, 30" x 40", 2008
- Ravens, 24" x 30", 2010
- Falling, 24" x 36", 2003
- Hindrance, 30" x 18", 2010
- Birds and Men, 30" x 40", 2003
- Siege, 18" x 24", 2010
- Bruges, Impression, 24" x 30", 2009
- Crow, 24" x 18", 2009
- Dark Wings, 24" x 30", 2010
For more birds and other animal paintings, please visit my Flickr set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/sets/72157621940201251/
>> Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part VIII: "The Triumph of Saint George" (2003)
<< Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part VI: My Fish Paintings on YouTube
This group of bird paintings, almost universally ominous, perhaps that reflects the reaction of a city dweller towards those ethereal but somewhat nasty creatures. Many of these paintings were created in the difficult times, from the looming Iraqi War to the big economic downturn we all suffering from. But there was still sliver of upbeats can be discern, if one observe closely enough.
Painting list:
- Shadow, 30" x 40", 2008
- Ravens, 24" x 30", 2010
- Falling, 24" x 36", 2003
- Hindrance, 30" x 18", 2010
- Birds and Men, 30" x 40", 2003
- Siege, 18" x 24", 2010
- Bruges, Impression, 24" x 30", 2009
- Crow, 24" x 18", 2009
- Dark Wings, 24" x 30", 2010
For more birds and other animal paintings, please visit my Flickr set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/sets/72157621940201251/
>> Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part VIII: "The Triumph of Saint George" (2003)
<< Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part VI: My Fish Paintings on YouTube
Monday, November 8, 2010
"Thorned Flowers" - A Semi-Abstract Still Life Painting Completed
I just finished a still life painting, which is almost abstract in style, titled "Thorned Flowers".
This painting was inspired by Vincent van Gogh's Almond Blossom, a painting influenced by Japanese woodcut, with its delicate pale sky and boldly outlined branches and thick impasto petals. Ever since saw it in Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, the image haunted me time to time, particularly when I drifted in and out of my dreams. One of those moments propelled me to capture a fleeting image I saw - a fields of pink peach flowers, which I was very familiar with because they populated a main boulevard in the city I grew up, delicate yet persistent, brilliantly offset by an intense blue sky. For me, however, this beautiful image is not readily to be reached. It would be separated by a row of rude black barb wires, either preventing the beauty's escaping from its tyranny, or preventing suitors' reaching their desired objects.
Van Gogh's painting was a fairy tale. My painting tries to present a sad reality:
Thorned Flowers
Oil on Canvas
18" x 24"
Completed in 2010
This painting was inspired by Vincent van Gogh's Almond Blossom, a painting influenced by Japanese woodcut, with its delicate pale sky and boldly outlined branches and thick impasto petals. Ever since saw it in Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, the image haunted me time to time, particularly when I drifted in and out of my dreams. One of those moments propelled me to capture a fleeting image I saw - a fields of pink peach flowers, which I was very familiar with because they populated a main boulevard in the city I grew up, delicate yet persistent, brilliantly offset by an intense blue sky. For me, however, this beautiful image is not readily to be reached. It would be separated by a row of rude black barb wires, either preventing the beauty's escaping from its tyranny, or preventing suitors' reaching their desired objects.Van Gogh's painting was a fairy tale. My painting tries to present a sad reality:
Thorned Flowers
Oil on Canvas
18" x 24"
Completed in 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
My Fish Paintings on YouTube
I am really on a roll now, building up my YouTube video presentations of my artworks. This post features my fish paintings.
Time to time, I have painted fish, which is quite fascinating to me. They are free yet water bound and that duality holds infinite opportunity for artists interested in probing psychological depth. The relations between human beings and fish is quite complicated and several of my paintings such as "At Home" or "One Fine Day" described this rather clearly.
Yet, not all of them strike sad tones. There are upbeats as well, embodied in paintings like "Upstream". There is certain indomitable spirit in fish as well, which is what most cherishable.
Golden Fish
Oil on Canvas, 36" x 24", Completed in 2005
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3835140493/
One Fine Day
Oil on Canvas, 18" x 24", Completed in 2006
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3835017688/
White Fish
Oil on Canvas, 24" x 30", Completed in 2005
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3842416319/
Linear Fish
Oil on Canvas, 28" x 22", Completed in 2005
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3842416355/
Mackerel
Oil on Canvas, 28" x 22", Completed in 2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3842416439/
At Home
Oil on Canvas, 18" x 24", Completed in 2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3843244174/
Jingwei Filling Up the Sea
Oil on Canvas, 24" x 36", Completed in 2008
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3856364733/
Upstream
Oil on Canvas, 24" x 18", Completed in 2008
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3834225071/
For more fish or animal related paintings, please visit my Flickr photo set: Animal.
>> Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part VII: My Bird Paintings on YouTube
<< Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part V: Flower Paintings in Video
Time to time, I have painted fish, which is quite fascinating to me. They are free yet water bound and that duality holds infinite opportunity for artists interested in probing psychological depth. The relations between human beings and fish is quite complicated and several of my paintings such as "At Home" or "One Fine Day" described this rather clearly.
Yet, not all of them strike sad tones. There are upbeats as well, embodied in paintings like "Upstream". There is certain indomitable spirit in fish as well, which is what most cherishable.
Golden Fish
Oil on Canvas, 36" x 24", Completed in 2005
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3835140493/
One Fine Day
Oil on Canvas, 18" x 24", Completed in 2006
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3835017688/
White Fish
Oil on Canvas, 24" x 30", Completed in 2005
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3842416319/
Linear Fish
Oil on Canvas, 28" x 22", Completed in 2005
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3842416355/
Mackerel
Oil on Canvas, 28" x 22", Completed in 2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3842416439/
At Home
Oil on Canvas, 18" x 24", Completed in 2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3843244174/
Jingwei Filling Up the Sea
Oil on Canvas, 24" x 36", Completed in 2008
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3856364733/
Upstream
Oil on Canvas, 24" x 18", Completed in 2008
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3834225071/
For more fish or animal related paintings, please visit my Flickr photo set: Animal.
>> Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part VII: My Bird Paintings on YouTube
<< Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part V: Flower Paintings in Video
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