In this painting, I want to present humans’ living condition on earth. There are so many potential dangers in this large and complicated society. Anything can influence people. When we boast that our advanced chemical technology is able to make this planet more colorful, we have no idea how the adoption of science would bring huge changes to animals, even to insects like flies. Animals that have been weak and docile can suddenly become dangerous and threatening, and such a situation not only frighten us but also reveals what is hidden in us. 

In this painting I hope to show both faces of the human being. We evolved from ape, but no one can be sure that we will not turn back to ape, our origin, or evolve to a more advanced form. Here in this portrait, tiger represents the desire and dog embodies honesty. 

This piece was inspired by my tour to Huizhou. I exaggerated the color to red, an auspicious color in the Chinese tradition. Huizhou is a wonderful place that seems peaceful but has been inhabited by people who have gone through a lot. I cannot describe the feeling they gave me but can display it in color. Their spiritual power even can shake these buildings. Their spirit might make the tough environment become harmonious. 

This series is my figure study rendered from direct observation. I tried different media and colors to represent various emotions, such as calmness and enthusiasm. There are also minute sketches. 

This project was to combine a whole-length self-portrait and an artwork at RISD museum. The one I chose was The African Venus made by Charles-Henri-Joseph Cordier. I put myself in the pose of Venus de Milo in Louvre, and the smoke on upper left side contains prints of real Venus de Milo. The painting represents peace among different races. 

This piece is the Trompe L’oeil Project. The still life in the drawing was collected from my best friends when I studied at the pre-college program last summer. After finishing it, I let my friends sign the drawing to celebrate our friendship. 

People tend to pay too much attention to the bicycle’s daily function. In my drawing, I emphasize the components that provide the function, which can be more important than the function itself, viewed from a different perspective. 

This one was made after going to my grandmother’s funeral. The idea is from a big poplar in the cemetery. When facing the death, not only humans but also any organism will be afraid. But there is always a sense of courage in the depth of the heart. 

Graphite, Color Pencil & Acrylic

40cm*50cm 

 

NATURAL REVOLUTION

Ball-point Pen

76cm*54cm

 

This painting is to express the relationship between humans and nature, sea and land. This is the natural world in my imagination, and it is also a reversed world. As humans, we are part of the nature. 

BLINDNESS

Magazine & Metal

41cm*60cm

 

The project is “surrealism“ and requires us to make a collage, using magazine pages. My main idea is to reflect one’s attitude toward life, the loss of direction. Human beings become machines under the high-paced society and live under others’ eyes. 

STAMP PORTRAIT

Printmaking

93cm*72cm

 

The project was to create a self-portrait, and we could use any media. I chose to do printmaking and made two stamps. On the red one are my Chinese name, English name and a symbol that represents me. On the black one is a tiny portrait of me. I want to use these varieties of the tiny me to make a big me. The color red represents my passion for art. It was sold for $500 that was donated to charity. 

Clay

35cm*15cm*45cm

 

This piece is a self-motivated project. I want to express my thoughts of the relationship between humans and nature, the mutualism. The small bird represents human wisdom. The muscular tissue represents humans’ original state.