Art progress in 4 years update

Painting/Drawing, , , , , ,

I can’t believe how much time has past since I deeply focus on painting itself. Only when I look back I can see my art progress along these years.

In 2017 when I just started I had no idea what my path would be, but now when I look at my folders I have better concept than before. Here I put some image comparison of my art progress in 4 years.

Rainy scene. Left (2017 oil). Right (2021 oil)

The first time when I tried rainy scene my brush stroke was so tight. I was so worried about how to get little details of each water drop that I was constantly painting the fine line and blending. This year I decided to try it again. And this time I felt more relaxed in my brush stroke. I focused more on the rainy feeling rather than the tiny details of each water drop. It started to feel more interesting than before. I like it. ^_^

Bald eagle. Left (2017 oil). Right (2019 oil)

There was another bald eagle painting I made in 2018. A small 8″ by 10″ size. I showed my mom both bald eagle paintings (2017 and 2018) side by side when she was visiting me. She said she can see the difference between them. I was glad that she can see some improvement in my paintings. So in 2019 when I planned to make more medium sized paintings, the bald eagle on the right side was my first one to go. Every time when I want to try a larger size canvas, I always pick up the familiar subjects and allow myself to get use to the large canvas. So far I’ve tried 24″ by 30″. I also have one 24″ by 36″in progress. Hopefully I can finish it by the end of this year. Due to COVID-19, some of my plan has been delayed.

Barn owl. Left (2017 digital). Right (2020 oil)

The barn owl painting was challenging. It was hard to manage those spots and patterns. But eventually, I realized that I had to sit down and paint spot by spot. No shortcut on this one, eh.

Well, at least I’m still improving, right? ^_^

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My paintings are an outlet to express the imagination I have inside my head that I can not put into words. After trying many mediums, I always find myself coming back to paint and brushes. In my current artistic practice, I use oil paint and mainly create portraits of mythical creatures and animals transfixed in the shifting colours of seascapes and landscapes. There is a natural spirit and magic to these creatures and their energy draws me in. Choosing to paint these creatures as real living wildlife rather than abstractions, I use bold and vivid colours to express the imaginary intertwined with reality, finding magic between the seams. Using a saturated colour palette, I create bold and striking imagery, contrasted between foreground and background, subject and landscape, and light and darkness. Weaving their bodies and the surface of the landscape into each other through organic forms and flowing brush strokes, I find beauty, strength and innocence in these creatures that reflect my inner world.