Time for Cooking 烹飪時刻

She was cooking in the old English Village in the Plymouth Plantation in Cape Cod.  People in this village wear the clothes and live in simple houses as in the 17th century when the Pilgrims arrived in America via the Mayflower ship from England.   The lights from the upper window, the textures of the walls and the girl in cooking caught my eyes for an interesting painting.  The overall warm colors along with the cool blue top present a picture of harmony.

Oil on linen canvas board, 20x16

The Four Horses of the Apocalypse, 聖經 - 4匹馬的啟示

This is a large painting (30x48") requested by my friends, Virginia and Al.  They asked me to paint the four horses of the apocalypse per Revelation in Bible.  Before I started I read the bible to understand the story behind the four horsemen.  Then I did a small painting of 9x12 for their review first before I take on the big piece.  Now this painting is being hung in their family room with two crosses in each side.  They look fabulous.  Virginia and Al are very pleased with the painting.  It was my pleasure to take on this project.

Autumn along the Blanco River. 波蘭克河之秋

I would like to credit my artist friend, Robert Anschutz, for his image that I used as a reference for this painting.  Depending on the weather and rain we may have fabulous autumn colors in Texas.  Here is the River Road along the Blanco River in Wimberley, Texas.  Cypress trees are lovly along the river.  Wimberley is a small charming town in the hill country.  I enjoy to visit there often.  

Oil on canvas board, 12x9

Sunflowers Delight 向日葵

I've painted many paintings of sunflowers.  Here is another one to share.

Oil on canvas board, 8x10

Serenade, 街頭小曲

After visiting the National Art Gallery, we enjoyed the walk from Trafalgar Square to China Town in London.  It was a sunny and warm afternoon.  The streets were full of people who were mostly tourists or visitors.  This girl was serenading crowds with her violin.  I love to paint musicians with their instruments on my canvases and have done so many times.  The connection between music and art is just a beautiful thing and touches my heart.

Oil on canvas board, 16x12

Whispering 天鵝細語

It was a beautiful sunny day when we were boating on the lake in Luzern, Switzerland.  To my surprise there were so many swans swimming in such a big lake.  They were not afraid of people.  I saw one girl feeding the swans in her bare hands.   We bought some light lunch, sat by the lake watching the swans, and took in the breathtaking snow mountain in the distance.  Switzerland is such a beautiful country.  I would come back to visit in a heart beat.  I took a few photos and did this painting with two swans whispering.

Oil on canvas, 24x36

Another Raining Night at Paris 巴黎夜雨

We arrived in Paris in the rain.  It rained for all 3 and half days while we were there.  The evening lights and people with umbrella gave another side of beauty in Paris.  The rain did not stop our sightseeing activities.  We got to visit several well known museums, ride the boat on Seine River, visit the Eiffel Tower in a cold raining day, and visit the Monet's Garden in a misty morning.  Every thing in Paris is so attractive especially when the sun was out on the last night we were there.  The whole city came to alive under the sun.  We enjoyed the walk from Louvre to Champs Elysee where people enjoyed afternoon outings in shops and cafes.  With the artist eyes and i-pad on hand I tried to take in all the beautiful scenes as much as possible for my future paintings. Oh yes, I love Paris.

Oil on canvas board, 16x12

Make Way for Ducklings 為鴨子開路

While visiting the Boston Public Garden in the fall of 2014, this little girl was riding on the statue of the mother duck and a row of 7 baby ducks walking behind her.  The sunlight shining on her face was so beautiful.  I snapped a quick shot with my I-pad.  Here is the painting to depict the lovely scene of Boston.  You can find these lovely bronze sculptures by Beacon St and Charles St in Boston.  They were created by artist Nancy Schons.

Then I found out more story about these ducklings.  "Make Way for Ducklings" is a popular children book authored by Robert McCloskey.  The story is about Mrs. Mallard was sure the pond in Boston Public Garden would be a perfect place for her 8 ducklings to live.  The problem was how to make way to get there from the busy Boston streets.  She then got help from the Boston Police to safely transport these ducklings to the garden pond.  What a lovely story.

Oil on canvas board, 16x12 SOLD

Ms. Maryam 瑪莉安小姐

Here is my dear friend Maryam when she was 23.  Both she and I came to US on the same date, August 16, 1976, as graduate students.  She arrived in NY while I arrived in LA.  We both ended up in Texas working for the same company in the same IT project.  What a blessing in life to get to know each other from two different cultures and became good friends.

I used one of Maryam's black and white photos as a reference and painted it in color.  I continue enjoying painting portraits and/or figures for people who I know or met during my travel journey.

Oil on canvas board, 14x11, private collection

Green Sash 阿拉墨前揮舞

During the annual rodeo in San Antonio in February, the Western Heritage Parade was carried out in down town streets with horses, longhorns, sheep, wagons, cowboys/cowgirls plus native Indian dances performed in front of the Alamo.  This Indian worrier was showing out his dance moves in his fabulous costume.  I was so excited to watch their performance and enjoyed the music, colors and movements.

Oil on canvas, 20x16

Colors of Guadalupe River 多彩的瓜達路河

The autumn colors by Guadalupe River are most attractive.  The tubing tourists have gone home.  We locals get to enjoy the river with a peace of mind.  Here is the river flowing through the little historical town called Gruene in Texas.  The trees are turning red and pink yet the river is cool and blue.  Don't you just want to visit here soon?

This painting won the first place in the oil category in the TEXAS show in New Braunfels Art Gallery.  This show is currently in exhibition this month thru the end of July 2015.

Oil on canvas board, 11x14

Morning Walk, 漫步于晨光下 ( 承德、避暑山莊)

The royal retreat in Cheng-De, China (3 hours of bus ride to the north from Beijin) is one of the most picturesque places in the world historical sites.  I was so fortunate to visit this place in the spring of 2011.  I took into my memory lane with a great pleasure of  the beautiful rivers, hot spring, mountains, historical buildings, gazebos, bridges, gardens, and flowers.  Wow this is an ideal place for art retreat.  Every direction you see is a paintable subject.  I hope this will happen some day.

Oil on Canvas,  20x24

Touch of Red 紅葉

We visited Acadia National Park in Maine last September.  The map leaves were just about turning to red - a sign of autumn was coming.  Here was a corner of the park where we had lunch in the picnic area.

Oil on canvas board, 11x14

What is the Question? 有問題嗎？

This painting is a detour from my regular oil painting style.  I just completed a workshop in collage from artist Vie Dunn-Harr.  I have never done an abstract painting or collage before and had no idea how to read or appreciate an abstract painting.  After the workshop I believe I've gained knowledge on design elements in making a stronger art.  Here I painted duplex canvases in abstract forms.  I then added a few flowers and trees as the focal points.  You may want to read whatever you like on the shapes and movements of this painting.  After I completed it I saw a big question mark that I did not pre-plan.  Do you see it?  Life is unpredictable.  We have to deal with whatever are thrown at us with our best ability we can.  Life is like a big question mark.  Don't you feel that?

I framed these 2 canvases in the Illusion black/gold frames.  They look beautiful.

Acrylic in canvas, 2 of 9x12