As an American raised in Taiwan and Hong Kong during the 80’s and 90’s, I always felt like an outsider. I was a portion of American, a portion of Chinese and a portion of European in my cultural understanding of myself. I was educated in an international school system among other children from every angle of globe who were also foreigners in the land they called home. Before I was 17 years old I had traveled to a multitude of countries and my parents made sure that I was familiarized with the local mosques, synagogues, churches of every sort and temples of both the Hindu and Buddhist variety. It was important to both of my parents that I understood that there are basic principles of the human experience that we all share and at the archetypal level we are all fragile and biologically mortal beings trying to make sense of the great mystery of life before we die. I understood from a very young age that we all are fascinated by the great mysteries of life and it is through ritual that we explore these mysteries and exercise our wonder at the world. It is through painting that I discovered my ritual.
So as soon as I was old enough, I left Southeast Asia for New York City to be among like minded others. I am the product of a multi ethnic, multi cultural truly international microcosm that no longer exists as a place to ever return to. The cities I knew as a child have all evolved and matured. Those tiny temples in the valley are like ghosts now in the shadows of skyscrapers and the rice patties are motorcycle dealerships. I wouldn’t want to go back to that time even if I could. Like painting, life’s most exciting moments are about moving forward to discover new relationships that reveal the unknown and make us wiser. In 2000 I received my MFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY and have since then been exhibiting my paintings in New York City, Europe and south east Asia as often as the opportunity arises.
Artist Statement
I have divided my studio time between two basic bodies of work. The first body is about exploring various cultural interpretations of ancient mythological and Jungian psychological archetypes, fusing together the symbols and imagery from various religions and cultures. Often times this is about reconciling eastern and western philosophies or aesthetics. Other times it is about striping traditional symbols of their cultural context, imbibing them with new meaning and composing them into colorful and balanced pictorial spaces that have no central point of reference and no linear narrative.
The second body of work I have been developing is also about invisible realities. They are two-dimensional renderings of three-dimensional molecular models. I do this by searching through the databases of various American university chemistry departments, downloading the software they use to construct molecular models in virtual three dimensions, and then I use the software to rotate the molecule in space. I do this until I find the exact positions and scales that will work in my composition. Then I take a screen shot of the molecule in those various positions and paint it with oil paint onto panel or canvas and sometimes onto primed foam-core. They are explorations into a wholly different kind of invisible reality from the mythic world. I find it interesting that as more and more of the world becomes westernized and people turn away from the gods of the past and the ancient antiquated rituals they practiced for centuries, they are instead embracing science and technology with the same sort of blind faith. From Kwan yin and Dionysus to Valium and Viagra.
I find that both series of paintings work harmoniously with each other. One dealing with the interior life of the human mind and one dealing with the outer life of the human body. One body about the whole universe and one about its smallest components. I live and work and keep my studio in Brooklyn New York and am always available for studio visits or exhibition interest.