Contemporary Chinese painter, Liu Xiaodong does many of his large-scale paintings on site in the en plein air tradition of the Impressionists such as Monet and Pissarro. While the Impressionists focused on catching the changing light, Liu's concerns are on representing a specific human moment. Liu describes his role as a painter is one of being an intense observer of life and suggests that observation can be objective activity. And yet the more one learns about Liu's work, his process and his subject choices, the more apparent any idea of objectivity can remain only a an elusive desire on his part. He talks about not trying to make a particular statement but rather just observing what he sees, but one could say front the start that his mere choice of subject matter is already politically loaded.

Liu brings large canvases to different areas of town and countryside, hires models or works with friends and family members, and makes paintings that relate to contemporary life as he observes it. His subject matter includes the Three Gorges Dam, garbage dumps, slums, night life activities including karaoke and British pubs as well as family life. He describes painting as depicting a moment in time from only one specific angle. Liu is very much interested in this limitation and the idea is important to him, in particular coming from a background in film, where a subject can be seen from multiple points of view and sliding through time.

An excellent documentary called Hometown Boy reveals much about Liu, including his philosophy of painting and the living circumstances in the small village in China where he grew up. While the film might seem slow at times, it is worth staying with it to the end because it is a unique presentation that combines the creative process with the trials and tribulations of day-to-day life in rural China. The video link also includes a question and answer period with the artist. This article in Frieze gives more details about the film: Frieze: Liu Xiaodong.

Liu's work can be found at the Lisson Gallery. His recent work deals with relationships between Isralis and Palestinians, and can be viewed via these two links: Mary Boone and New American Paintings. For another series, Liu went to Yan Guan Town in Gansu province in China with the goal of depicting the peaceful relationship with Muslims and Christians: Yan Guan Town. An excellent recent review of Liu's work, Liu Xiaodong - is that all there is?, addresses the question of how one depicts what is 'real'.

Liu has reinvented the traditional form of plein air representational painting to create cinematic large scale works that attempt to deal with the world as he sees it at any given moment.

This two-day workshop that explores needle felting as a contemporary sculptural medium to create small scale sculptures that provide a skill base for independent development of larger scale works. The workshop will provide opportunities to create two projects: (1) a small series of organic/abstract solid felt forms and (2) sculptural work(s) that combine small found object(s) with felted extensions to create hybrid sculptures. Techniques covered in the workshop include: basic needle felting, armature building, shape formation, textural finishing and methods for fine detail surface elaboration. Suitable for complete beginners.

Instructor: Connie Morey

Cost: $250 (all materials included)

For more information and images on sculptural felting: 5 Contemporary Felt Artists

Instructor: Tara Nicholson

Instructor: Wendy Welch

There are still some spaces in the Collage and Assemblage weekend workshop I will be teaching at MISSA (Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts). 

This will be a fun two days where you will focus on arranging and gluing a range of papers and materials to surfaces with the end goal of creating elegant and exciting compositions. Various surface treatment techniques to unify your designs will be demonstrated.

Projects will be accompanied by short visual presentations to give an overview of the historical and contemporary traditions of collage and assemblage (three-dimensional collage). 

Instructor: Wendy Welch

Cost: $225 (includes supplies)

Xane St Phillip's PARADISE LOST Installation

Slide Room Gallery, May 2014

We are pleased to share with you the beautiful video documentation of Xane St Phillip's installation Paradise Lost in the Slide Room Gallery last month.

Participants are really enjoying their studio space at VISA. Lots of private alone time combined with interactions with other people working on their art.
Sign up today for a terrific creative experience.