I’m a painter, illustrator, ceramist, and educator at Iowa State University. As a person who grew up in China and was trained in traditional Chinese painting, coming to the United States, studying Western art, and pursuing an MFA degree is a wonderful experience. The training I received was a rigorous system involving several levels that had to be passed to move ahead. Once here in the United States, I saw in person many masterpieces that I had appreciated only in books. Works by Van Gogh, Monet, Matisse, and Michelangelo to name a few. Seeing them in person was a completely different experience from reading about them in books. Through their brush strokes, carving, and use of color, I could feel their emotions when they created these works, and this made me eager to learn about Western artworks. I enjoy exploring various forms of artistic expression, different methods, and media, including oil painting, acrylic painting, digital drawing, and ceramics, all of which benefited me greatly. Gradually, I developed a desire to integrate Western artworks I was exploring with Chinese painting for my unique work. I share my work based on years of exploration and integration here.

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