Gallery 1261 in Denver is having a contemporary figure show for the month of May. It hosts several of my favorite artists like Scott Burdick, Burt Silverman, Zhaoming Wu, as well as favorite instructors from the Denver Art Students League like Ron Hicks and Quang Ho.

http://www.gallery1261.com

Zhaoming Wu has been one of my favorite artist for a long time. I've watched his instructional DVD and bought his book. However I have never seen any of his paintings in person. As I walked into the gallery, I saw three striking figure paintings on the far left wall. These 16x20 oil paintings had rich colors, beautiful textures and just gorgeous rendering of figures with elaborate drapery.  As I walk closer to the paintings, the details became broad brush strokes. The textures became globs of paint and some looked like it was applied directly from the tube. It was like enlarging a low resolution image and looking at the individual pixels. Each of his brush strokes was so deliberate and the colors incredibly strong. I can't stop staring at it. How does he create a painting with such generalizations that looked so real from a distance. Some of my artist friends suggest that he simply move back often to look at the painting. However I believe artists who can pull this off have mastered the art of seeing. They are able to see and paint the essentials of their composition and leave out the unnecessary details. It really makes me think about my attempts to capture every detail that I see and over blending of my colors to look realistic. Seeing Mr. Wu's paintings make me realize that I need a paradigm shift and learn how to see my subjects in a new way. It's going to be a long journey and I can't wait to get there!


 

 


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Previously published:

William Char's portrait and figurative art work


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