Artist Statement:

I am a painter in acrylics and I have been painting since 1986. I am also an occasional carver of soapstone. I am married with two children. I tend to paint character studies of subjects in which I strive to create compositions, whether they be human or animal that convey a particular emotion or an identifiable character trait of the subject. Since 2014 I have started to paint subjects with a metaphysical theme or spiritual nature to them. My style is mainly realistic with a touch of abstraction, particularly in the background, or with a bit of fantasy. My main emphasis while painting is creating a subtle transition between color tones, often adjusting or adding a temperature change in the small area of transition. This aspect of transitional change, I feel, allows my paintings to have a vivid glow and uniqueness to them. I hope you enjoy viewing the artwork as much as I did creating it. Thank you for showing an interest in this site.

William Liao Artist Statement

I was born in Beijing, China in the 70s and my initial artist pursuit was to become a fashion designer. I soon learned that I preferred painting, whether it be traditional Chinese painting or oil painting, and received very systematic and rigorous artistic training in university.

Later in life, visual art became my profession, instead of painting. I used computers to create static and dynamic images, and did this kind of work in China for ten years followed by another ten years in Canada. During my time in this digital world, I found myself ignoring my ability to observe and paint in a traditional fashion. I wanted to go back to something more complex and deeper than the digital art I was currently creating.

My paintings' subjects are quite varied. I believe artists should express themselves in all genres. Every painting depends on my feelings at the time and my understanding of life. This feeling and understanding change over time, sometimes to the complete opposite. I love seeing this transition, because it shows me that I am growing. Painting to me is a string of all my life. Music, calligraphy, literature, movies, and sports. And I am very lucky and blessed to be an artist that can express my feelings about life.

Min Ma was born in 1955. At the age of 18, Min attended Art College for three years of formal training.

Following college, he applied to, and was accepted at the prestigious and highly regarded China Academy of Fine Arts. He graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and taught fine arts at the Shandong University until 1986 when he emigrated to Canada. Since then, he has lived in numerous cities throughout North America.

His childhood fascination with art has blossomed into a professional career that has brought him both critical and commercial success.

His style is readily accessible, rich in color and emotional impact; all accomplished through an impressive technique and fine attention to detail.

His choice of subject matter is broad and includes landscapes, still lifes, portraits and figurative, although since 2002, his primary focus has been landscapes done in acrylics.

His works have been collected by private and corporate clients throughout Canada and the world.

A signature member of both the Federation of Canadian Artists (SFCA) and the Northwest Watercolor Society (NWWS), Richard has for many years also been a  member of Painters at Painters, a prestigious B.C. artist's peer group. His many award-winning paintings have been exhibited in solo shows, group shows and international shows including: The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, the Federation of Canadian Artists, and the Northwest Watercolor Society (NWWS). Examples of his paintings and articles have appeared in a number of publications including International Artist's Magazine.  Richard's paintings can be found in commercial galleries and corporate and private collections in many countries worldwide.

His works are done in oils, acrylics and other watermedia and are the culmination of a random, exploratory process. A love of paint and an intuitive creative process is evident in the energized surfaces that result.

The subject matter are developed from travel and life experience and reflect a less theoretical and more instinctual approach to colour and composition.

 

Artist Statement

My artwork reflects the world around me, and I draw ideas for my paintings from memory, photographs, and mostly from familiar settings. I was born and raised in Amsterdam, so it is no wonder that my admiration for the Old Dutch Masters is reflected in my work. I use rich colours and evocative tones that often reflect a brooding, pensive and compelling atmosphere most obvious in my scenes of pending storms in rural settings, roiling waves of seascapes, and slanting light down city streets. I use oil exclusively since it allows me a broad scope of expression.

My style is a blend of realism and impressionism, and I use dramatic colours, contours, and brushwork to enhance scenes of the West Coast, the Prairies, and the Netherlands. I create unique and intelligible impressions of my subjects, which is much appreciated by those who admire and collect my paintings.

People who are familiar with my artwork often tell me it is my rendition of clouds that strikes them most. In fact, among friends and family, the expression “Molenaar skies” is used to describe particularly dramatic cloud formations. I incorporate the sky and water in some form in all of my paintings.

From the artist:

Kevin Peters is a self taught sculptor-carver who finds his inspiration where he lives within the mountains of the Southern Cariboo, British Columbia, Canada. He and his wife Leanne live near Loon Lake, where they have a ranch and explore beyond their property on Wild Horse Mountain.

For the past 25 years, Kevin has succeeded in bringing his wildlife surroundings to life in stone. From otters to moose, bears to eagles, it is his passion to capture all animals from sea to sky. Kevin primarily carves in Soapstone, Alabaster and Pyrophyllite, as well as Marble, Limestone, and Antler. Recently he has also focused on a number of sculptures in Bronze, including life size eagles, a cougar, an elk, and a white-tailed deer.

He started carving as a teenager, in the basement of his parents home. Amid all the work on the family farm, he somehow found time to develop his skill, and at the age of just 16, his first piece was sold in a local art gallery. Not much has changed today, as he is still busy balancing the work of his carvings with the work on his ranch. Although his shop is now filled with many modern tools, he still prefers the simplicity of his hammer and chisel.

Kevin gives his work vitality, tactility and movement, characteristics he emphasizes with an unparalleled attention to detail. This skill enables him to create multiple textures, making his eagles, otters and bears a sensuous display of feathers, skin, fur or muscles, enhancing the outstanding realism in his work. Such lifelike detailing in stone and bronze is rarely seen, and has made Kevin a leading wildlife artist in Canada.