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Kindred Journey 39 – Hung Liu

 

Can’t remember where i first heard her name but her work has stuck with me for awhile. I shared this with my wife who was a Mills student and was actually a student of hers. she remembers hung saying to use more paint:)
Hung was born in China in 1948 and has been painting since the 60s. As she was becoming an adult the cultural revolution happened in China. A revolution in my household growing up, but not necessarily seen with happiness for all. Hung described being forced to work in the fields 1965-72. In between she’d sneak in a drawing, photo, or painting here and there. In the late 70s after Mao’s death she got to study in Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts. She was first trained as a muralist and I think thats one of the things that made me gravitate to her work. She tries to bounce to the US, gets into a a San Diego school, waits 4 years for a visa to clear, then in 84 starts her study in the US. She lives and teaches in Texas before coming to the Bay where she gets into the Capp Street Project. 1990 she gets offered a teaching position at Mills College and is still in the town. 

In her career she has exhibited in solo and group shows since 1978. She has done large public artworks and murals like the one in the Oakland airport. She paints big with juicy drips and her style is a mix of realistic portraiture, and some abstraction. And I dig it. Her use of old photos, calligraphy, found objects, etc. I see workers, everyday life, pain, resistance, freedom to travel, freedom to express, immigrants, preserving history and memory, etc. And it feels like she’s just getting started. Check out her work, once you do you get my choice of imagery here.

Sources: Summoning Ghosts, Kqed, SF Moma, Hungliu.com
Did you catch the last piece I did of muralist Priya Handa? Stay tuned for the next piece featuring Aapi artists for 2021.
Update: She just passed away in August of 2021, rest in Peace!
Here’s a drawing I did of Hung many years ago

May 8, 2021
in General
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Black Is Beautiful 2021 – Wilhelmina Godfrey

 

Wilhelmina Godfrey was born in 1914 in Philadelphia and moved to Buffalo NY. A life long artist she was always making art. She attended Albright Art School , the art institute of Buffalo, and the Rochester Institute of Technology. Wilhelmina was a sculptor, weaver, printmaker, and a painter. I chose the images behind her in this portrait because of her more abstract painting style. Shout out to Florida A&M who posted about her. Besides being an artist she also advocated for the arts by teaching, organizing a weaving program, and co-founding the Langston Hughes Center with Jim Pappas, Clarence Scott, and Allie Anderson (a space for youth arts). In her lifetime she exhibited her art, sold paintings, and was awarded a fellowship with the National Endowment for the Arts. She passed away in 94, but I hope to find more information about her and that people become aware of her work.
Sources: FAMU 79′ Impact Afro American Women Artists, Buffalo News, Uncrowned Community Builders
Did you see the painting of Lois Mailou Jones?
The last one before her this year is Leola King

February 19, 2021
in Black is Beautiful, General
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Inspiring Artist – Alberto Mielgo (NSFW)

 

Can’t remember when I came across Mielgo’s work. Maybe through Tron, not sure. He’s worked on so many films. But I love his oil paintings, the nudes, the digital backgrounds, the character designs. All of it. If you’re in a public place you might not want to look at these right now. Wait until you’re home 🙂 Enjoy and check out his site here.

If you enjoyed these paintings, I have shared artwork from a bunch of other artists whose work really inspires me! The last artist I shared that really inspired me is photographer Jamel Shabazz

February 18, 2021
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Inspiring Artist-Rudy Gutierrez

Rudy Gutierrez is one of my favorite painters ever. I first came across his work in a picture book someone got for my son called “Papa and Me”. I fell in love with the colors and energy he gives to a piece. Since then he’s done countless picture books, album covers, and more. I believe he uses a mixture of media, oil, pastels, acrylic, etc. Follow him on Instagram or check out his website. Rudy is an Boricua from NYC i believe. I have told him how much I dig his work and I invite you to look him up.

RIP Roy Hargrove
Did you see the work of Shinji Kimura?

May 12, 2020
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Kindred Journey 19 – Tyrus Wong

Tyrus Wong was born in 1910 in Taishan China. He migrated to United States, specifically Angel Island in the Bay Area between San Francisco and the East Bay. He endured interrogation and detention because of the US policy called the Chinese exclusion act.  After his release and reuniting with his father he moved to Los Angeles. He loved to draw and paint as a child and attended Otis college as a fine artist. From the 1930s until the 1960s Tyrus worked in animation at Disney Animation studios and later at Warner Brothers. While working as in in between animator at Disney his incredible landscape paintings where discovered by Walt Disney and his painting style laid the foundation for the landmark film Bambi. Because of racism his work was not lauded or celebrated by the studios however, and Tyrus did not get his just due until he was in his 70’s and 80s. Through his artistic career he not only painted beautiful landscapes. But he also painted Chinese calligraphy, greeting cards, ceramics, and built kites. Tyrus passed away in December of last year. He is survived by three daughters and two grand children.


Sources: NY Times, CAAM, CBS Sunday Morning

Dig this? Check out this ptg of AAPI animated characters

May 8, 2017
in General, Kindred Journey
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Who is She? 28 – Yolanda Lopez

Yolanda Lopez is a Xicana artist from San Diego, California. She was born in 1942 and came to San Francisco in the late 60s around the time of some serious social movements with the Panthers, recent the United Farm Workers, and the SF State strike to put in ethnic studies in the school (which she was involved in). The first time I saw Yolanda’s work as a painter it was “La Virgin” piece that she did of a woman running with a flag using the same backdrop as the famous “Virgin de Guadalupe”. This painting was part of a series depicting every day women of color and it hit because there were not many artists depicting brown women like that. The next time I saw her work was the famous illustration of an indigenous Aztec man pointing with the quote “who’s the illegal alien pilgrim?!”. That blew my mind when I saw it, because I’d heard folks talk about Raza that way, but never saw someone flip it on Europeans. In addition to being an illustrator/painter she produced films too! in fact she is also an amazing photographer. Most recently at the Mission Cultural Center I saw some of her photos of homegirls hanging out, from car clubs, probably some who were family too. Her photos provided a glimpse into San Francisco and Xican@ culture that I’d never seen before so vividly in photographs. She is an inspiring artist and a teacher of many. And her son Rio happens to be a dope artist and human being too.

You can purchase this original piece $40, email me at info@robdontstop.com 8″x8″ mixed media on paper

Sources: http://mamiverse.com/, Wikipedia, Mission Cultural Center

March 16, 2017
in General, Who is She?
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Lois Mailou Jones-Black is Beautiful 17

I’ve been a fan of Ms Jones’ work ever since I took a Black Art and History class in college. It was the first time I became aware of Black folks as painters, sculptors; not just musicians and/or dancers. Lois was born in 1905 and was encouraged as a child to be creative. She started to paint in her early years and attended an arts college. She was active as an artist from the time of the Harlem Renaissance up until her mid 70’s. Her work was exhibited internationally and is still in collections across the US. She was an arts professor at Howard University for over 40 years and she was given many awards. But really, it is her style of both painterly and graphic African iconography that caught my eye. Please check out her work.
In case you missed it, here’s one of Elizabeth Catlett

February 21, 2016
in Black is Beautiful, General, Series
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