Portraiture deconstructed and reimagined — Contemporary art is known for its lack of a unifying theme and ideology. In a contemporary context, even the portrait paintings we have today look different than the ones we had ten or twenty years ago. …

A Guide To Your First Art Purchase — I recently got asked by my uncle Jim about how to start collecting famous artists’ works. Uncle Jim is a big fan of Edward Hopper and is drawn to Hopper’s depiction of common American life and rural landscapes. But when it comes to buying a famous piece of art, it…

Waiting For A New Beginning — I took these photos during the pandemic where many parts of the world were in lockdown and many people were under emotional distress. Loneliness and separation anxiety were becoming prevalent in society. At the time of shooting, I wasn’t really thinking about those issues. Instead, I was simply trying to…

A simplified view into the complex art world — How Art Is Created An oversimplified explanation would be, it is created with the seven elements of art: line, shape, form, space, texture, value, and color. They serve as the building blocks of visual arts, from a pencil sketch to a 200-year-old painting at the Louvre. Some say art is a product of its…

Unleashing the true potential of your images — What does authenticity mean in photography? To me, it means capturing and producing photos in a truthful and believable manner within the context. It may involve choosing the appropriate perspective, capturing genuine moments, or creating convincing visual effects. But it can go beyond that based on the situation. What I…

An unexpected journey to fulfillment in life — My encounter with art was completely accidental. I was born in a traditional Chinese family with modest beginnings. None of my family members had an artistic profession, nor did they believe it’s a practical career. I never received any systematic education in art, besides a few elective classes in college…

An alternative approach to color in photography — Like most photographers, every time I pick up the camera, I hope to capture something interesting. Though the storytelling might be different for each photographer, there is usually a common goal, which is creating something pleasing for the eye. As we know, the human eye is a sophisticated device that…

What 2020 has taught me that could be useful for 2021 — Like many people, I spent the majority of 2020 in my apartment. I was fortunate enough to keep both my health and job, but my world undeniably became smaller than ever before. …