Ming Wei's Art

Summer 2010 Review

2010-07-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

I have made tremendous achievements during the 1st half of this year 2010:
1) I am a new member of Portland Art Museum Rental Sales Gallery.
2) I become a permanent member of Oregon Chinese Artists Association;
3) I had been selected as one of the top ten artists during the past March’s Celebration of Creativity Event.
4) Some of my artwork have been presented in Lan Su Chinese Garden in Downtown Portland.
I will go back to China this coming autumn and will spend 3 months taking more art classes, visiting my professors, painting friends, studying and learning new techniques.

I am posting 2 newest paintings of mine.
Up Painting Title: Day Break
Right Painting Title: Trail Along the Creek.

My 2009 Plan

2009-06-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

I went back to China this spring and spent 6 weeks visiting my professors and painting friends, studying and learning new techniques. Through my study, I realized the importance of introducing the correct name to the ancient Chinese painting style that I have mastered. The most accurate name is Chinese Brush Painting instead of Chinese Watercolor. Chinese Brush Painting is very different compared to the Western Watercolor. It uses different brushes, media, pigments and painting skills, even the finishing techniques and styles are so significantly different.

This year is a retreat year for me. My family and I are planning quite a few trips together to enjoy the nature and refresh our souls. I am posting a couple of my newest paintings which all have been inspired by our trips to China and Northwest United States. Painting Titles (from Left to Right, Top to Bottom)
-Mountains, Village, & Rice Fields;
-Sunrise.
This year, I also have reached a milestone. One of my paintings has been accepted by Portland Art Museum’s Rental Sales Gallery. Please see the attached imagine of this painting. As you can see, I used the “COLOR POURING” technique in this painting.

Majesty Green Valley

2008-07-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

(Painting Title: Majesty Green Valley)

New Painting_Part 4

2008-04-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

I am posting some of my newest artwork.

On the right hand side:
Painting Title: Crater Lake
I created this piece based on my memory of our 2002 trip. I was so amazed by the amazing blue. It took me years to finish this piece from the concept.

On the left hand side:
Painting Title: Reunion
I visited a remote countryside school in China last year. As you can see, the stream falling from the mountain reunites with the river. Meanwhile, you can imagine that the students from all over the countryside have crossed the narrow wood bridge and gathered in the old farm school which is hiding behind the woods.

New Painting_Part 3

2007-09-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Last month, I was interviewed by Ms. Shu Ju Wang, the chief editor and writer of POS. Please read the wonderful article she wrote about me and my work through http://portlandopenstudios.wordpress.com/2007/08/23/ming-wei-at-the-intersection-of-art-science/.

This month, the Asian Reporter will feature me and my work on the late September issue. I will post the article on my blog later.

I also created quite a few new paintings. Here are some examples:

Left Painting Title:
Fairyland (Jiou Jia Guo, China);

Right Painting Title:
Sailing in Hood River (Hood River, Oregon)

Portland Open Studios 2007

2007-05-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

I have been selected to participate in Portland Open Studios 2007. This year’s jury process was more competitive than ever before due to a significant increase in the number of applications. My unique Eastern Style Brush Work stood out among my fellow artists. Please find out more information about the event through http://www.portlandopenstudios.com/.

New Paintings_Part Two

2007-01-16T18:37:00.000-08:00

Painting Six: Multnomah Fall

Multnomah Fall is the most favorite place which my family and I would like to visit. So many times, we hiked through the bridges and followed the winding roads to the top of the waterfall… Last summer, I was so touched by the familiar scenery. I painted this painting at the foot of the fall. So many visitors enjoyed watching me creating this piece…

Painting Seven: Music of Nature (Silence of Sound)
My family and I hiked the Gui Bei Mountains in the mid summer of 2002. The waterfalls hitting on the rocks produced a wonderful melody. As you can see, there are two waterfalls, the big one is rushing through from the center and the little one is meeting with the big fall from the right hand side, just like two musicians playing the songs together… The sunray is peeking through the layers of the dark green summer foliage and shines the top of waterfalls… I want you to “hear” the sound and melody through his silent painting…

Painting Eight: My Little Town

Late summer 2006, I returned to this little town with my artist friends in the suburb of my hometown. We did many field trips and created many wonderful landscape paintings which are full of heart-stopping beauty & transcendent spirituality. For me, painting is a form of meditation. This painting was created in the early morning before the town waked. The black-proofed & white-walled village buildings were hiding behind the banana leaves. The creek was peacefully running through. The laundry deck was quietly standing along the bank and prepared for the housewives to come down from the stairs….

Painting Nine: Peaceful Li River

The Li River is one of the most famous rivers in China which is winding through the whole city like a silver ribbon. This is typical scenery of Guilin. Guilin is an evergreen city since it rains 9-10 months a year. In the spring, it drizzles and fogs a lot, which seems like someone casts a thin layer of veil over the whole city. Moving your eyes from the bottom to the top, you will see trees are decorated with green buds and new grass starts to cover the river banks; two fishing boats are floating along the river bed; the fog is rising from the foot of the faraway mountains… Moving you eyes from the left to the right, you will discover a tiny old village hiding among the trees and rocks. You can feel the peaceful river from the clear reflection cast on it… This painting offers inner peace by imagining yourself in the fishing boats...

Painting Ten: Wetland of Herons
Herons often have been spotted in the Northwest wetlands. A fabulous wetland of herons was depicted in this painting.

The spring breeze wakes not only the thousand-year-old trees but also the grass along the river bank. The forest is filled with the songs of birds and other creatures. The creek is full of lives as well. Even I did not paint one fish, you can imagine there are tons of them in the creek from the busy hunting herons and a fishing boat which was just undocked from the bank.

New Paintings_Part One

2007-01-16T17:38:00.000-08:00

Painting One: Ancient Residence (Jiou Hu Wu)
I have painted so many farm/village houses. Among them, Jiou Hu Wu gave me the most impression. (Jiou stands for Nine, Hu for family units and Wu for houses.) These houses were built by the well-known Chinese Scholar, Zhou Dung Yi, around 600 years ago. Since then, his decedents have been living there, enlarging and maintaining the ancient residence.

The village was designed based on Chinese ancient Feng Sui philosophy. It faces rivers, backs to the mountains and perfectly fuses with nature sceneries & energies. While looking closely, you can see each family house has its own characters as if they all have their own unique stories to tell.

Painting Two: Autumn Midnight
This painting was inspired by my birthday trip to Crater Creek in the autumn of 2004. My family and I rented two yurts at the Rogue River Camping Ground.

When midnight strikes, the mist is steamed from the grass, floating among the forest and covering up the winding roads. The full moon is hanging highly in the sky and casting a layer of silver veil over the forest. The camping ground is dipped into the overwhelming atmosphere of peace and calm.

I want my audiences find their inner peace through the simplicities of rural life.

Painting Three: Misty Yangtez River
This painting is about the narrowest point of the Yangtez River Gorge, locating in the Province of Sichuan. The energy can be felt from the steep gorges and roaring water. You wonder the fate of the little boat... I hope you will enjoy witty and fun. I painted one little temple on the top of gorge and a little farm house on the lower rock. I want to tell everyone not to worry because no matter how the treacherous the nature is, people always can make peace with it...

Painting Four: Morning Ray

The painting’s focus is its unique red. There is no Sun painted in this picture. But everyone can tell this is scenery of the sunrise. This is an early morning. The sun is coming up from the east and its ray steaming up the mist and cloud which is rising from the river and floating among the mountain peaks. This is also an early spring morning. All the trees are covered with the newly grown green leaves. Two diligent fishermen have left their village and set out to the river with their herons.

Painting Five: Mt. Hood Beauty

It is rare to see Mt. Hood seen through an Eastern artist’s eyes and painted and expressed in the Eastern water color style. My family and I visited the Mt. Hood in the late spring of 2002. We were so thrilled by the beauty of the sceneries. I created this painting through my memories in 2003. The couple of old trees are bearing tons of little red berries and a little boat is anchoring at the bank. You wonder where the boat owner is. What a fortunate guy who can really soak in such as beautiful and peaceful moment…

The Stories Behind My Artwork

2006-12-02T18:15:00.000-08:00

There are always many stories behind my artwork. The painting on the left is a great example.

Painting Description:

Painting Title: Yangtze River Gorge Scenery
Art Media: watercolor on rice paper
Size: 40”x 28”

Chinese title of this painting: San Xia Feng Guang
(San XIA is the most famous three gorges along the Yangtze River; Feng Guang means scenery in Chinese.)

This painting is about the narrowest point of the Yangtze River Gorge, locating in the Province of SiChuan. The energy can be felt from the steep gorges and roaring water. You wonder the fate of the little boat...

I painted one little temple on the top of gorge and a little farm house on the lower rock. I want to tell everyone not to worry because no matter how the treacherous the nature might seem, people can always make peace with it...