The Brush Stroke
The Brush Stroke: Ink & Color in Chinese Painting
October 12 to November 3, 2024
Opening Reception: Sunday, Oct 20, 2-4 pmÂ
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Born in Guangdong, China, Qingxiong Ma started painting and participating in art shows at an early age. Though originally trained in Meteorology at the Qingdao Oceanographic University, Ma never stopped painting at any point in life, and through his father-in-law's influence was able to become very close with many well-known artists in China. These artists include Lu Yan Shao, professor at Zhi Jian College of Fine Art, who had a profound effect on Ma’s artistic development.
Over the years, Ma developed his signature style which blends the philosophy and technique of Chinese painting with western art concepts. In the tradition of Chinese brush painting, Ma’s work tells the story of the cycles and rhythms of nature and life, capturing their essence in imagery, in composition and in brushstroke. His work contains traditional Chinese aesthetics in which nature dominates with its grandeur, magnificence and scale dwarfing the human. Tiny, barely visible figures, houses or boats, dot the vast mountainsides and valleys. Insects and flowers are magnified 100 times, so that they fill the composition. However, Ma adds a twist by having many of his images take place in western landscapes, punctuated by his free-form and liberal use of color.