Inspiring Artist, Grace Li Wang

I invite you to grab a cup of tea and join me for another Inspiring Artist interview.

Meet Grace Li Wang…

Please introduce yourself and your art a little bit.

I am Grace Li Wang, and my Chinese Name is Li Erh-Ping (Chinese surname is placed first). I was born in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China, in 1953. I came to the United States in 1964 and lived in Greensboro, NC from 1964 to 1971. Later I graduated from the School of Design at the North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Environmental Design Degree in 1974. After many years of working in the Art and Design Director capacity for major corporations, I became the gallery owner and director for The Grace Li Wang Art Gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina in the mid 2000’s for about 5 years. I now have my artist studio at my lakeside home and I work with art galleries and venues locally and internationally.

Watch these 2 slide shows of my art:
http://graceliwang.com/radiance2_slideshow.html
http://graceliwang.com/radiance1_slideshow.html

My work has been exhibited and collected by private and public sectors regionally and internationally.
http://graceliwang.com/contact.html shows lists of my artist agents and the representing galleries.

Radiance of Life

I have been the recipient of numerous international art and design awards, including:
* 2 Designers Choice Awards from the International Design Publications
* Distinguished Art and Design Graphics Awards from the International Society for Technical Communications
* COMPLEAT Communication Design Award, International Assoc. of Business Communication
* Ozzie Award for Design Excellence, Magazine Design & Production Publishing Competition.
* Idea Exchange Collection Award, S.D. Warren Division, Scott Paper Co.
*Won 1st Place in the 36th International Technical Art Competition in 1991
and have received 12 awards of Excellence, Achievement and Merit Art Awards from the Society for Technical Communications.

For many years, I have participated in numerous international, national, and regional design conferences; and also local galleries and art events, as seminar panelist and jurist.

For me art is…

about creating vibrant imagery that become the active force in expressing Colors and Forms as in Nature, with emotional qualities that are strong and radiate energy and exuberance. I want to energize and enrich the spirit in each of us. I want my work to convey my distinctive joyful exuberance style as shaped by intense colors and graphic forms of radiant vitality for a wondrous world of imaginative and captivating scenes.

What are you currently working on?

Since this year I am the Featured Artist for the 2011 Lazy Daze Arts Festival in Cary, I am preparing for that event. It will be on the last Saturday of August, August 27th, 9am – 5pm. I have been getting some very nice media interview coverage this year. www.graceliwang.com – homepage shows those links under “2011 Media Story Coverage”.

I plan to visit China in October-November of 2011, for my art endeavors in China.

Let’s Go Play

Can you tell us a little bit about your Art Journals?

www.graceliwang.blogspot.com/ shows my art journaling while in China.

Who has inspired you?

So many artists’ works excite me, including the masters as Van Gogh, Matisse, Munch, Monet, Gauguin, Miro, Chagall, Milton Avery, the many great Fauve movement artists:
Andre Derain, Kandinsky, Vlaminck, Jawlensky….

and the many exhibiting artists in my travels to the art museums and galleries in Europe and Asia. I have traveled widely to be inspired by nature and the many cultures – I particularly enjoy the UN’s world heritage sites as they are usually wonderfully informative and inspirational places to see.

I also want to share with you all, the art of this master artist: Alexei Jawlensky, 1861-1941, Russian.
I had seen his art on exhibit at the Norton Simon Museum in LA, which has 150 Jawlensky works.
http://www.nortonsimon.org/search/index.php?all=collections
Such profound, spiritual art that really touch people…. art of his latest years evolved to that of cross like faces with seemingly streams of tears – so natural, so powerful that I feel words just could not describe these almost abstract like, but figurative images.

People who only saw his earlier fauve works of bright colors, would appreciate the depth of stark beauty and sadness of these GREAT works towards the end of his life.
I was astonished and mesmerized at seeing these profoundly sad, but starkly beautiful art. I have not seen other art depicting life’s essence as with HIS kind of elegance and directness – like how he so well described his God’s calling to him. Quotes from that exhibit: Jawlensky worked to develop his compositions from within. “I am not so much searching for new forms,” he said, “but I want to go deeper; not to progress in breadth – but in depth.” And his works really did show that accordingly.

Here Comes the Sun

What is your favorite inspirational quote?

“If you can see, you can paint; if you can walk, you can dance; if you can talk, you can sing~ Go for the extra mile and enjoy Life now! For at last, all that is left is Gratitude and Peace.”
By Grace Li Wang

Are there any tips to living a creative life that you’d like to share?

I want my art to be able to move my audience, to feel the vibrancy and energy of life through my expressive works of dramatic and bold colors and strong and stylized form. In addition, I hope people will see art as an extension of their own cultural experience and can appreciate art as one of life’s remarkable pleasures and enlightenment.

Since I created these paintings, they are all very special to me as they are my personal and unique works of expression. I think my strongest work speak for themselves. Since my work have inevitably been evolving as well, the different periods have their own signature pieces. “Here Comes the Sun” combines the colors and the stylized graphic form, while the earlier art, “Sunset”, has the blended coloring process along with the more painterly, and multi-layered style of work.

My Radiance series has a spiritual resonance to me. The light and warmth of the nature’s radiance sustains us and brings us joy and hope. Its energy feeds us peace and enlightenment throughout our life’s journey. Recently I placed an art titled, “Radiance of life” at a new hospice, in hopes of uplifting the viewers there – to sense life’s journey in gratitude and joy.

I LOVE art that expresses passion for COLORS (as they are a visual language) and strong FORMS (for the intended message and content), especially art that excite, energize and those that are ethereal and “unforgettable!” There are art that I would enjoy and adore seeing, as well as art that I AM moved by them. Being able to REALLY appreciate art on a “personal” level can provide truly spiritual feedback…to be able to relate to art personally can be a divine like experience. There are truly great works (to me) out there – they can be almost obscure, yet they move me and feed me as foods for enlightenment.

Appreciating art does take time and efforts and like any worthwhile or meaningful pursuits, you tend to reap what you put in. The personal benefit from my own immersion in art, both as an artist and one who appreciates art, has been indeed significant to my sense of self and of the world.

Blue Waters Going Fast

Where can people find you and your work?

Please visit my website: www.graceliwang.com shows my art events, endeavors and current galleries listings.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grace-Li-Wang-Artist/165093226860278
To search my media coverage in China: www.baidu.com

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ncsudesign/sets/72157626349467148/

Below is my recent NCSU – School of Design interview story:

http://www.ncsu.edu/project/design-projects/dlife/2011/03/25/artist-grace-li-wang-knows-how-to-light-up-a-room/

These 2 venues regularly show my art and art gifts items:

Bull City Art and Frame Co.
Brightleaf Square. 905 W. Main St., Durham, NC 27701
Tel: 919-680-4278 www.bullcityartandframecompany.com

Gifts with a Heart Gallery
Swift Creek Shopping Center
2867 Jones Franklin Rd. Raleigh, NC 27606
Tel: 919-854-0040 http://giftswithaheartraleigh.net

Art Unveiling for the Lazy Daze Arts Festival

Come to see me and my work as the Featured Artist at the Lazy Daze Arts Festival in Cary, NC on Saturday, Aug. 27th – the highest ranking one-day festival in the US (according to Sunshine Artist Magazine), and Chamber Arts! (http://lyndachambers.com). Both in August – at downtown Cary, NC!

Grace,
What a beautiful interview.  I am so honored to be able to present this.  Your quote was so moving and I love that you recognized the connections between art and the Divine.  Such a true statement.

Thank you Jeniffer!
This is a wonderful project that you are doing. Thank you for inviting me to participate.
Grace

Click button to view past interviews.

“Inspiring Artists” is an ongoing artist interview series at JoyfulArtsStudio.com. Join me Mondays for a weekly dose of creative inspiration.

The series will continue as long as there are artists wishing to participate. If you are an artist and would like to share your story, please contact me at jhutchins@joyfulartssudio.com, I’d love to hear from you. Thank you!

Love & Blessings,
Jeniffer