This month's exhibit will feature a collective of pieces done by local artist Qimin Liu and his son Ethan Liu! Head to the Hoxie Gallery from 2-3 pm Saturday, August 10th to "Meet the Artists". Their pieces can be viewed in the Hoxie Gallery through the month of August during library hours.
About Qimin Liu:
Qimin Liu, born in Heilongjiang Province, China, received a Teaching Certificate from Haerbin Normal University (1985), and in addition, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Institute of Chinese Traditional Drama (1991), majoring in stage design. Master of Arts from Iowa State University (1997), Major in Painting/Drawing/Printmaking, and Master of Fine Arts from Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (1999) Area of Painting. Soon after graduating Liu served as an Adjunct Professor at Philadelphia University (Spring 2000). He started teaching painting and drawing in the Fine Art Department of Eastern Connecticut State University, in the fall of 2000 - present day. Currently employed as the Senior Professor of the Art and Art History Department, mainly focusing on teaching major courses in painting and drawing.
"My artistic mind is dancing between line, shape, color, and texture with philosophical content. Educated in both China and America, I am fascinated by all great Western and Eastern paintings in history. From time to time, I often reflect while I work on my painting and drawing projects, I enjoy learning from historical reference as well as applying contemporary elements to my work. Researching different techniques and skills has always been a highlight for my work, as well as getting involved with a variety of different materials for experiment. For the past 30 years, I have been on a journey to try to find my own visual identity that is meaningful to me. Recently I was most influenced by the philosophical aspect of Chinese traditional calligraphy with inner meditation and the manner of free spirit of American Abstract Expressionism. Furthermore, I also try to attempt mixing in Impressionism, a way of interpreting color, as well as reflecting on my personal and social concerns in the subject matter. In particular, for me, my aesthetic practice is a way to explore and embrace my cultural roots and the free spirit of expression.
In 2017, I began the process of self-education in Chinese Painting & Calligraphy study to further advance my professional artistic skill, and a philosophically return to my cultural roots, at the same time, I started to shift my subject matter from disfranchised homelessness of Americans to racial weariness and to shift the visual images from representation to abstraction. For example, my Calligraphic Project is restrained traditional forms layered over each other to create emotional impact, some larger abstract pieces are a result of these studies. Recently, I also picked up a youth love of watercolor. Meanwhile, I continue to teach Figure Drawing and Watercolor."
About Ethan Liu:
Born in 2006, in Connecticut, currently a high school student at Hopkins, New Haven, grade 11. Besides being passionate about soccer, Ethan currently has an excellent school academics history. He developed his love of art starting at 7 years old, painting and drawing alongside his father, a Professor of Art at Eastern Connecticut State University. He has an extensive range of experience in art and forms of multiple mediums, and the upcoming exhibition will showcase more of his recent watercolor and acrylic painting during and after the pandemic.
