Creativity Never Runs Out, Curiosity Does
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If you know me, you'd know that I've been drawing, painting, crafting, building, collaging, sculpting, and etc. ever since I was 5 years old. I was immersed in the Visual Arts (part self-discovery, paid & free art programs and classes, and part  training in school) and I have my curiosity and encouraging parents to thank. Later in my teen years I would accidentally discover performance art (Hip Hop dance), and the art of Floristry but that's another story for another time. My point is that I was blessed with a natural and powerful sense of curiosity that encourages me to throw myself into many various forms of art--my curiosity is like an itch I need to scratch because without it, my creativity will not flow.

Creativity never runs out, curiosity does. My philosophy is that everyone ought to develop, practice, and stay curious because I'm a big believer that with curiosity and intentional actions, naturally comes with a breadth of knowledge and developed skills that overlaps one another thus allowing creativity to flow. Some say that the more you use your creativity the more you have it and I'm a big believer of that. But I am an even bigger believer that the more curious you get and the more you scratch that curiosity itch, creativity flows more easily and in abundance.

Recently, I gave myself permission to allow curiosity to run free because I've realized that it has been wavering for years and because of this Pandemic and an increase of free time, I am re-lighting my curiosity fire. Year 2020 has been rough but throughout my time I've been revisiting old loves like drawing and painting, and learning new skills like hand-binding leather journals/sketchbooks, or making flat broad noodles and hot chili garlic oil from scratch! Anyways, I just finished my first painting after a four year break! If you're curious about the backstory and meaning of my abstract painting, "Ebb and Flow", feel free to continue reading below!

The Backstory to
Ebb & Flow, 2021
Acrylic & Oil on Canvas, 18"W x 35 7/8"H x 3/4"D
Price upon inquiry
e: viv@vivianpang.com

What started out as a mini spur-of-the-moment project of layering colors onto a canvas based on how I felt on random self-imposed quarantined Summer days in 2020, evolved into a painting that captures a depiction of my personal understanding and making sense of the ebbs and flows in life.

A week of applying colorful layers of my feelings and a short time soon after have made me realize that I have laid the foundation to the natural rhythmic motions of growth and decay, a concept that is constantly reflected in Nature, life, relationships and humans' feelings and emotions. 

In the painting, you can see a clear distinction between the underground and above ground space by the juxtaposition of the horizontal wave-like and color-blocking layers and above it, the flowing vertical swirls resembling blades of grass. Further marking this spatial distinction is the vibrant warmer colors like brown, coral, and salmon-pink contrasting against the cooler colors such as chartreuse, eucalyptus, sage, teal and other various shades of green. This juxtaposition plays on the idea of a natural oscillation that occurs--an inwards and outwards motion that highlights the concept of interconnectedness and relationships with relations to these permeable spaces. The flows that occur within these spaces forms a cycle that mimics and defines how life, relationships, and human emotions plays out.

The subject of the ground and the grass that grows from it is a simple reference from Nature but it's a powerful muse that inspires and reveals how I see myself and the world around me. Each blade of grass exists for about forty days until it perishes back into the soil. So when we see a lawn of green grass, it is actually collectively in a constant state of growth and decay! I reflected this fascinating fact by the various shades of green that comes from new growth, reached maturity levels, and inevitably the fading vibrant colors that shows up throughout this state. Just like the lawn grass cycle, human emotions, feelings, relationships, and life in general is constantly ebbing and flowing and in all of this, I am both a vessel, and an onlooker--I am the viewer from the inside and outside. So I'm here painting repetitive "S" shapes day in and day out as a way to interpret, meditate, immerse, and make sense of these cyclical theatrics.

The repetitive blades of grass and its subtle curves represents the ebbing and flowing, the inwards and the outwards, the oscillating movements, and the balancing that I am doing, that Nature is doing. As a whole, the above ground section and the underground area of the painting creates an immersive color field that draws the viewer in, pushes them back out, and repeats it all over again. It's almost a hypnotic and trance-inducing state!

At first glance, my intention is for the viewer to think of the blades of grass as waves, or a body of moving water but I wanted the viewer to step in closer to see that I've further hinted to them that the 'S' shapes actually represents grass. I did that by painting repetitive squares and rectangles to signify plant cells. If the viewer looks closely they can see copper nuclei and cerulean blue vacuoles inside some cells that are repeated throughout the painting. The cells are painted outside of the grass to again highlight the inside and outside concept. In life, it seems to be teaching us the very same lesson over and over again: in order to look inwards, one must look outwards, and when one looks outwards, you'll see what's inwards. To apply color to this lesson, gold and copper metallic paint is drawn underground (what you put in) and hints of the metallic are the nucleus of the plant cells (what you get out).

There you have it, a one big repetitive balancing practice of my making sense of it all.
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Framed statement canvas digitally rendered in a modern living room.

Framed bold canvas digitally rendered against a white wall.

Painting Specifications:
Medium: Acrylic & Oil on Canvas
Canvas Dimensions: 18"W x 35 7/8"H x 3/4"D
Date Completed: 2021
Style: Abstract; Bold; Statement
Artist: VIVIAN PANG
Titled, signed & dated on the back of the canvas and signed on the front in archival black ink.
Unframed - Painting on Stretched Canvas 
Included with painting is a Certificate of Authenticity

Price & Delivery Method: 
Free local NYC/NJ delivery available.
USA Shipping rate varies by location.
Please kindly contact/email for serious purchase inquiries on this one-of-a-kind original art and to get an accurate price. Print reproductions inquiries are welcome as well.

Notes:
Colors, vibrancy and contrast have been slightly tweaked to accurately reflect the colors shown in person, however, please take note that colors shown digitally can vary from person to person due to the desktop model and or personal settings of the computer. This is sold as a unframed stretched canvas painting--leaving optional frame personalization up to the buyer.