LIANG WEI
PAINTING JUROR, JUDGE and WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR
Liang Wei was born and raised in Guangzhou, China. Since childhood he has loved calligraphy and enjoyed admiring landscape, flowers and trees. His first painting lessons were in landscape, taught by his teacher Huang Anren. He studied art at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts where his advisor was Professor Fang Chuxiong.
The paintings of his masters, along with their life experiences, had a great impact on his artwork. They inspired him with motivation, endurance and endless exploration of artistic pursuit. Initially he painted landscapes. He wanted to express what appealed to him. He also wanted his paintings to be memorable. Later he became interested in flower and bird paintings because the colorful flowers and birds were able to express a festive and cheerful atmosphere. His paintings of birds, trees and flowers incorporate a unique and harmonious blend of traditional and modern approaches to the natural world.
He has been a resident artist in the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria Virginia since 2001. In 2005, he received The Torpedo Factory Artist of the Year Award. Wei’s artwork has been exhibited in museums and galleries in Connecticut, New York City and the DC area. He has won numerous awards including multiple First Prize at Connecticut Watercolor Societies, 1st in The American Landscape Show at the Art League, People’s Choice at Vienna Arts Society, 1st in Watercolor for Best of Virginian Artists and Artisans, and the Outstanding Work at the First Overseas Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Exhibitions held in Beijing, China, including one in 2001 at the SSA annual exhibit in Portsmouth VA. In 2008 he was the Calligraphy Judge and Painting Workshop Instructor and Invitational Artist for the Society’s Annual Exhibition. In 2020 he was Juror, Judge and Invitational Artist for the Sumi-e Society Annual Exhibition.
Liang Wei’s comments about Asian Brush Painting and Calligraphy
What artists want to express in their heart will always help them to imagine and construct a warm picture, no matter how much time it takes to complete it. The basic point of a good work of art is that the audience can understand and feel the artistic mood the creator wished to convey. For the creation and study of sumi-e painting, it is best to include calligraphy as a periodical study to better understand the expression of brush and ink. “Asian art exhibitions must have thematic elements, as well as local and humanistic culture. Since traditional sumi-e painting is already widespread, I prefer more modern expressions of art.”
