My work is mostly representative and nature is my main interested subject. Sometimes l venture into abstraction, especially in collage work.
How have you changed as an artist over the years?
I have switched my medium from Chinese painting to printmaking. The techniques are very different but my observation in nature expressed in my various work still remains.
What artists have influenced your work?
Henri Matisse, many Chinese and Japanese classic painters.
Do you have a favorite medium?
Woodcut is my favorite medium.
What does making art mean in your life?
It provides a channel to fulfill my creative urge. Teaching art classes also gives me feedback from students and my sense of being in a community.
Update! From now until the end of Mona Wu’s show on January 28, all remaining artwork is 50% off the listed prices. This includes both framed and unframed work as well as original printing blocks.
Don’t pass up this unique opportunity to own some of her beautiful work!
(Please note that cards on the racks and work in baskets are not included.)
In this special solo exhibit Mona Wu is showing over 40 framed works and close to 200 unframed prints, made in her nearly 30 years of Printmaking career. All methods in Printmaking are presented: woodcut, linocut, lithograph, etching, and monoprint. On view are also some carved and cancelled wood boards Wu so lovingly and laboriously produced for edition printing.
Because of her large-scale studio-downsizing, these prints, proofs, editions, as well as many of Wu’s old carved wood boards will be for sale at prices in every collector’s budget. This is your opportunity to own and/or gift a beautiful Mona Wu original print.
Viewers who browse through the show may appreciate the artist’s artistic as well as technical progress and stylistic changes over the years. Yet as the underlying thread throughout her work, Wu still retains her Asian heritage and sensibility in all manners of Printmaking.
A native of China, Mona Wu immigrated to US in 1970. She studied Chinese painting and calligraphy in Hong Kong then received her BA in Art History from Salem College in 1996. She also studied Printmaking at WFU as an auditor from 1997-2014. Wu has taught classes and workshops in Chinese art and Printmaking at Salem Community courses, Reynolda House of American Art, and Sawtooth School of Visual Art and has been a member of Artworks Gallery for many years.
I work in drawing, painting, mixed media, and glass-fused glass, and stained glass.
How have you changed as an artist over the years?
When I was younger my work was more figurative. I also liked plein air. My work is still inspired by the natural world, but presently with a current of conceptual meaning and intent.
What artists have influenced your work?
Artists Edward Hopper, Kiki Smith, and Georgia O’Keeffe have been the most influential to me.
Do you have a favorite medium?
Oil painting and glass are my favorite mediums.
What does making art mean in your life?
I have known since my earliest memories that I was an artist. I love creating, I love teaching art, I love looking at art, and I love encouraging others’ creativity. Art is intrinsic to all in my life.
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Into the Horizons by Diane Nations
Mostly Mandalas: Imagery from Lea’s Gardenby Betti Pettinati Longinotti
Exhibition Dates: October 30th – November 26th, 2022
Gallery Hop: Friday, November 4th, 7-9 pm
Reception for the Artists: Sunday, November 13th, 1:30 – 3:30 pm
I work in various mediums, choosing what I feel best suits the emotional connection I want my audience to experience when viewing my work.
How have you changed as an artist over the years?
I have transitioned from being a student to a professor and am now a full-time Artist. I have taught art at the college level for more than 30 years. I have been exposed to various art forms and feel grateful that I’ve had experiences engaging with my students as they learn to express themselves through art. At this point in my life, I am practicing what I’ve preached and engaging with life through an artist’s eyes.
What artists have influenced your work?
There are so many I couldn’t possibly name them all. I am influenced by art and life from many different perspectives. I have always been drawn to the drama and mystery in Caravaggio’s Baroque lighting. More recently, I have engaged with the women artists of the Abstract Expressionist phase of the mid-20th century, especially Joan Mitchell.
Do you have a favorite medium?
I enjoy choosing, using, and experimenting with a variety of mediums. I have been formally trained as a painter, printmaker, and photographer, and I often combine these mediums in my work. I have recently engaged with oil painting, which I have not practiced for decades, although I have taught painting for many years.
What does making art mean in your life?
Making art is ingrained in my soul. I choose to live artful life every day. Art, Life, Love…all merge together.
Anything else you think is important?
“Life is short”, as the saying goes. I believe life is an exciting journey filled with adventures to embrace. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. My philosophy is to live an authentic life and take care of ourselves and others as we can.
Art gives me a language to work through and express my ideas. A lot of my art is focused on social commentary and politics. I also like to use humor in my work. When people laugh, they’re more open to thinking about a different point of view.
How have you changed as an artist over the years?
When I was a student, I was very concerned with mastering the technical aspects of art. After school, I turned to photojournalism for a career. My creativity there was driven by capturing that decisive moment. Now that I’m older, I appreciate the process of art and letting it take me in directions I didn’t expect. I find that more and more, the concepts behind the art interest me more than the final piece itself.
What artists have influenced your work?
Laurie Anderson is one of my favorite artists. I just saw a new show by Anderson at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC. She is a singer and performance artist but has branched out into visual art. Anderson pushes the boundaries of how the viewer experiences and connects with art. One of the pieces that stuck with me in her new exhibit was a hologram of tiny people sharpening knives. Nick Cave’s Soundsuits also inspire me. His pieces blend sculpture and fashion. He says they evolved after the Rodney King beatings and have grown into vehicles for empowerment. It made me look at art and textiles in an entirely different way. His Soundsuits are like modern-day armor, and I was fascinated by what he chose to create these superhero costumes. Some are intricately beaded but then juxtapose a megaphone or an abacus.
Do you have a favorite medium?
I’m not tied to one medium. Different concepts require different art forms. Since turning more fully to art from photojournalism and becoming an Artworks Gallery member, I’ve enjoyed experimenting with different art forms. Since the pandemic hit, I’ve worked with fabric and photograms. And I’m excited about art that incorporates technology.
What does making art mean in your life?
It does a lot of things. At its broadest, making art gives me a voice to speak about what I care about in the world. It’s also a stress reliever and a way to indulge in some “me time.” Some of my art has helped me process some of the complex emotions from my time in photojournalism. I read about soldiers treated for PTSD who were assigned to write stories about their trauma but then rewrite the ending to what they wanted it to be. I decided to take some of my old photos of crime scenes and the Pentagon on 9/11 and envision what I wanted to happen. I called the show “Magical Thinking” because I created a better ending.
