February 1, 2014

Artist, News and Artists, Podcast Series, What Art Means to You

Creatives’ Corner Spotlight with Hong Kong-based Artist, Vivian Ching

This is the written version of our Podcast Series where we asked a handful of artists to:

• Describe your craft/art,
• Tell us about a project you are most proud of,
• Tell us about a project that challenged you the most and what you learned,
• Describe your creative process/ritual, and finally,
• What’s next for you?

Read what Hong Kong-based artist, Vivian Ching shared:

TAP: Describe your craft/art,

VC: My signature painting style utilizes vibrant colors and abstract hard-edge imagery in order to express optimistic life philosophies and stories. Having lived in various continents around the world while maintaining a diverse professional background including a PhD in Operations Management currently in progress from University of Warwick (UK) as well as other degrees in Finance, Economics, Anthropology and Law; I draw on my wide-ranging experiences as the main inspiration behind my artwork.

TAP: Tell us about a project you are most proud of,

VC: I am most proud of “Self Portrait” which portrays myself as the main subject of the art piece, enabling a direct and deeper expression of my character and thoughts to viewers for the first time. Using my signature abstract imagery to represent multiple facets of my life, the painting depicts my passion in life, my love of arts and music, various layers behind my personality and experiences, as well as the importance of striving towards dreams.

“Self Portrait” Vivian Ching Copyright Ⓒ

TAP: Tell us about a project that challenged you the most and what you learned,

VC: A famous A-list Hong Kong actor recently started a new film production company and had to design his studio. In one occasion, he saw some of my artworks and asked me to do a custom painting about the Hong Kong film industry in order to decorate his new office. According to his Fengshui Master, he has a special preference for certain colors that enhances luck based on his birth chart so I was advised to only use his “lucky” colors in the painting. Despite the palette and subject limitation, I ended up creating one of my best works known as “Film Reel 8”, which depicts a dynamic film-reel twisting into the shape of a majestic elephant or tree signifying longevity, creativity, wisdom and power in the film industry. Shaped like a horizontal “8” or infinity symbol, “8” in Chinese culture represents wealth and success while the infinity logo conveys endless opportunities. Moreover, the elephant trunk wraps around the center of the reel, symbolizing leadership in the film world. His company logo and other film symbols are also embedded into the reel. Through this project, I really learned how to balance my artistic integrity while matching the client’s (unique) specifications, and learned not to under-estimate the power of Fengshui Masters in the art scene!

 “Film Reel 8” Vivian Ching CopyrightⒸ   

TAP: Describe your creative process/ritual, and finally,

VC: I get my inspiration from my day-to-day life routines and experiences as well as from traveling. I take in everything in my surroundings including colors, light, smells, geography, culture, symbols, shapes, temperature, sounds and so forth. Once I get any ideas, I sketch them out before beginning the painting process. My paintings are developed on large canvases in order to magnify the impact of the bright colors in my design, and I also layer each color at least 5-6 times with acrylic paint in order to achieve its solid-color effect. As a result, each of my paintings can take up to a month to complete.

TAP: What’s next for you?

VC: One of my long term goals is to be able to crossover my artistic creations into the business sector through collaborative product designs so that the scope of my artwork philosophy is magnified such that when people talk about happiness, they will automatically visualize my paintings. I also aim to integrate more of my artwork into charity programs in order to help raise funds for meaningful causes and to encourage optimism for those in need.