Why did you decide to become an artist? I was the only student at a small college in Iowa who majored in art. I decided on the art major because my English was too poor to take other courses at the time. I always enjoyed art, but majoring in art was by accident.
What is your creative process? I enjoy painting en plein air, an impressionistic term for painting immersed in the outdoors. However, when I can't be outside, I do use photos for loose references and add my own interpretation in color and composition. I typically paint very fast, that's why my medium of choice is often acrylic though I also enjoy the dimension in colors that oil painting brings as well.
Minneapolis by Kai Liu, 11 x 16", acrylic on paper, (sold)
Kai Liu believes “There is always beauty to be found in the most mundane or unexpected places”. He has beautifully revealed this concept in his paintings and especially loves to paint outdoor scenes and the countryside of Minnesota. His artwork has been collected by Mayo Clinic, Northwest Airlines, Cargill, Midwest Federal Reserve Bank, The Minikahda Club and many other local businesses and private collectors. We were excited to catch up with Kai to learn more about his masterful art!
How long have you been creating? I have been creating art for more than 40 years, though for much of the beginning I didn't know I would pursue art professionally. But since the 1990's, I have been painting almost everyday. In this time, I started teaching art and began studying many artists' work to ensure the lessons I gave my students were also reflected in my own work.
City Street I, II by Kai Liu, 8 x 11" each (sold), acrylic on paper
Who influenced you the most in becoming an artist? My work has been influenced by Pissaro, Monet, Seurat, Sargent, Richard Schmidt, and many artists based in China where I am from. I like learning from any and all artists' work. I always try to learn from other artists to find inspiration - whether it is realism, abstract, impressionism, and more. My art picks aspects of all these forms of artistic expression. Just as many rivers come together in the ocean, my art is a conglomeration of many forms of expression.
Is there anything else we should know about you or your work? I was trained in traditional Chinese ink paintings and calligraphy, so color was a new dimension for me upon studying art in the United States. I love colors. My work has so much color I sometimes don't know the source! Recently, I've been exploring both sides of color; from using bright and brilliant colors to more soft or muted tones. I have also been a graphic artist, doing logos and black and white drawings, which really piqued my interest in how composition can be so important to a piece. While I specialize in landscape art, I do enjoy figurative work too.