Wk 8- Artist Interview- Yingying Fu

This week, the galleries were full of SO MUCH EYE CANDY.

The ones that really caught my eyes were Yingying Fu’s paintings.

Fu was born and raised in China. In 2010, she graduated with her MFA from China Central Academy of Fine Arts. Currently, she is continuing her studies in CSULB.

Similar to the past painters I have interviewed, the paintings are of oil. Fu jokingly told me that this is because oil paintings are much more appreciated in China. However, it is apparent that she doesn’t only paint for the money- the money, as to many artists, is somewhat like an incentive. I would be more surprised if her paintings don’t start selling at high prices because she’s so darn good. Once again, I am enchanted by the various brushstrokes, the different hues, the complete aesthetic of it all.

Titled The Other Side of the Pacific, Fu’s collection of paintings mirror her experiences in Southern California, a place that is very different to China. The title itself is so smart. It alone hints at the fabulousness of California. Fu’s paintings are very electric and vibrant. There are no sharp lines, just the simple fluidity that seem to capture the Californian stereotype that we live on the “chill” side of life. The paintings are also a great way to show something that the Chinese might be missing out on: relaxation. I’ve always known China as the land of big corporations and business, which to me means people work and work and work to keep their revenues and profits high. Maybe they don’t have time to rest,  and to have someone like Fu capture that relaxation in one oil painting is enough for others to be pulled into that calmness some of them yearn for.

Speaking of lines, I was initially going to write about Christopher Linquata because his paintings were just as vibrant and electric, but the difference is that Linquata’s paintings portrayed the city life. I was in the mood for the beach 🙂

Back to Fu’s masterpieces: She told me that she uses a sketchbook first. From there, she imagines color schemes and atmospheres of the paintings. Fu refers back to photos to finish the painting’s details. When I asked her how long she’s been painting, she replied with middle and high school, which makes sense because she got in China’s most prestigious art school. She probably put all her time into making one of the most amazing portfolios the school admissions have ever seen!

I asked her how she likes California and she likes it better than Beijing. Fu traveled back to China recently and told me that Beijing has become too unbearable with the pollution and its problems. I could relate to this because I felt the same thing when I visited the Philippines. Everything got smaller and weirder- it’s a place that’s lightyears away from being anything like the US, California specifically.

This was another fun exhibit. The pieces wonderfully capture the essence of California. The skies in the background, the sand, the ocean OH HOW WONDERFUL and ALIVE it makes someone feel! It surely makes me happy that I live in California, despite the fact that five years ago, I resented my parent’s choice of moving here lol (we moved from the Windy City in 2009 and I loved it there[but I love it here more now lol]).

Contact Fu on her Facebook. And here is a piece by another person about Fu.