The Art of Storytelling

Sweeping washes of background color, reds, blues, greens and yellows. A bold swirl here and there, and tendrils spread across the canvas. And then the finishing touches, fine illustrative details.
 
Lucy Liew is a storyteller. Some tell stories through words, or songs, or by acting. Lucy paints her stories.
 
"My philosophy is that painting is a form of storytelling," said Lucy, who was born in Sibu, a town in Sarawak, Malaysia. "A visual celebration of life and the human experience. It is through the visual media of painting and drawing that I am able to transcend the barrier of language to share my thoughts and inspirations with the viewer."
 
Lucy pursued art at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore, and after graduation worked in an art gallery for six months. She was awarded the prestigious Commonwealth Foundation Fellowship in Arts and Crafts. After obtaining her post-graduate in textile design from the West Surrey College of Arts, England, she returned to Malaysia where she remained for the next five years.
 
"During that time, I started my own studio, producing textiles, making paintings and teaching painting to adults," said Lucy, who now lives in San Jose, CA. "Like many artists who had to leave their homeland to pursue art in a larger city, I chose to go to California after that."
 
Lucy's first exhibition was when she was invited to take part in a three-woman show at the Midpoint Gallery, Singapore prior to her graduation. Since then, she has taken part in many groups and solo shows. Her work has also been widely collected by corporations and individuals both locally and internationally, such as Bank of America, Malaysian Bank and Petronas Oil.
 
According to the accomplished artist, Lucy's works have been described as a rich tapestry of color. "This is a reference to my colorful, multi-layered painting style and the interplay between organic curvilinear elements and foreground representational images," said Lucy, who was last home in Malaysia in 2008. "To help accomplish this effect, I take full advantage of the acrylic medium on canvas - alternately diluting my paints and using them like watercolors or building up layers of translucent colors."
 
Lucy's paintings draw upon her personal experiences and identity as a woman of Chinese-Melanau decent, influenced by Euro-American contemporary thought. "I approach my compositions with a central story or theme and develop the composition through the use of color, cultural iconography and symbolism," she said. "In my latest series of works, it was the beautifully decorated Chinese vases collected by my mother that gave me inspiration for a series of work celebrating family. In this series, I use different floral themes as representational images of family trees. These flowers each have special significance in Chinese tradition: the tree peony symbolizes honor, love and affection, the lotus blossom purity and perfection, and the magnolia bloom nobility, dignity and perserverance. This collection also features butterflies as universal symbols for joy, transformation and new life."
 
Also a children's art teacher, Lucy continues to enjoy teaching but is now more focused on developing her own painting and displaying work at invitational shows. In 2005, Lucy was juried into the San Jose City Public Art pool and awarded a project for an installation and wall mural for the children's section of the Joyce Ellington Branch Library.
 
To find out more about Lucy Liew's art, please visit http://lucyliewart.com

Submitted by Angela Woon

11/04/2009