Autumn Crocus

In watercolor
Fall 2001

Fall 2001 was a period of inspiration. I entered a whole new world of academia. A vibrant college atmospere with a library almost overflowing with artistic resources inspired me to paint many pieces shown here. I was also inspired to explored new ways to paint and in this particular one was the result of this exploration. The background seems to be more abstract and does not actually depict anything while the flowers themselves are clearer and more defined. The violet veins make the flowers very clear and bring them closer. It was a fun piece to paint!

Autumn Maple

In acrylic
Fall 2001

This one is a little dark and mysterious. Though small compared to the giants in the background, the small tree proudly displays the last days of the years with a vibrant display. The background was not an easy to achieve and the maple leaves were not a breeze either. Well, they weren't hard but mostly tedious brushing of individual leaves.

Still Life Flowers

In acrylic
Fall 2001

This is one of my first few still-life flower pieces. I finished it in just one night. The arrangement was modeled after a flower arrangement that I found in a calendar.

Autumn Fall

In acrylic
Fall 2001

I am extremely proud of this one! The painting took me one whole day working non-stop. I got the idea from a similar picture in a magazine. I added some of my touches and my Dad suggested that I added a bird to balance out the quietness of the whole painting. I was actually pretty worried in the beginning because it was placid and dead. But when all the finishing touches are put on, the painting comes alive!

>> Collection of Mr. Glen Bigler <<
- California -

Red Berries

In watercolor
Winter 2001

Autumn passes and winter takes all that is left of colors away except for a winter-hardy plant with red flowers: Pyrocanthus coccinea. These shiny medium sized berries are very attractive on the branch when all else faded away into one earthy brown. The plant flowers in late summer fragrance little white flowers. Painting these berries were very time-consuming. It was also difficult to capture the thick and dark green leaves of the plant itself. The final result turns out ok. However, the negative invert of the piece is quite handsome!

Botanical Irises

In watercolor
Spring 2002

Winter passes without much inspiration for painting. However, when spring comes, one of my most favorite subjects to paint buds and begins to bloom signaling the arrival of spring. These are irises. Needless to say that I am ready to pick up the brush again after the idle of winter. So with the first blooming of my irises, I painted them using a botanical watercolor tecnique. I am getting better with the techniques because it did not take as long as I thought it would.

Trillium foetidissimum

In watercolor
Spring 2002

Away from the garden under the shades of the newly formed leaves, small shoots pushed from the moist ground and opened up into only three leaves and a single flower whose parts also come in threes. A true marking of the Lily Family (Liliaceae).These delicate quakerobins or trilliums are some of my most favorite spring plants. They are delicate above ground but the tuber underneath will produce next year's crop of plants. Most of the flowers are red, but once in a while, a rare yellow can be seen if one pays enough attention to them.

Agaric Mushrooms

In watercolor
Summer 2002

"Nhu, when will you paint a fungus?" was the question that I keep getting from my undergraduate research advisor, Dr. Meredith Blackwell. I finally painted my first fungus after a long time. The mushroom was collected outside the Life Sciences Building, Louisiana State University.

Gunpowder Mushrooms

In watercolor
Summer 2002

Lake Ramsays Wildlife Preserve in southeastern Louisiana is a magical place where strange plants burn and subsequently even stranger ones come up to take their place. Even strange mushrooms sprout up there. These mushrooms were the first purple mushrooms that I have ever seen. They have a very strong smell of gun powder once dried, hence the name given here. Since then, I have never seen these mushrooms again.

Japanese Irises

In watercolor
Summer 2002

I found something similar to this in a book and decided that I had to try it out. It is based on the simple arrangements of Japanese flowers. It is still a little stiff to my liking, but it is a strange new way to paint. Framed, it looks great against a dark green mat on a light blue wall.

Irises

In watercolor
March 22, 2003

This piece is the second piece of the series of purple irises against black leaves. It is meant to be painted quickly and softly flowing. The model plant is of course Iris hexagona.

>> Collection of Dr. Meredith Blackwell <<
- Louisiana -

Irises 2

In watercolor
March 22, 2003

This piece is the third piece of the series of purple irises against black leaves.

Abstract 1

In acrylic
Summer 2005

I went through an abstract phase and this was exactly the time. This was the first piece where I prety much slapped a bunch of paint onto the paper without thinking much about form and composition. It was an experiment that one could say failed; but in other ways I have learned from this and produced abstract pieces that I feel are better.

Abstract 2

In acrylic
June 2005

This piece was done very quickly with a few brushstrokes. It turned out quite abstract in resembling something yet not anything. Sort of neat for an experiment in the abstract realm for one who sees the world so literally.

Shards of Iris

In Acrylic
June 2005

The night was young and the art energy was flowing. I have done several abstract pieces and then moved back onto my signature art subject. Irises were sparse this spring since I moved last summer from my old house, and the newly planted irises were now only leaves. But the image of those flowing petals never left me. Yet, the new idea of the abstract were too real to quickly evanesce and thus both ideas were combined together in this black and white one stroke Chinese style piece with power.

Silhouette of Irises

In acrylic
June 2005

And then finally, the abstract mentality evanesced. I return to the normal view of the world, this time dark (because spring this year did not bring the irises to me) yet the silhouette of the irises remained in the back of my mind and sheets after sheets of white paper and black paint, this piece arose. There is a ghostly feeling where the flowers and leaves are not anchored thus representing the vague image of the past irises.

Sarracenia leucophylla

In watercolor
July 2005

The first time I saw this plant I was intrigued by the fine bright red veining on the white plant and wanted to paint it immediately. This one resembles a botanical piece, but it is not a true botanical piece since many fine details are missing. But alas, this piece came into being. The color combination was very pleasing. Even with the preliminary coat with no details, I could see the pitcher plant taking shape. This is often not the case in my other paintings. I love the prostrate forms of pitcher plants, much like the irises. I have found a new subject to which I can apply my brushes.

>> Collection of the Department of Plant and Microbiology <<
- Univeristy of California, Berkeley -