Xuzhu "Ruth" Wang

This year I have really changed regarding my paintings and drawings. I started painting as a child who knows nothing about art. I learn to look at the objects with my own eyes, to use my intuitions, to convey a sensation, something I genuinely feel. Though it is a much tougher process, I am able to enjoy it more. It is a process of facing myself, and more than one time I resented my works, because being a painter is quite different from being an appreciator. Because most of my paintings are composed of random shapes and colors, it is difficult to decide when the piece is completed, when to stop adding things. I tore up my least favorite pieces and made it into something new, or covered it without considering how it is going to come out. Sometimes the result surprises me. I find my best ones are the ones I did without a certain consciousness, when I am immersed in the process. In the process of art creating this year, I am freed from these restrictions I put on myself.

I was inspired by many artists’ works I saw this year. Sometimes I am jealous of them, since they so accurately express the things I want to express. I still love to draw random curvy lines when I space out. Usually it comes totally random, then it has some shapes. I love the stages that can be interpreted multiple ways, and I secretly hide my interpretation in other lines. I love the imperfection when I draw lines directly with a pen on the canvas. This process itself inspires me. I will always continue to do that.