Eileen Siu-Yue Fong
Biography

Applying the basic discipline of Chinese painting, Eileen expresses her love of nature. She enjoys letting her spontaneous brushstrokes give expression to the images that sift freely through her thoughts. A medical Technologist by profession, she has an avid interest in exploring and creating. Having lived in Canadian culture since 1968, she strives to blend Canadian scenes and nature into this ancient art form. An active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, Eileen has shown her artwork in several solo and juried exhibitions in BC and participated in many juried group shows.

• Private studies of Chinese calligraphy and brush painting with several renowned artists, namely Professor Renli Chen.
• Graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Nuclear Medicine (1972) and Chemistry Medical Technology (1987).

Awards

• First Place, Surrey Arts 2006 Juried Show
• Award of Merit, Arts 2004, Surrey Art Gallery.
• 2nd Place, AgriArt 2004 Juried Art Competition, Agricultural of Canada and Arts Council of Surrey.
• Award of Merit, Delta Arts Council, 2002 "ArtsPacific", Juried Exhibition
• 1st Place, Level 3, 2001 Picture of the Year Award, Western Art Circle.
• 2nd Place, Surrey Arts 2000 Juried Exhibition
• Honorable mention in Surrey Arts '98 Juried Exhibition
• Honorable mention in Vancouver Sun sweater designing contest (1992)

Published Artwork

• Author of self-published book, "An Exploration of Chinese Watermedia" (National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data, ISBN 0-9688301-0-2) March 2001, Sept 2003 (2nd Edition)
• "Where the Water Meet" in the Federation of Canadian Artists' News (Feb 2001)
• "Playtime" in the Oriental Arts Club of Richmond 10th Anniversary Celebration Publication (1999)
• "Wisteria by the Pond" in Federation of Canadian Artists' News (June 1998)

Teaching

• Artist in Residence, Vancouver School Board, Vancouver, B.C. - 2001 - 2004
• Professional Development Days, Vancouver School Board, Vancouver, B.C. - 2001 -
• Summer School of Arts, Vancouver School Board, Vancouver, B.C. - 2001 -
• The Palette People, Gabriola Island, B.C. 2001
• Delta Arts Council, Delta, B.C. 1998-2001
• West Vancouver Arts Council, W. Vancouver, B.C. 2000
• The Old School House Arts Centre, Qualicum Beach, B.C. 1999
• Abbotsford Arts Council, Abbotsford, B.C. 1999 and 2000
  

The uniqueness of Chinese brush painting lies in its simple colours, spontaneous brushstrokes, subtle balance of shape and space, and emphasis on a specific subject, which all join to create a visual poetry. The technical foundation, once mastered, allows the artist to spontaneously create mental images. The brushstrokes are analogous to the individual words of an inspiring poem or the musical phrases in a beautiful piece of music. Its variations in tone and speed create a rhythmic effect, and its blending of colours reflects light and shade.

I like to observe the objects in their forms, capturing the moments in my mind, with the help of a sketchbook or camera. My paintings are usually not conformed to careful preplanning. Like a little mental exercise, each piece of work stems from spontaneous thoughts. In my expressions, I use as few strokes as possible to interpret the moods of natural subjects, simultaneously improvising and going along with the composition. In this process of coordinating my brushstrokes with my thoughts, I am reaching out for an internal harmony between my creation and myself.

Learning the discipline of this traditional ancient art form has provided me with a good foundation for exploration. I like to set no boundaries, but go beyond the traditional focus in expressing what I feel and see. By combining other techniques and medium in this ancient art form to portray my present surroundings, I am uniting the different cultures through my arts, in a passionate way. I appreciate the freedom of calligraphic expression and the unique properties of rice paper. I let the spontaneous brush strokes give expression to images of nature that sift freely through my thoughts. I find joy and peace during the creation process; and very often, am delighted at its surprising result. I hope that the audience can also perceive this internal energy through my creative process.