Rippling, Mixed media, 60" x 112"
Min Xu Looks West F
or decades Min Xu has divided her life between China and the United States, and you can see the influences of both in her work.
Like Chinese masters she follows the ancient tradition of painting on bark paper, but stylistically you see influences of art nouveau and art deco. She explained that bark paper is thin and tough, pliable yet strong, and helps create wonderful textures. Unlike canvas, bark paper absorbs ink and paint unevenly and unpredictably, creating its own artistic effect. Working on a grand scale, Min Xu applies paint and ink to the bark paper using brushes, plates, cups, and spoons moving it around in the process. Then she adds layers of color and sometimes images created in Photoshop. Some pieces end up having up to twenty layers of color. Along with the rigors of her process, her use of color defines her work. She explains, “Sometimes richness is dark, heavy, and ornate. Sometimes it is light, bright, and minimalistic, but sometimes it contains aspects of both approaches. Some color combinations suggest sport, travel, and excitement. An exaggeration of natural hues can convey a sense of the outdoors and the exotic.” Born in Shanghai, Min Xu studied art at the best schools in China. She received her MFA from Maryland Institute’s College of Art and has studied with dozens of professors, including Wu Guanzhong and Grace Hartigan. Recently retired, Min Xu was a graphic designer at LifeWay for almost nineteen years. She has had numerous shows, won awards, and is recognized internationally.
Garden of Eden, Mixed media, 60" x 60"
“After decades in Nashville, people call me Southern Chinese. I love the countryside, horses, sheep, cows, dogs, people, farmers, the Smoky Mountains, churches, air, blue sky, white clouds . . . ” www.joyxumin.wix.com/kaixing
10 | February 2O13 NashvilleArts.com