My First Workshop
By late July 2015, my life in Chengdu had developed a rhythmic ping. It was the sound of WeChat: the digital heartbeat of China, connecting my studio desk to a world I hadn't yet physically met. I had been posting my work for barely three months, yet the momentum was building and the questions were changing from, where can I see your art to, how can I experience your art?
Then I got a message from an art events organizer called Color Me Fun and just like that, my first workshop was set.
On August 1, 2015, the Sky Lounge of the Crowne Plaza was transformed. The panoramic views of Chengdu’s skyline were spectacular, but the real energy was contained within the glass walls where thirty tables sat flat, waiting for a direction. There wasn't an easel in sight; my work happens on the level, and today, thirty others would follow suit.
There is a specific kind of electricity that comes from standing in front of a crowd without a script. I didn't have a finished image in my mind; I only had the process and the absolute certainty that the paint would find its way. It was a high-wire act where the safety net was my own intuition. I wasn't just teaching a technique; I was performing an act of faith in real-time, inviting thirty people to trust a destination I hadn't even reached yet.
My methodology was built on a 'practical order': a system designed to bridge the gap between technical execution and creative freedom. The format was a rhythmic loop: for each stage of the painting, the guests would leave their stations and crowd around my central table, leaning in to watch the way the palette knife moved or how the colors collided. They watched the transformation in real-time, then retreated to their own tables to translate that energy onto their own canvases.
We began with the foundation: the palette. I instructed everyone to choose three to four oil colors, plus white (white is the blender and the ribbon-maker in my process). This limitation wasn't a restriction; it was a map. By narrowing the choices, I gave them a starting point they could grasp.
As the clock ticked, I moved through the room like a waterbug. Because the process was entirely new to them, there was a lot of hands-on guidance. I found myself reaching in, grabbing a knife, and adding those few crucial strokes to a student’s work to show them how the layers could breathe. I was teaching them the phases of the work: the rigid steps of preparation followed by the moments where they had to let go and let the paint express itself.
By the time the two and a half hours were up, I was exhausted, but the room was vibrating. Thirty people had walked in as observers and walked out having participated in the birth of a new visual language. They hadn't just watched a demo; they had stepped through the portal with me.
This live painting event set the tone for the way I have marketed my work for over a decade. The best Provenance is "living Provenance". Collectors actually seeing the work get made.
One of the ladies at that very first event now owns 8 of my original works and many of her friends own my work as well. From that first workshop over a decade ago, she saw on WeChat and attended my Zodiac Legacy Exhibition during Spring Festival 2026, brought along friends, who bought 4 of my paintings and just last month, she attended my live painting at the Happy Art Village with a friend and together they bought 6 works including one of my San Xing Dui Masks: a high-end signature piece.
Lifetime repeat collectors bringing their friends.
Then I got a message from an art events organizer called Color Me Fun and just like that, my first workshop was set.
On August 1, 2015, the Sky Lounge of the Crowne Plaza was transformed. The panoramic views of Chengdu’s skyline were spectacular, but the real energy was contained within the glass walls where thirty tables sat flat, waiting for a direction. There wasn't an easel in sight; my work happens on the level, and today, thirty others would follow suit.
There is a specific kind of electricity that comes from standing in front of a crowd without a script. I didn't have a finished image in my mind; I only had the process and the absolute certainty that the paint would find its way. It was a high-wire act where the safety net was my own intuition. I wasn't just teaching a technique; I was performing an act of faith in real-time, inviting thirty people to trust a destination I hadn't even reached yet.
My methodology was built on a 'practical order': a system designed to bridge the gap between technical execution and creative freedom. The format was a rhythmic loop: for each stage of the painting, the guests would leave their stations and crowd around my central table, leaning in to watch the way the palette knife moved or how the colors collided. They watched the transformation in real-time, then retreated to their own tables to translate that energy onto their own canvases.
We began with the foundation: the palette. I instructed everyone to choose three to four oil colors, plus white (white is the blender and the ribbon-maker in my process). This limitation wasn't a restriction; it was a map. By narrowing the choices, I gave them a starting point they could grasp.
As the clock ticked, I moved through the room like a waterbug. Because the process was entirely new to them, there was a lot of hands-on guidance. I found myself reaching in, grabbing a knife, and adding those few crucial strokes to a student’s work to show them how the layers could breathe. I was teaching them the phases of the work: the rigid steps of preparation followed by the moments where they had to let go and let the paint express itself.
By the time the two and a half hours were up, I was exhausted, but the room was vibrating. Thirty people had walked in as observers and walked out having participated in the birth of a new visual language. They hadn't just watched a demo; they had stepped through the portal with me.
This live painting event set the tone for the way I have marketed my work for over a decade. The best Provenance is "living Provenance". Collectors actually seeing the work get made.
One of the ladies at that very first event now owns 8 of my original works and many of her friends own my work as well. From that first workshop over a decade ago, she saw on WeChat and attended my Zodiac Legacy Exhibition during Spring Festival 2026, brought along friends, who bought 4 of my paintings and just last month, she attended my live painting at the Happy Art Village with a friend and together they bought 6 works including one of my San Xing Dui Masks: a high-end signature piece.
Lifetime repeat collectors bringing their friends.