May 6, 2005

KEEPING THE ARTS ALIVE

A 21st Century woman’s journey on canvas

Blending the East and West, I-Fang Wen is an emerging artist who will be exhibiting her expressionistic paintings in her Evergreen area studio May 21—22 as part of Silicon Valley Open Studios 2005.

Emerging artist I-Fang Wen stands beside one of her refreshingly bold paintings, with exhilarating color, texture, patterns and imagery.

Wen’s oil paintings express stories of women and their emotions with vivid creativity, passion and intensity. She declares her work as “Nu-Woman Expressionism” painted “from the warmth of my heart and depths of my soul.”
Early career paths

Born in Taipei, Wen received her associate’s degree in medical technology and her bachelor’s degree in marine biology. For a short time she studied Japanese in Nagasaki, Japan.

She then returned to Taiwan as a reporter and columnist, writing articles for high tech news, scientific development, environmental sciences and medical publications. In 1992 Wen, followed her mother to Northern California where she entered graduate school majoring in environmental studies at San Jose State University.

Following her formal education, Wen became a financial broker and owned a beauty high tech company. She raised capital for this start-up until the dot-com bust. At that point, she stopped and took a deep breath, searching for a path to the next chapter in her life.

Exploring inner self
Wen began to explore her inner self in the forms of fashion design, Chinese calligraphy, Flamenco dancing and oil painting. During this exploration, she found her true inspiration was to pursue her blossoming love for oil painting.

“I started as a self-taught artist—I feel. I see. I read. And I paint,” says Wen. “I prefer the use of oils on canvas because the vibrant colors, the layered texture and the brush stroke effects bring out my feelings on canvas.”

Mardi Gras, by I-Fang Wen

In the spring of 2002, Wen spent 10 glorious days in Spain where she fell in love with both Spanish Flamenco and the architectural works of Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926).

Gaudi’s fundamental values in his work came from expressing his moods, feelings and dreams symbolically in architecture with non-traditional shapes, forms, colors and materials. He was an artist whose superiority not only stemmed from intellectual and spiritual possibilities in his life, but also in his ability to transform architecture from the traditional into what he felt and who he was.

The ways that Gaudi constructed architectural wonders in Barcelona, Spain, inspired Wen.

“I realized that I could rebuild my inner self and create a new social world through my eyes and with my creative talents,” says Wen.

Focus on emotion, not form
She observed that many artists have painted women and their surroundings, often using the woman’s image or her form as the focal point of the art work, portraits included.

Wen instead focuses on the emotion and experiences of women. The images, forms or faces of her women are on the side, corners or in the background. It is as if that woman was there, at that moment, experiencing it all, according to Wen.

“I am a woman, filled with traditional and modern ideals and values,” she continues. “I use oil colors on canvas with layered texture and brush strokes to express myself and all the women surrounding me and engaging in my life experiences. I paint to bring to life our feelings and emotions, our loves and relationships, our moods and temperaments, and all of the complications and sensitivities of the modern woman that we are.”

Wen believes that through her paintings, she will lead her audiences of today and tomorrow on a journey of their lives, one chapter or moment at a time. “They will tell our stories. But in the end, they are the true expression of who and what we are.”

Wen’s women
“My women fly from my mind and spirit and dance on my canvases, with vivid emotion and intense color,” explains Wen. “The lines and shapes are building experiences of our lives. The layered textures are the symbols of our courage. The varied brush stoke is the essence of our wonder and complications.”

Echo, by I-Fang Wen

She is quick to point out that she doesn’t paint portraits. “What I bring to life in my painting is the incredible nature and beauty of woman with all of her feelings, emotions and complications,” says Wen. “I hope my paintings will express the many facets and fascinations of women. These women I bring to you on canvas are the truth, the goodness, the beauty of our nature and the splendor of the ‘Nu’ Woman.”

Recently, Wen has also extended her expression into more abstract works, including mixed media paintings and even some new and vibrant acrylic sensations.

Giving back
Wen believes in giving back to the community. She has donated proceeds from the sale of her works to groups such as the Art and Dancing departments of West Valley Community College, the Avenidas Senior Center of Palo Alto, schools at the 49ers Academy, the 2005 Asia Tsunami Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and others.
She has also donated her paintings and jewelry to the Triton Museum of Art, the Santa Cruz Ballet and the de Saisset Museum at the University of Santa Clara.

When she finds a spare moment, she has volunteered over the last seven years for the Dynamic Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting local Chinese senior citizens.

More than 100 paintings
By 2005, the Chinese year of the rooster, Wen had well over 100 paintings to her credit, many of them collected by people around the United States and abroad. Each month she continues to live her passion and add to her works of art.

In between her paintings, she extends her creative talent by designing and making unique jewelry. She has designed two series of beaded necklaces, ear rings and bracelets using precious carved jade and coral as both the focal point and accents.

Known as Nu-Jade and Nu-Coral designs, these one-of-a-kind treasures complement the beauty and nature of today’s Nu-Woman.

In February, she exhibited her art with much success at the American Arts Festival in the San Jose Convention Center, where she displayed many of her large format oil on canvas paintings, as well as her line of Nu-Jade and Nu-Coral designer jewelry.

This month, she participates in the Silicon Valley Open Studios for the second year in a row. You can peruse Wen’s collection on Saturday and Sunday, May 21 to 22, at the Ranch at Silver Creek, 1273 Thornbury Lane, San Jose.

For more information, visit the Web site www.ifangwen.net. Contact I-Fang Wen or Dale E. Christman of C&W Collectibles and Fine Arts LLC directly by phone (408) 238-9887 and (408) 718-9988 or e-mail: art@ifangwen.net and candwcollectibles@yahoo.com.