Bold Strokes Rule for Galveston Art League’s Featured Artist Submitted by Mary Vinnedge

The Galveston Art League will feature paintings by painter Kimvak Jen from May 30 to June 23. Several of her paintings, along with dozens of artworks by other Galveston Art League members, will be exhibited and offered for sale from noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays at the Galveston Art League Gallery, 2117A Postoffice St. in Galveston.
The Rosharon resident had an import-export business before retirement allowed her to indulge her love for painting. Jen likes to instill feelings into her paintings, animating them. “Good paintings have life and soul,” she says.
Jen describes herself as “a positive and happy person, aggressive and full of hope for everything, which I demonstrate through my paintings. They are sometimes brilliant with colors and sometimes are black and white, darkness, and light.” She considers black and white to be extremely powerful despite their simple nature.
The award-winning painter believes there’s “workmanship” and there’s the entirely different “true art.” To paint something exactly as it appears in a photo – is workmanship, Jen maintains. She further explains that a tailor provides workmanship, but an artist/designer provides creation.
Jen’s passion for art began when she was a small child. As an 8-year old, she had dreamed of becoming an artist. She was awed by the beauty of nature – the colors of flowers, the majesty of trees, and the miracle of God’s work – when she studied the veins of leaves, the components of flowers, and the gnarled but beautiful trunks of trees. Jen eventually studied the art of Chinese brush painting with Master Liu Shi, a famous art master in Taiwan. During this period, she entered several exhibitions with her teacher.
After retiring, Jen was able to return to art, the love of her life, which she says is “so satisfying and my life is filled with joy!” Her works have been exhibited and sold at various locations in the region, including the Galveston Art League Gallery.
Jen holds a professional membership in the Galveston Art League, a requirement for her to participate in the league’s Featured Artist of the Month program. The league is a nonprofit founded in 1914 with the purpose of promoting the visual arts and art education. The all-volunteer organization – there is no paid staff – is supported by memberships and sponsorships, tax-deductible contributions, and an annual gala (this year’s will be Oct. 26 at the San Luis Hotel Ballroom). To learn more about the Art League, please visit www.GalvestonArtLeague.com; to learn more about memberships and their benefits, click on “Join.”
    (submitted by Mary Vinnedge)  

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