Discovered Chinese Artist On The Brink Of Success

To be an artist, is no easy feat. It involves hard work, persistence, and patience. Hiro, a painter in Beijing, China has gone through many of these trials, but is now on the brink of becoming a published artist. In an interview, Hiro explained that she began painting at a very young age. Hiro took classes every day after school. This instilled an excitement and joy in her that she still experiences while painting today. Hiro enjoys having the ability to paint the things and the people that she loves. She also uses painting to ease herself during troubling times. She explains that painting brings her joy as well as, inner peace. This is true for many artists. There is even a saying in China that, “there can be no creation of art without peace of the soul”. Creative talents are often used as emotional outlets. That is what makes art so expressive.

Hiro’s style of painting has many similarities to East Asian styles of art. Chinese art is mostly expressive and is not as symbolic as Western art. It is also said that painting is “the most characteristic art of China”. This is very true for Hiro’s artwork. Many of her paintings include the signature Chinese style of landscapes, use of white space, and watercolor techniques. There is always an element of nature in her paintings. This is especially true for Hiro’s work on the new web comic, “Modern Life of The Immortals”. For the past year, Hiro has been working with a media company called NOW-DO. The painter and the staff have teamed up to create this new web comic. The story-line is very entertaining and the artwork is exceptional. Hiro has designed an entire fantasy world full of a variety of characters. Below, are some examples of the character paintings Hiro is currently working on.

“Modern Life of The Immortals” is a very important project for Hiro and is something she is quite passionate about. Hiro befriended the CEO of NOW-DO, Lucy, many years ago. The two women bonded over their love and appreciation for the manga and anime series, “Slam Dunk”. Hiro explains that, “One day Lucy said, let's make a fabulous Chinese traditional manhua [Chinese manga] together! So, we started ‘Modern Life of The Immortals’". The company began in 2014; however, Hiro began working on the painting and characterization in the summer of 2016. Hiro says she first draws several small drafts of an image before she creates the formal painting. Her paintings are watercolors paintings. This is also an example of the Chinese art style. Chinese paintings are “more concerned with water based techniques, rather than oils and acrylic”. Painting with watercolors gives Hiro’s paintings a whimsical element of color and nature that is unmatched by many Western paintings. Hiro also uses salt painting techniques for her characters. Salt painting adds a textured look to the image. It is also a very modern technique, although it dates back to the ancient times of many early civilizations. This technique makes Hiro’s characters seem to lift off the page. When asked which character was her favorite, Hiro could not decide, “No…I cannot choose a particular character. I love so many of them!”, she said.

Hiro’s deep connection to her characters is not surprising. As an artist, Hiro drawers her passion from the relationships she makes. Friends and family make up the base of Hiro’s support system. Hiro says that her favorite things about painting are the friendships she’s made throughout her journey. Everything she does seemed to be influenced in some way by her deep love for people. It is said that, “The Oriental painter is a philosopher, a seer, an artist in life”. This is certainly true for Hiro, as her outlook on life is as beautiful as her paintings. Influenced by the wall painting in Dun Huang and the works of Inoue Takenhiko, Hiro explains that she has many people to thank for her success in life and in art. As “Modern Life of The Immortals, vol.1” prepares for publication, Hiro continues to work on the remaining volumes for the series. Every character Hiro paints brings her joy and publication of these characters will pass that joy on to others.

To see more of Hiro’s work, visit www.now-do.com/comic/ and click on “Modern Life of Immortal Demons”. Or you can buy her new book here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073VXT997

References

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/east-asian-art/chinese-painting.htm

http://www.now-do.com/works/6403137683888013315/read/6426890287677702233

https://painting-art.wonderhowto.com/how-to/use-watercolor-salt-technique-321861/

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