Traditional Chinese painting techniques are no longer adequate to express contemporary aesthetic sensibilities. As painting is perceived directly through the senses, it should speak forthrightly to the viewer. What truly determines the viewer's perception is how one paints, not what one paints. Thus, an important task of the artist is to create his own technique.

Beginning with my academic training in Western painting, I went on to study traditional Chinese techniques and then began to incorporate Western techniques into my Chinese paintings. It has been an organic and subtle process -- certainly more complicated than a simple formula of Chinese technique plus Western technique plus Chinese materials.

Many of my techniques were born during the painting process and have been adopted through experimentation; others result from deep contemplation. In order to create varied and unique results I have combined free-hand brushwork, watercolor techniques, and aspects from certain decorative arts and printmaking, as well as different methods of paint application like stippling, spraying, rubbing, drying, and painting on the reverse of the paper. Also, I use various media, such as water, powder, or oil-based colors, and choose from an array of papers such as "raw" xuan paper, "refined" xuan paper, or silk and other cloth papers.

Well-crafted art does not have to be limited by tradition or differences in language, culture, or race. It can be responded to and appreciated by all of humanity. With this in mind, I follow my own artistic quest.