Biography

Charley was born in Southern China, over 100 miles west of Hong Kong. At a very young age he became interested in drawing landscapes and nature using the stroke of the Chinese paintbrush. In 1951, at a young age, Charley moved from China to Calgary, attended school and worked with his family as a market gardener. He spent many happy days there during his teenage years.

Charley is mainly a self-taught artist, and has also studied the technique of Chinese fine art. In 1964, he moved to Hong Kong for two years to study from a teacher for private art lessons. He applied the skills he learned and returned to Calgary to create his artwork. In 1969 he returned to Hong Kong for an additional six months of private art lessons, and shortly after returned to Calgary. Over the years Charley has made this city his home.

Charley's desire to learn and refine his technique with the paintbrush has enabled him to become a very proficient artist. Charley creates his paintings using the application of dark ink and light ink strokes with watercolors and water ink. His love of studying the human figure, mountains, birds and flowers are evident in his paintings. The Chinese style of painting is mostly created from a mental image in the artist's mind. Sketching is used mostly for practice and learning purposes. The style of painting Chinese art does not use shadows.

Charley has been a section winner at the Arts and Crafts Calgary Stampede Exhibition. His paintings have been shown in publications such as the Calgary Sun, Calgary Herald, and Sing Tao Provincial (San Francisco) local Chinese newspaper.

Artist's Statement

I am truly inspired by the beauty I see in nature and express my love for nature in my paintings. My desire to paint has been a lifetime passion for me, and my heart beams with joy from a painting I have created. I take pleasure from experimenting with each brush stroke to create outside and inside lines. I am always learning and growing as an artist, and I hope others will enjoy my artwork.

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Click on pictures below to enlarge.

This Chinese painting was designed
for the Centennial exhibition at city hall.

Cercis Chinensis

Chinese Colour
26" H X 8.5 " L