image: Garden Series , 2017 watercolor, 11x11 in (28x28 cm), courtesy of the artist
Taiwanese American artist Tina CJ Chen lives and works in Pennsylvania. Her recent creations are mainly in the Garden Series. Internet life has expanded our horizons, delineating times where the image is more real than the real world, and combined into a source of our information today. Through the use of plant images on social media, transformed with the imagination, Chen creates a mock sketch as do painters in order to reflect the paradox that life is full of both truth and distortion. In the Food Series, beautiful and edible foods seduce the spirit to reverberate between "appetite" and "erotic desire", and evoke the essence of humans' "colorfulness".
Chen gained her PhD from Penn State University, and her MFA from National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan. She has held numerous exhibition in the US and Taiwan.
image: Soul Garden, 2019 watercolor
30x5.5 in ( 76x14 cm), c ourtesy of the artist
video of the gallery exhibition view
Soul Garden series , 2019, watercolor on paper, 30x5.5 in ( 76x14 cm), courtesy of the artist
" The apparently real yet unknown flowers and trees, their disproportionate sizes, and the unnatural dispositions in the containers, 。。。 remind us of the serious question—"what is real?”—which is especially significant at the time when fake news is so prevalent. The relatively unrealistic and unstable mood in the paintings of the “Utopian Garden” exhibition are however adjusted in the paintings of the “Soul Garden” exhibition, reflecting the painter’s resettlement of soul after the new anchor of floating identity. " - by Meng Shi Chen (陳孟熙) PhD, SUNY Binghamton，MA, Studies in Arts and Humanities, NYU
Soul Garden , 2019, watercolor 30 x 22 in (76 x 56 cm), courtesy of the artist
Garden Series , 2017 watercolor,11.5 x 8.23 in (29 x 21 cm), courtesy of the artist
If I Could · a beautiful song by Regina Belle.
"If I could, I'd protect you, From the sadness, In your eyes, Give you courage,In a world
Of compromise. Yes, I would..."
℗ 1993 Sony BMG Music Entertainment
In case you missed our last Artist To Watch, Marlene Tseng Yu:

MTY: Marlene Tseng Yu
LL: Luchia Lee

LL: For four decades, you have taken your artistic subjects from the nature environment. Visually, the paintings seemingly participate in abstract expression. During your artistic development, what changes have you seen or experienced?

MTY: My fascination with nature derives from its constant change in form, movement, and color. In my mind, I have countless images of nature. My challenge is to project what's in my mind on to the canvas or paper. I do not distinguish between representation or abstraction. Neither do I intend to project a personal stylistic approach to perspective, composition, or imagery. Rather, my prime emphasis is to focus on the natural phenomena of rhythm and movement.
The Essence of Nature: Paintings by Marlene T. Yu (The Green Movement in Art)
February 8, 2020–May 3, 2020
at Springfield Museums, MA

Sincerely,
TAAC art team wishes you a safe time.

Taiwanese American Arts Council
http://taac-us.org