Artist Interview
Storm
77” x 46”
digital print on canvas
Impalpable
77” x 46”
digital print on canvas
Descend
77” x 46”
digital print on canvas
Air #19
77” x 46”
digital print on canvas
Air #9
77” x 46”
digital print on canvas
A “Digital Art Revolution” Interview with Artist Qian Li.
Artist Qian Li is one of the many great artists whose work is featured in “Digital Art Revolution, Creating Fine Art with Photoshop”. She is an award winning artist who was born and raised in China. She teaches at Cleveland State University.
This is a recent interview with Qian Li, conducted by Scott Ligon, author of “Digital Art Revolution, Creating Fine Art with Photoshop”, specifically for this blog.
You were born and raised in China, and earned an MFA from the University of Massachusetts. What brought you to Ohio, where you currently live?
While I was finishing my studies at UMass, I was offered a teaching position from Cleveland State University. I accepted the position and currently live in Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway.
You’ve said that you began to incorporate digital processes into your work during your time in Massachusetts. What kind of work did you do prior to that?
When I studied at Tsinghua University, all my work was created manually using pencil and brushes. I also worked as a graphic designer for few years before I came to Massachusetts.
Could you describe your current working process?
I record my dreams in a dream journal each morning while the memories are still vivid. Then I try to create the moment I saw or felt in the dreams. The process involves painting on rice paper and taking photographs. I put all those images together and manipulate them in Photoshop. The finished images will go to a printer to be printed on a large canvas or paper.
My video work starts with an improvisational sketch. My process of creation involves taking photos, shooting video clips, building scenes in a 3D application, manipulating images in Photoshop, and then putting them all in Adobe AfterEffects for editing with music in a time sequence.
What physical materials do you use?
A G5 Apple computer, an external hard-drive, pen tablet, camera, brush, charcoal pencil, Chinese ink, watercolor and rice paper.
How do you use Photoshop, specifically, in your creative work?
In Photoshop, I first cut the object out of the background using the pen or selection tool, then copy and paste multiple images on one file, then use move tool to arrange the composition, and then adjust color, contrast, and blending mode, then apply filters such as blur or distort to make the image one cohesive work.
You have a very distinctive style or approach to your work. Can you talk a little bit about your approach and choices in your art?
My previous series of work “The Calm After the Storm” is a series of digital prints and videos depicting the moments in my dreams before disasters happen; that split-second of peace, romance, beauty and desire, which will be replaced by endless chaos, violence, war and natural disaster. These large-scale prints are created utilizing Chinese traditional paint on rice paper, digital photography, and digital manipulation, then printed on a large canvas.
Do you consciously commit yourself to a certain approach and visual treatment, or is that a natural extension of your technique?
I do not consciously commit myself to a certain approach and style. The previous series have a consistent style because they carry the same theme. Currently I am experimenting with different methods and styles in my work. I like to explore new ways of expressing myself. The style will go with the concept of the work.
Your work is often limited to a single print on canvas or very limited editions?
They are limited editions – with a maximum of 6 prints.
You incorporate traditional influences and modern processes in a very seamless, integrated manner. Could you talk about this? Why is it important to you? How do you accomplish this integration?
It came naturally. I love traditional Chinese painting. I painted at home when I was young, and later I studied the technique at The Central Academy of Art and Design. Along with painting, I have studied Chinese philosophy and researched Buddhist art. I have traveled to Dunhuang and Tibet to study their art and attempt to understand their spirit, both visually and philosophically. These themes in art and lyrical composition have served as the foundation for my work as a new media artist.
How have the possibilities of digital technology influenced your work?
I like the computer’s ability to undo and the history palate. It lets you try different options before you make a decision. Because of computers, I can explore endless possibilities and save unlimited versions of one work. It makes me mentally more relaxed as I explore the freedom of creativity. It is the opposite with Chinese traditional painting. Because of the attributes of the rice paper, it only takes one pass of paint. You could never erase, cover up, or change the stroke you just did on the rice paper. You have to think everything through clearly and be confident before you put the ink on the paper. I like both of the concepts of Chinese painting and computer art.
Could you talk about your creative philosophy? What is important and interesting to you in your creative process?
Be honest to myself. Always look back to my original concept to examine my work.
Learn more by visiting Qian Li’s website: www.qiandesign.com