About — Hui Lin Liu

Hui Lin Liu was born in Kaoshiung, Taiwan and emigrated to Canada in the early 1970s. She graduated from Taiwan Normal University with a degree in Chinese Literature. Since she was a child, Liu always had an affinity for painting and drawing, and once settled in Ontario, decided to study Fine Art painting at the University of Guelph.

Liu began her career painting still life, and continued with a series of Asian themed landscapes. From there, she loosened her style with more abstract shapes and non-representational forms.

Over the the years, this looser and fluid style evolved into large abstract works — very colorful and full of organic textures and dramatic movement. She made these pieces by pouring large amounts of urethanes and acrylic onto wood panels. Thematically, Liu was interested in the vastness and grandeur of the cosmos and our place within in.

Eventually, Liu experimented with this style of painting on glass. This led to much more transparent watercolor infused works, which were illuminated from behind with LED lights. These were a great contrast to the opaque and dense paints of her earlier period, and reminiscent of objects viewed under microscope.

Due to a shipping accident, some of her lightbox pieces were broken, and from the remains, Liu decided to try her hand at collage. She began to put together broken segments into new works, creating another unique style.

More recently, Liu began to create inkjet prints of her original collage pieces, and on these prints, she continued to embellish the patterns and contours with acrylics, using small brushes and toothpicks. Her enjoyment of dotting led to another series of smaller works, including wearables and three dimensional objects. These tiny colorful dots create a sense of effervescent movement and spontaneous energy in her work. She began to take these delicate designs and apply them to jewelry and sculpture objects as well. They resemble the ancient enamel painting technique of cloisonné.

Liu’s art has evolved so much over the decades. From one phase to the next, her work has continuously captured her love of nature, symphonic movement, and the joy of simply being.

Liu’s work has been shown and collected by art lovers throughout her career, from Ontario to her current home in Richmond, British Columbia.

Select Exhibitions:

2020 - Lipont Art Gallery, Richmond, BC

2019 - Richmond Art Gallery, ArtRich, Richmond, BC

2017 - Richmond Art Gallery, ArtRich, Richmond, BC

2015 - Taiwanese Cultural Centre, Vancouver, BC

2012 - Steveston Art Gallery, Richmond, BC

2010 - Vivarium Gallery, Vancouver, BC

2010 - Asian Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC

2009 - Burnaby Community Centre, Burnaby, BC

2006 - Foreman Art Gallery, Bishop’s University, Lennoxville, QC

2005 - Richmond Art Gallery at City Hall, Richmond, BC