Google this California-based artist and you will see an immediate pop-up of her painting bright poppy flowers and her nature-themed art, gracing homes and offices in the US. She is Lucy Liew, who happens to be the daughter of Dennis Lau, the outstanding monochrome photographer and amateur ethnographer behind the book ‘Classic Images of Borneo.’
Capturing the beauty of nature
Google this California-based artist and you will see an immediate pop-up of her painting bright poppy flowers and her nature-themed art, gracing homes and offices in the US. Her vibrant artwork is also seen as uplifting and a perfect fit for hospitals.
Born and raised in Sarawak, she is Lucy Liew, who happens to be the daughter of Dennis Lau, the outstanding monochrome photographer and amateur ethnographer behind the book ‘Classic Images of Borneo’.
Her skills in composition, lighting and capturing the beauty of nature are evident, likely developed while on photography excursions with her father into the interiors of Borneo.
Since Liew left our shores to marry and settle in the US, we have not seen her art locally for years. Thankfully, she has a newsletter which keeps us informed of developments.
Recently, there was even a video of her teaching a dripping technique in art, and some interesting reads of her collaborations for both commercial and home interior projects.
All this caught our attention and led to this interview.
Your art has evolved a lot since you left the shores of Sarawak. Is this dripping technique a most recent application?
Liew: I actually developed my dripping technique many years ago to add a sense of freedom and movement to my work. Once I start the drip, it is basically out of my control and in the hands of gravity. So, the drip actually has the freedom to move on its own. I generally use it with tropical foliage to invoke a rainfall. I haven’t used it for a while, so it was very special for me to start this year working on two commission pieces in the style of my older work.
Revisiting some of my earlier techniques has been challenging but enriching; I consider it an opportunity to broaden the possibilities in my art! In the “Sneak Peek” video, I am demonstrating my signature “drip” process on the lotus piece.
Are you collaborating with home interior designers?
Liew: I have collaborated with a number of interior designers and art consultants in Santa Rosa, including TLCD Architecture and Nancy Witherell Art. Most of these projects have been for hospitals and medical centres where my uplifting compositions of California flora and fauna provide a positive experience for visitors, patients, and hospital staff.
However, most of my clients in the last five years have been from gallery visits, open studios, and client referrals. In these cases, I work directly with clients in placing my work in their home and offices. Many of my clients have lost homes to wild fires.
Example: One client was a creative husband-wife duo who have won many awards for their artisan wines crafted with homegrown grapes. Tragically, their entire home was lost in the 2017 Tubbs Fire. They were recently able to rebuild, and were looking to populate it with pieces that would express their love for California’s wine-growing landscape. In February, they visited my studio and were struck by Midnight Cabernet, my black and white representation of a Cabernet Sauvignon leaf, with all its lacy veins and fragmented trappings. The wife quickly wrote me to express their interest in the piece. I gladly arranged to bring the artwork to their home. When she and her husband saw the piece in their dining room, we all recognised that it was a perfect fit. The striking black and white details of the leaf cohered with the modern stylings and neutral colour palette of their dining room. I believe the ideas of ‘light out of darkness’ and ‘hope in difficulties’ behind this composition also resonated with this couple as they were starting over in their home. There couldn’t have been a better location for this piece. “We have received SO many compliments on your art piece and look at it every day in complete awe. Thank you for creating such a dynamic piece,” they wrote.
Although you are based in the US, there is still a hint of ethnic motif in some of your works. Do the locals like that?
Liew: Incorporating ethnic motifs from Sarawak and utilising Asian themes with lotus and peonies definitely resonates with some clients. Many collectors who have visited Malaysia or Southeast Asia appreciate these themes in my artwork. The Asian themes and motifs also make my artwork unique and invite questions from curious visitors during studio visits.
Your monochrome piece is rather unusual as you are known to use brighter colour rather than grey-scale. Perhaps, you could share on how you got inspired.
Liew: “Midnight Cabernet” was an artistic challenge to create a grey-scale composition. I have always admired the shadows, details and textures captured in my father’s black-and-white photography. His painstakingly produced gelatin silver prints inspired me to incorporate silver metallic details into my otherwise black-and-white composition of a Cabernet Sauvignon leaf. When viewed in the right lighting, these silver highlights are reflected, adding another dimension of depth to the composition.
I usually begin my pieces with a wash of bright colours, but for this composition I started with a black canvas. This actually led to a very inspiring process of finding light in the darkness. I loved how details emerged from the blackness of the canvas as my brush illuminated them. As I worked, I reflected on how important it has been to bring hope and light into the “dark” periods of our lives.
Are you visiting Sarawak soon as our country has opened its borders on April 1?
Liew: It has been really hard during the pandemic because travel from the US has been restricted to “essential” categories and subject to mandatory quarantine. I have not been able to see my parents in Kuching, and my siblings since the travel restrictions were put in place. Fortunately, no one in my family became seriously ill. I am very thankful that Malaysia has opened its borders in April and I look forward to visiting soon!
Lucy Liew’s artwork has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions including Marin MOCA, Stanford University and the San Jose Museum of Art. Her nature paintings can also be found in the permanent collection of many hospitals — Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa, Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital, and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, among others. She currently lives in Santa Rosa and is part of the vibrant Fulton Crossing artist community. For more information on this artist, do visit her website at www.LucyLiewArt.com
