Artist Spotlight:Wendy Tsang
Beginnings
Hailing from Hong Kong and now a Singaporean, Wendy’s love for art began at a very young age. Her father was a Chinese calligraphist and painter who often experimented with inventive ways of creating art. Dissatisfied with the conventional paint brush, he would explore the use of his fingers, vegetables and other elements like milk and ice blocks to create his desired effects. Naturally, having seen her father’s passion at work, it inspired Wendy to start dabbling with art herself. She often toggled between painting and sketching and was fascinated by the effects of light, shadow, form and texture in her works.
Grand Canyon’s Chromatic Embrace - the Arch
152 x 122 cm, Acrylic on Canvas [2021]
East Meets West
At the age of 24, Wendy moved to Brooklyn, New York City to study fine arts, majoring in ceramics and minoring in photography. The city has a flourishing art, music and cultural scene which sparked much creative inspiration for the budding artist. Though seemingly unrelated, these disciplines taught her the importance of composition and the ability to catch up with the feeling of a moment.
The next few years proved to be deeply formative for Wendy as she learnt to incorporate the freedom of self-expression in her artistry, a concept inspired by the West and foreign to Eastern culture. She began to create her own artistic style that blended the best of both worlds into one singular form.
Run
122 x 152 cm, Acrylic on Canvas [2022]
Major Influences
Wendy’s artworks model after Abstract Expressionism, an art form that uses abstraction to express powerfully emotive, spiritual messages. During her stay in Brooklyn, Wendy came to learn of Jackson Pollock, a renowned American artist from the Abstract Expressionism movement. His practice was to fling and drip paint onto large canvases, a process that is spontaneous and unhindered by form. His art became a major influence in Wendy’s life as she sought to adopt that same spontaneity and freedom in her works.
Jackson Pollock (1912-1956)
Another important influence for the artist is 张大千 (Zhang Daqian), one of the most prolific Chinese artists of the 20th century known for his detailed portraits and iconic splashed-ink landscapes. His mastery of composition and movement is what inspired Wendy and her works, as can be seen in her Dancing Lotus series.
Zhang Daqian (1899-1983)
Dancing Lotus: A Celebration of Joy and Purity I
76 x 76 cm, Acrylic on Canvas (Framed) [2021]
Dancing Lotus: A Celebration of Joy and Purity II
76 x 76 cm, Acrylic on Canvas (Framed) [2022]
More about Wendy’s Artistry
Amongst the many art tools, the brush is Wendy’s favourite. A flexile tool that yields to every pressure, angle and movement of the hand, it acts as an extension of the artist’s inner reality. Every stroke is made with the entirety of her mind, body and soul. Till today, Wendy has kept her father’s brushes and uses them to paint. They are at least 30 years old but have been kept with the utmost care.
Wendy’s father’s collection of brushes over the years
In all of her works, Wendy incorporates a traditional Chinese concept called “留白'' which literally means “leaving blankness”. It is an intentional act by the artist to leave empty spaces on the canvas, giving room for viewers to “breathe” as they contemplate art. In this work titled “Raging Tsunami”, instead of filling the entire canvas with art, Wendy leaves pockets of empty yellow in the background.
Raging Tsunami
100 x 133 cm, Acrylic on Canvas [2021]
Challenges, Detours and the Return
Wendy recalls a period where she took a hiatus from art-making. After leaving Brooklyn, she settled down in Singapore with her partner (and now husband) to start a new life. While hoping to pursue ceramic art as her vocation, Wendy was faced with many obstacles. The material costs were very high and many art studios at the time were not supportive of her experimental works. Consequently, she had to drop her artistic endeavours in pursuit of a better paying job.
Wendy eventually worked as a graphic designer and photographer instead. Though it was a difficult decision, this hiatus was a needed break for Wendy to go through more life experiences. In her own words, it was necessary to enrich her mind and soul, giving new wells of inspiration with her eventual return to the art scene.
In 2019, Wendy was compelled to paint again in light of the Hong Kong riots. A matter that was deeply personal to her, she sought to express her emotions through art. She got her sister to mail the original newspapers from Hong Kong to her home in Singapore. She selectively cut out the headlines and pasted them as the background of her artwork. It was not for sale and instead for her own personal keeping.
92 x 92 cm, Acrylic on Canvas with Newspaper Cutout [2019]
(Artist’s collection not for sale)
Hong Kong at a Crossroads
Very much like her father, Wendy also experiments with different tools apart from her brushes, such as fabrics, sponges and the palette knife. In her work titled “A Rainbow of Rewards”, Wendy utilised pieces of fabric to paint the background, forming the kaleidoscope of colours.
A Rainbow of Rewards
Ultimately, it is Wendy’s faith that directs her artistic endeavours and through her works, she seeks to convey deeply personal and heartfelt themes that others will be able to identify with.
91 x 121 cm, Acrylic on Canvas [2023]
