This Elephant stole my Heart

This is my elephant that I adopted for a day. Her name is Lucky, here she is giving me a hug. I love her so much and she stole my heart just like Thailand did.

 I just came back from a business trip with my best friend and husband, Paul. This year we went to Thailand. We made some great contacts with local artists and got to experience a few amazing adventures to add into our inspirations for work.

I came back home from Thailand wanting to relive the experience over and over again. It is definitely a country that made me feel conflicted inside, on one hand it made me appreciate what I have here but on the other hand it made me feel that life should be lived just like the Thais do, it's hard but real and no matter how crazy the cities of Thailand are the Thais always have a genuine smile for you and the connection is always there.

One of my inspirations for my 2013 art work will definitely have to be my experience at Patara Elephant Farm where I met Lucky,  I was her Mahood for the day. I got to feed her, which by the way made me her instant best friend hence the "hug". Ben the Vet of Patara Elephant Farm taught me how to check my elephant's health, I got to wash and swim with her and got to ride her through the forest. When the day is over I only wished I could do it all over again. I have always loved elephants which is apparent in my work but now I love them even more. If you get a chance to visit Thailand please do check out the Patara Elephant Farm. I'll keep you posted when Lucky showed up on my Canvas.

It takes Time to build a Dream

Castles in the Sky by Ting Yuen

Happy New Year!!

You know what they say the older you get the faster time will fly. Well, I am in my mid 40's now and time  is not just zooming by in lightning speed, it's non existent! It makes me realize that life is really a fleeting moment.

Well, 2012 was a fabulous year, our business turned 10! During the first eight years of our business Paul and I did not treat ourselves with any business abroad for our inspirations and studio time, instead we stayed and worked in Canada and found inspirations from our own country . We worked  every summers with no days off for nine years but we did what we needed to do in order for our business to sustain itself.  2012 was the first year we went abroad for a three week business trip and the first summer that we took a day off a week. Hard work and determination do pay off, but it took many years of sacrifice and self discipline. Looking back I'm glad that Paul and I put our hearts and souls into our business because watching the growth of our business is the most  rewarding thing and now having the chance to travel again is really our dream come true.

Well, Happy New Year everyone! I would also like to thank all of for your support, because of you our progress was made possible. Wishing you a year of good health and may you live an authentic life of your dreams.

The Painting shown above depicts what it takes to build a dream. If you wish to read the story please click here: http://www.artrushgallery.com/castles-in-the-sky-story.html

Spring has Sprung

Swinging on a Star II by Ting Yuen
Read Story

The arrival of spring is definitely exciting, the air is warm and the sun sets later, what a bliss. Well, lots of great things are happening with the Art Rush Gallery, Paul and I now have an assistant, her name is Dori Vandaelle, she is fantastic! She has an amazing charisma and is definitely magical with people. Dori is also very knowlegeable with our art and jewelry as well as with the products that we represent. If you do visit the gallery please do not be shy in asking her for help.

Paul and I are enjoying the benefits of having Dori to assist us. Paul is working on our new website, which I have to say is fabulous, do check it out: www.artrushgallery.com. You can now shop on line, look at the art work and even read the stories attached. I am sure you'll love it as much as we do. Other than designing the website and dealing with the other mountain of things that he does, Paul is also getting ready to go out there to enjoy the spring and summer nature photography.

I, on the other hand am painting my new collection. I have moved my studio to my apartment, and am loving the privacy and the no distractions. The collection is coming along and it looks like a strong line of work will be showcased by June in the gallery as well as the website. I can't wait to share them with you!

Jewelry making is also on the go as usual, Paul and I are working hard at it and really having a hard time keeping up. We call those "good problems" and we have also come to the conclusion that we will always be behind and that is o.k.

If you get a chance, do visit us at the gallery, we are now displaying our new spring collection of art, jewelry and accessories. Paul, Dori and I look forward to serving you in the near future.

Sky is the Limit : Growth

New Art Rush Gallery, Kimberley, B.C. Canada

I can't believe the last time I posted was on 30th July 2010! Well, I admit I am a terrible blogger but from now on I will try to be more frequent with my updates. Since my last entry, my husband, Paul and I have moved to Kimberley, B.C. The reasons for our move, firstly we love to travel and work, secondly in order to grow we needed a place that is a little bigger than Wells. Here we are a year and two months later after the opening of our gallery, Art Rush Gallery is now three times bigger, we are finally open all year round and in addition Paul and I get to discover beautiful Kimberley!

Growth as usual has it's growing pain, I am juggling taking care of business and painting....not an easy task but I really have nothing to complain about because I am doing what I love.

Below is one of my new paintings that I've done in Kimberley : " Sky is the Limit ", she symbolizes the move and the growth that Paul and I have made ! If you wish to read the story please click here.

Sky is the Limit 30" x 48" by Ting Yuen

" Courage " inspired by Bonnie Gilles

As some of you already know that most of my works are about my life experiences and pretty much a diary of my life. Although at times, a story comes by and I simply can't resist but paint the image that is inspired by a certain person and her story. This particular painting is named Courage ( painting above ), she is inspired by a girl named Bonnie.

A couple years ago I met Bonnie at my Art Rush Gallery, Bonnie seemed lost at that time and was intrigued by my work. She was quite enthralled with my Metamorphose and Becoming paintings, which are about the power of our minds. The stories explained that if we learn to master our minds we can recreate ourselves over and over again and that we should always focus on the joy instead of the fears. Bonnie bought a couple cards that day and went home. A few months later, I received a heart felt letter from Bonnie that says" How you have changed my life", Bonnie explained with much sensitivity how her old life wasn't serving her well anymore and after meditating on the cards that she has brought home, she abandoned her familiarity and explored her new world with courage and determination. Furthermore, she regained her strength and found true happiness.

I was amazed on how a person that I met for five minutes could inspire me like the way she did. I guess we both inspired each other, her with my art work and me with her courage. Hence Courage was painted, after the painting is completed I emailed Bonnie and told her about how she has inspired me as well. We met up that summer and became friends. Since the original of Courage was sold before she had the chance to see it, Bonnie bought the limited edition print of Courage instead, and seemingly happy with it. I am so glad that Bonnie and I met because she is very much like a soul sister, she is kind and gentle on the outside but she has a mighty heart that is so courageous and open. I believe a heart like hers can only attract good things in her life.

Painting above is called "Becoming" to read the story please click here

Now, a little about the girl that inspired me, Bonnie is originally from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. She moved to Williams Lake, British Columbia about two and a half years ago. Nomadic life style was her way of life, although after discovering British Columbia she fell in love with the nature of the place and it brought back memories of riding horses in a childhood. Since she is a lover of nature and the energy that it provides, setting her roots here in British Columbia was the ultimate and most natural thing for her to do. After a long and difficult moment of metamorphosing, Bonnie bought a horse and developed her skills as a rider. Bonnie devoted her love to the joy of riding and became a rodeo star. The stars are definitely with her during her moment of transition she met many wonderful friends and became enlightened by life and love. If you wish to know more about Bonnie , please visit her blog, she is an amazing writer and I believe she definitely has a future in story telling and recording her life journey with humour and heart.

Here are some pictures of Bonnie and her horse and Bonnie and I in my gallery.

* All contents and images are the copyright of Ting Yuen

Alas, Art Rush Gallery is open for the Season!

Dear Readers,

It's been a long and productive winter. Winter is my creative time, my gallery is closed for the season and I get to paint my new collection. Other than my painting schedule, my husband and I also love to escape into the meadow for a little cross country skiing. Unfortunately by mid March this year, I had a horrific ski accident and broke my ankle resulting in a short ski season but my painting continued. In the five months of hibernation, I painted a collection of new work, 22 in total. The painting above is called Gratitude, this was the first image I painted after my accident. I was grateful that it wasn't my wrist that I broke because I could still paint and I was also thankful that my husband was able to help me through this difficult time.

On May 22nd, 2010 our gallery : The Art Rush Gallery is now open for its fourth season. I am still hobbling around but am getting things done despite the pain of the injury. Now, almost four weeks since the opening, I have reconnected with some of my regulars and have had the pleasure to meet new acquaintances. Some of my new paintings have also found good homes which pleases me. In a week or so, I will have my new collection on my website as well as on my online etsy shop.

Running a gallery is a lot of fun but it sure takes a lot of hard work, determination, persistence and a little courage. I am living my dream and it's my aspiration to remind everyone to take the plunge and create your own destiny.

I would love to hear from you, so do leave me a comment and share your dream with me.

All Images and content are the copyright of Ting Yuen.

Art Recipes : Be a Full Time Artist ( Part III )

Hello everyone,

I have been working up a storm, painting my new collection for 2010. The collection is coming together very nicely, I am thrilled with the paintings and can't wait to share them with you. But first, I have to finish the collection slate for May 15th and then my husband, Paul is responsible for taking the pictures so that they are ready to be showcased !! I can't wait!!

As promised here is my Part III of: Be A full Time Artist

I believe to be a great artist, one needs skills, imagination and references. The mentioned three factors are how all my works are executed.

If you wish to become a full time artist, start practicing your creative skills. I am self taught therefore I learn from books and most importantly I learn from my trial and errors. Without a doubt the best way to improve your skills is by consistent practice and observation. Through practice I gain confidence and from there it sets me free to explore and experiment without fear.

The above left painting is called Belonging painted by myself, please click here to read the story.

I remember when my husband and I purchased our dream gallery set in the most quaint country village of Wells. I didn't have enough paintings to hang on our gallery's walls. That winter I gave myself four months to paint 30 paintings. I let go of all my inhibitions and fears and I set myself free to paint feverishly. I was astonished by how much my knowledge could carry me through and I was in awe with my confidence. One of the things that set my confidence to a different height was that I gave myself permission to destroy any of my images that I wasn't thrilled about. In the end I only threw out one canvas and ended up with 27 images and they were ready for showcasing on the opening day of our gallery!
I was proud and so was my husband!

Now after 4 years I am on my 4th collection, my paintings have developed and matured over the years. They now have more finesse than ever and definitely more details.
My collection became smaller but stronger. The wonderful thing about honing in on your skills is that it sets your imagination to new heights. I constantly dream up of new images for my paintings. Imagination may come naturally for some of us but others may struggle with it. I believe imagination can be trained, thinking creatively can be pursued through pushing the boundaries of your thoughts. For example, let's say I would like to paint an apple in an expressive manner, I may decide to put the apple on the table or in a bowl or on a chair, but so far I find that all these images seem predictable........so how about suspend the apple in mid air with a pair of wings...?? As you can see, from this simple practice of broadening my thoughts, the apple became not just an apple anymore, it became an interesting riddle.

The painting on the above right is called Wisdom painted by myself, please click here to read the story.

I also love to use reference pictures for my subject. Let's go back to the story of the apple, if I were to paint an apple, I may have many pictures of all different kinds of apples next to my easel, different types and different colors, these pictures not only provide me with more choices but they also assist me in getting the shape just right!

I also use an amazing recipe written by one of my favorite painters Robert Genn. This concise recipe helps me to paint efficiently and thoughtfully. I believe you will like it too. Please click here to read about it and do use it for your art work.

Before I finish off, I would like to thank you for reading my blog and for leaving me your comments. I have enjoyed reading them!