December 1 – 31
In the City Center Art Lounge, 300 Page Street, SF
Autumn Sonata / Acrylic on canvas / 30 x 30 inches
As an ex-engineer at the Academy of Art College (MFA Product Design) I developed new ways of seeing and doing which really exercised my creativity and imagination. Through art and design I hope to inspire others to dream, create, and play freely. My artwork and designs come from my engineering, art, and design background, influenced by my Eastern, Western heritage, and my interest in Japanese, Scandinavian design.
I am drawn towards Eastern thinking and aesthetics, especially Zen Buddhism and Japanese art and design because they free my imagination to wander and play without constraint. The themes of my paintings are memory, quiet places, impermanence, movement, energy, despair, and hope. My influences are Buddhism, Minimalism, Isamu Noguchi, Alexander Calder, Paul Klee, Agnes Martin, Gustav Klimt, and Richard Diebenkorn.
Purple Blooms / Acrylic on canvas / 24 x 24 inches
Art is my meditation. It keeps me grounded in the present moment where reality is happening. My paintings do not reflect reality. They often depict imaginary places or memories.
I may sit for awhile to look upon a work in progress, put it aside for hours, days, or months and come back to it with new eyes. Sometimes, I just apply paint to canvas and everything comes together very quickly, no thinking, no hesitating, just quick movements with brush and paint … a moving meditation … I am one with brush and paint … I wish.
When not making art, I like to read and think deep thoughts about art, design, and life.
James Ong
Ong Designs Art
james@ongdesignsart.com
www.ongdesignsart.com
408-221-2456
