Larch Valley with my Parents

A few years ago during fall, my parents and I adventured back into the Alberta Rockies and explored a scene that many Albertans are familiar with, Larch Valley. During the spring and summer, the valley is covered in lush green larches, shrubbery and tall grass, but when fall creeps around, the valley transforms into a snowy golden retreat.

You wander around admiring the beauty of the landscape, and you can’t help but wonder how this unique place came to be. Everywhere where you turn you see the majestic mountain peaks tip toeing over the sea of yellow and orange.

Golden Larch Valley | Oil on Canvas | 24" x 36"

Golden Larch Valley captures the beauty and balance of this fall landscape. Starting with the background, Mount Babel and Quadra are highlighted with the snow shining from the afternoon sunlight and contrasted with the dark mountain faces. The clouds seem to dance over the peaks of the mountains. In the middle-ground you can see the full bodied larches painted skillfully in order to maintain their form. A balance between soft and sharp in order to bring depth to the painting. Finishing with the foreground, you can see the shadows crawl across snow, leaving a trail of cool colors for the audience to follow.

Currently, the painting is exhibited at Gainsborough Galleries in Calgary, AB. | http://www.gainsboroughgalleries.com/shop-product/huang--dillon/golden-larch-valley

Looking back, hikes like these molded my upbringing. I grew up following my parents up mountains. At the time, they were just childhood adventures, now when I flip through old photos, I realize that they will be everlasting family memories. Below are some photos from our childhood hikes.

OPA 2016 Salon Show Juried Exhibition

We are excited to announce that Dillon has been selected to be a part of this year's OPA Salon Show Juried Exhibition. The show will be held in Castle Gallery Fine Art, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The selected painting is Rowboats - Cinque Terre, 9 in. x 12 in, Oil on Board.

The exhibition will have its opening reception on Friday, September 30. The show will be held from September 30 to October 29. For more information, please feel free to explore the following link:

http://www.oilpaintersofamerica.com/events/exhibitions/2016/salon/index.cfm

We plan to be present during the opening reception, and we are excited to see all the other stunning selected artworks from artists within North America.

Reunited With The Past

My father recently reunited with an old friend, who is a collector of his art and an avid traveler. After many years of not being in touch, him and his wife searched for my father on the internet and when they found him, commissioned for another piece to add to their collection. It was a pleasant surprise and exciting news as this time my father was asked to paint a region in France he’s never been to; a famous view from the small village, Saint Emilion.

Side Note – A little about Saint Emilion

Anyone who’s a wine lover knows about this region as some of the best old world wines come from here. About an hour and half outside of Bordeaux, it is easily accessible by bus or car and definitely worth a visit if you’re road tripping around France. The village is named after a Breton Monk from the 12th century and it is there that you will find one of the world’s largest underground monolithic churches; beautifully constructed and deeply symbolic of the times in which the structure was built. Also found in this little village is the origins of the infamous French Macaron, from Veritables Macrons de Saint Emilion. Before the fancy colors and flavours of Pierre Hermé and Ladurée, the first macrons where simple sweet almond cookies and were amazingly delicious. My trip to this region was memorable for more reasons than I can explain. It will forever be a place of great friends and  happy days. 

For this piece we didn’t have time to take a trip for onsite research like for his last piece on Positano, but France has always had lasting impressions on my father. He summoned up his memories and created a piece that reflected that exact feeling I had when I stood upon that ledge looking over the vast French countryside. It brought me back to that happy place and all I could think was how I'd be able to scheme up a reason to convince him not to sell this piece so I could have it for my house one day. 

The commission piece took nearly 5 months to complete. It started with a few smaller pieces to scope out the color palette and perspective. The draft canvases are always mini masterpieces and are always presented, communicated and agreed over a warm cup of Chinese tea at the studio. After this, he starts to paint the final product and week by week, you will start seeing the painting come to life, detail by detail, stroke by stroke. 

The final painting unveiled mid May 2016. The collector invited Jennings and my parents over to their house to mount the painting. The event, although seemingly mundane, was oddly emotional because when my father arrived at the house, he realized it was filled with his old family; paintings he hasn’t seen in over 10 years. He said seeing these paintings were like reuniting with his children after many years of separation and knowing they are being taken care of and happy. The past, present and future was discussed over a lovely dinner and my father left his dear friend's home knowing his family was in a happy place. 

What's New for 2016?

Commission Work

Dillon has recently been immersed with his commission works. Reuniting with a previous admirer and collector from his Diana Paul days, he was asked to paint a new piece from their travels. Hearing about their travels and memories, Dillon couldn't pass on this opportunity and took the project on wholeheartedly.

Dillon painting the details of the red-brown roofs of Saint-Émilion.

So far the piece has unraveled beautifully. About two-thirds the way there, Dillon still has a lot to think about while finishing up this piece. But, you can see what an amazing piece this has become. Some of you may be familiar with this location, it's of Saint-Émilion in France. The place is known for it's wine and it's unique Romanesque churches and ruins that run through the narrow streets of the commune.

A Member of Oil Painters of America

Dillon is proud to announce that he is now a Member of the Oil Painters of America: http://www.oilpaintersofamerica.com/index.cfm

Upcoming Travels - China and the Silk Road

Dillon and the family will be traveling back to China in March. Their journey will take them to the historic Silk Road. Taking a dive back into his Chinese heritage, Dillon hopes to add to his vision and perspective of this world, and the way he sees it. Keep an eye out for upcoming works that may be influenced from this adventure.

Huang Travels - Amalfi Coast

One of my favourite Joseph Cornell pieces that was in his recent exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts

Joseph Cornell loved Naples, Italy and he let his imagination run free when creating pieces around this subject matter. The beautiful thing here is he’s never been to Italy, let alone Naples. Those who have seen his pieces are usually at awe to how he was able to capture the precise ambiance of the city with only his imagination, people's stories and  photos. 

Naples is the definition of forgotten beauty. The run-down streets laced with overhanging laundry. The peeling paint tastefully coloured the city’s alleyways. Wandering around looking for birthday cake with my father was an adventure on its own. We didn't find any of course…it was Easter Monday. Nevertheless, it was the journey more than the destination, as it is in most cases. So why were we wandering about in Naples?

My father was commissioned this year to do a piece on one of Italy’s beautiful regions, The Amalfi Coast; Positano to be exact. Though he’s never been to the area himself, the couple who commissioned him loved his pieces from Cinque Terre and he was more than excited to take on the challenge. For me, it was an opportunity to travel with my parents. So for their Easter trip over to visit me, I decided to take them to this exact destination.

Naples – Sorrento – Capri – Almafi – Positano – Ravello – Pompeii

Each town is significant in their own ways, the towns that trail the south western coast of Italy are simply stunning. Although my father is still more drawn to the Cinque Terre area, his breath was still taken away by Positano. We hiked up around the village and found the location that shared the panoramic view of the painting he was working on. Needless to say he was taunted by the moment and needed to sit down and sketch it right away. My mother and I joined in as well. As you can see, my perspective is highly inaccurate and I need a lot practice to even come close to the reality of the scenery.

The final commission piece completed in 2015

The trip was fantastic, as it was long breakfasts staring off into the horizon, lazy lunches along the coastline and  pasta filled wanders through endless villages. I would say Italy has yet again left another lasting impression on my father's mind. 

An inspirational piece from this trip