My family has always provided encouragement and support for my dedication to the arts. As a child my grandmother, a professional oil painter, cultivated my respect and appreciation for painting. At the time, I also attended community ceramics classes with my siblings. A love of working with my hands in the creation of both two and three dimensional works has continued to be nurtured throughout my life. I attended Canterbury Arts High School, a specialised school in which I was able to explore a range of media as part of my daily school life. Through a school organized co-op program I was introduced to a professional photographer, and on occasion acted as his assistant during fashion shoots. Among other things I have also been involved in animation, digital art, and web design. All of these things have proved to serve my understanding of visual order and appeal, and also of the business of art.
Painting, Sculpture and Photography continue to hold my interest in the exploration of the human form. Drawing from nude models has helped me to understand the physical shape of the body and how to allude to its subtleties on a two dimensional plane. With sculpture I am able to literally feel and understand the body’s planes. Past the understanding of the literal, photography has pushed me to focus the visual interest in my compositions. I am working towards putting each lesson I learn from the exploration of these mediums to use in the creation of my work.
For me, painting has always been a challenge of working towards an elegant realism yet contrained enough to maintain a light hearted painterly gesture. I admit to often over indulging in exploration of detail and being able to turn the form with each colour and brush stroke. I hope to someday be able to instruct my media without getting too seduced by its tactile beauty.
Tamara Wong