Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Kai: “I am an artist from China currently living in California. My style of drawing and painting is realism. I usually work with Oil Paint, Charcoal and Graphite”

When did you start painting?
Kai: “I started seriously pursuing painting around 2015 when I was in my second year of college. I was around 20 years old.

What materials do you use?
Kai: “For painting, I use oil paint. For drawing, I switch between graphite and charcoal depending on the subject and my mood.

What kind of subjects do you draw or paint?
Kai: “I enjoy painting a variety of different subjects, ranging from figures, plein air, still life and animals. Recently Ive been engrossed in animal portraiture.

Did you study art?
Kai: “I did go to an art college but I consider myself mainly self taught (through self study). The college I went, although an esteemed art school, like many of the other top art schools in America currently didn’t have many resources that taught the techniques and subjects I was interested in, which was realism executed in high caliber and skill. I was much more interested in studying the works and techniques of the old masters and the living contemporary realism movement, for which I was able to get little help from the facility. I in turn studied it myself whenever I could get the moment to, from reading countless books on the subject like Richard Schmid’s Alla Prima book or The Drawing and Painting Atelier books by Juliette Aristides, to attending open model session at ateliers and conventions of the Portrait Society and Figurative Art Conference and visually soaking up everything I could from observation of those around me.”

Hobby is career?
Kai: “My art is my full time career. When I am not painting and teaching.

Fun Fact?
Kai:”My hobby is dance. The type of dance I like to do is a street dance style called Popping.”

Have you exhibited your art work?
Kai: “Yes, I’ve had many exhibitions around the east and west coast. Most recently, I’ve had a solo show at the Pacific Art League in Palo Alto, California featuring my most recent works.”

Which artists inspire you?
Kai: “John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn, Richard Schmid, Jeremy Lipking, Daniel Keys, Steven Assael, Nick Alm, Max Ginsburg, Vincent Desiderio, and far too many more to name.

Connect with Kai
kailunqustudio@gmail.com
www.kailunqu.com
Instagram
Youtube