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A New Young Collection

APA artist commemorates 20-year career with retrospective book

By Gerrye Wong | Special to AsianWeek

Caroline Young, renowned Chinese American painter, invites art lovers to enter the ancient world she paints about in The Art of Caroline R. Young.

The new publication is a “must own” for Young collectors, containing 182 pages and more than 60 beautifully reproduced images, accompanied by the traditional stories upon which her paintings are based. This deluxe, hardbound volume includes a biography of the artist, commentary from her peers and a discussion of her philosophy and processes. The artist herself told us on the phone from her home in Reno, Nev., that she was exceptionally pleased with the book’s appearance, which she saw for the first time when the proof copy arrived just before Christmas from Hong Kong.

She said, “The 14"x11" hardbound book will be presented in a hard case, and my fans will be pleased seeing my work printed on archival paper in the book.”

In the book, readers can find Young’s prints from the Manchurian Collection, which shows scenes from Emperor Chien Lung’s Ching Dynasty; the Heritage Collection, which depicts stories from Chinese legends; the Dream of the Red Chamber, with scenes from the novel of the same name; the Sakura Collection, which has early images of Young’s Japanese women; and Little Treasures, which has paintings of children.

Released in conjunction with the book is Young’s latest work, titled “Mother’s Love,” a mixed media 19"x26" limited edition graphic using lithography, foiling, embossing and mezzotint etching on silk paper. The painting of a woman holding her young toddler was based on emotions evoked by Young’s adoption from an orphanage. This limited edition print sells for $1,100.

It has been said of Young that she approaches work the way pianists in the West might approach the existing compositions of the great masters. Each new painting is a performance that the artist rehearses for by practicing with the performance of earlier painters. Young says her delicate watercolors on silk pay homage to the classical Chinese technique called the “delicate style,” as well as lessons she learned from her mentor, Lam Oi Char.

When Young first painted her Heritage Series, she credited Char for her success. She said, “Lam Oi Char changed my life. Although I painted as a teenager in Hong Kong, it was not until 1973 when I enrolled in a class taught by noted artist Lam Oi Char through the University of Hawai‘i’s College of Continuing Education and Community Service that I took my painting seriously. It wasn’t until I began studying watercolor with Mrs. Char that I gained the confidence to succeed as an artist. She taught me traditional forms of Chinese art, with emphasis on birds, flowers and rural landscapes.”

In 1982, Young changed directions and began a series of paintings on silk of Japanese women in kimonos. Although Young achieved fame through her Japanese women, she decided 20 years ago to return to Chinese historical subjects to pay homage to her great grandparents, who emigrated to Hawai‘i from China. For the past two decades, her soft lyrical brushwork and graceful composition has earned her critical and popular acclaim. Citing her interest in her heritage, Caroline said, “When I’m not painting, I spend a lot of time researching Chinese history, culture, costumes and ornamentation.”

Young paints up to 10 hours a day for almost a month on each one of her signature paintings. Her works are collected all over the world and can be seen in the permanent collection of the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, Calif.

Young will be traveling to major cities across the nation for book signings throughout 2003. For a short time, for every “Mother’s Love” print purchased, collectors will also receive a free autographed copy of Young’s first book, The Art of Caroline R. Young. For further information or purchase, visit www.carolineyoung.com. Beginning in February, the following galleries will carry Young’s latest works: Hayward’s Escolta Fine Arts, San Diego’s Exclusive Collections and Sacramento’s Christine Wunder Fine Art.

For further locations or information, call 800-357-5048.