1_project | Dan Li

Watercolor and acrylic paints have always been among my favorite mediums since I was a child. The unique feel of the brush and the way the colors diffuse across the textured paper create a distinct experience with each painting, giving it a second life and creating a wonderland for me to explore through art. Most of these pieces were painted during the time of COVID when I found myself at home with more time to indulge in my creativity. Moving frequently in recent years has made it difficult to keep my original works, so I’ve shared them here as digital copies, even if the physical pieces may be lost.

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In Michelangelo's letter to his father after completing the Sistine Chapel ceiling. He wrote, "I have finished the chapel I have been painting: the Pope is very well satisfied. Other things have not turned out for me as I'd hoped. For this, I blame the times, which are very unfavorable to our art." What Michelangelo called an "unfavorable time" is now referred to as the High Renaissance!
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On the left, residential buildings in Hoboken, NJ. In the center, a campus view at Stevens Institute of Technology. On the right, a painting of peonies from the Arboretum in Ann Arbor.

This digital artwork of Nietzsche on the left was created as part of my exploration into whether digital mediums can be more effective for generating art compared to traditional tools. On the right it is a bridge at the Kinzua Bridge State Park. The skywalk has a walkway with a set of railroad tracks which is astonishing.

I’m a huge fan of the Metropolitan Museum, so I often spend entire days there or at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. I bring my sketchbook or digital painting tablet to capture the inspiration around me. Above are some of the sketches I’ve completed during these visits.

These are some of the art pieces I painted during the Art Battle in NYC. Art Battle is a fast-paced, 20-minute live competitive painting event where artists are challenged to create their art work on stage while being surrounded by audience to bid on the paintings. I had the exciting opportunity to participate in two of these competitions in NYC in 2019/2020. It was an inspiring experience that pushed the boundaries of my creative expression. These paintings are double-sided, so you can view them from different angles, either horizontally or parallel, to see different elements.

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