American Artist: Calvin Lai
The Art of Calvin Lay
“The Art of Calvin Lai„
Calvin Lai calls his art "monkeys" because the monkey climbed onto his back while he was painting a self-portrait in kindergarten. His fascination with painting drove him towards realism, where he began to teach himself the basics of values and perspectives at an early age.
Growing up in Los Angeles, his obsession with art deepened, and his favorite subjects became portraits and people. He eventually moved to San Francisco and went to San Francisco State University to study painting and printmaking.
It wasn't until he entered the Academy of Art of San Francisco in 2008 that he began to paint seriously. Since then, he has devoted himself to developing his painting skills, appearing in galleries, group exhibitions, jury exhibitions, and appearing in SouthwestErn Art Magazine.
Oil paint is now his main medium of creation. Calvin continued to focus on figurative and portraiture, creating several series. One features the counterculture of the San Francisco Bay Area; the other depicts a musician inspired by his own interest in world music. With paint, brushes and determination, Calvin captured the unique and compelling character of each of the subjects he pursued.
Calvin is an artist who only started painting in 2009. His main focus has always been on realist art, with oil painting giving him the ability to be realistic while adding the ability to blend Impressionist and Expressionist techniques. As a professional artist, his subject matter has expanded to include portraiture, figurative art, urban landscape painting, landscape painting and still life painting. He currently works in San Francisco, thank you for your interest in his art! ”