About The Artist
The seed of art was planted during Young Li’s early teenage years in China, when she was often asked to design classroom bulletin boards. What began as a school task soon became a quiet passion, as she discovered the joy of bringing ideas to life through line, form, and color. Encouraged by her teachers’ praise, she nurtured that early spark with care and pride—even though art wasn’t seen as a serious path. She went on to teach Japanese studies in college, but the desire to create never left her.
It wasn’t until after relocating to the United States in the 1990s that Young Li began seriously studying oil painting with the art teacher at the private school where she taught in Connecticut. There, she also met a local landscape oil painter whose studio in Litchfield Center became a source of deep inspiration. Through frequent visits, close observation, and thoughtful conversations, she gained not only new techniques but also a new way of seeing her subjects through an artist’s eye. These moments reawakened a long-held passion and marked the true beginning of her journey as a painter.
Since 2015, Young Li has scaled down her teaching duties to pursue art full-time. She is an oil painter focused on landscapes and a practitioner of traditional Chinese Gongbi (fine-line ink painting). As an artist, educator, and Chinese art trainer, she weaves together Eastern precision with Western expression. Her practice reflects a lifelong journey—cultivating a once-hidden seed into distinctive and mature aesthetic sensibilities.
Statement
As a primarily self-taught artist, my practice is shaped by a profound love for painting, along with persistence and discipline. Working mainly in oil, I’m drawn to its depth, texture, and the richness it offers through color mixing. My work often blends realism with freehand techniques inspired by Impressionism—reflecting both the external world and my internal response to it.
I find inspiration in familiar landscapes—such as the Charles River, Cape Cod, Boston’s South Shore, and the lotus ponds along the Grand Canal on the outskirts of Beijing—which I revisit for their changing light and emotional resonance. Whenever possible, I begin en plein air, capturing the urgency of natural light to spark spontaneous brushstrokes, which I later develop in the studio.
I work with a harmonious, realistic palette while exploring the balance between detailed observation and the looser, atmospheric qualities of Impressionism. This interplay between control and spontaneity keeps my work grounded, yet open to interpretation.
Alongside oil painting, I also practice traditional Chinese Gongbi ink painting, which emphasizes precision and restraint. This dual artistic practice deepens my understanding of form, line, and emotion, allowing me to create work in which East and West, realism and Impressionism meet in harmony—exploring a space where structure and spontaneity, tradition and creativity intertwine.
