Bi Yuan Cheng, whose works – including new pieces – will be at the Avenue Gallery this month, seemed born to become an artist. Born in 1957 and raised in Jinan, China, Bi began practicing art at age five. By eleven, he was mentored by one of China's most prestigious art professors who further developed his already considerable skills in oil and watercolour.
Their 10-year teacher-student relationship greatly influenced Bi's future success. In 1983, Bi graduated magna cum laude from ZiangXi Art University. In 1987, Bi’s distinguished career was recognized with the title of “Chinese Art Master” and in 1989, he was accepted into the prestigious Chinese Encyclopedia of Art.
Ever since Bi immigrated to Vancouver, Canada in 1990, he has focused on capturing the beauty of the Canadian landscape. His work is defined by calligraphic brushwork, mastery of light and a refined use of colour. Also at Avenue Gallery this month: unique works of glass that artist Jo Ludwig calls "T.
O.B's: Things of Beauty." The South African born artist creates his jewel-like works using a two-stage process of fusing multiple layers of glass then slumping them in a glass kiln.
Ludwig cuts layers of glass into desired shapes, then assembles them on a shelf in a glass kiln and heats them until they fuse into a single piece. The work can then be sandblasted, ground or even recut. The top layer is dichroic glass, a material invented in the 1960's by NASA that reflects stunningly bright colours that radi.
