Overview

Crystal Liu (b.1980, Canada) graduated with honors from the Ontario College of Art & Design in 2003 majoring in Photography, and received an MFA in New Genres at the San Francisco Art Institute in 2005.

 

Liu constructs landscapes as metaphors for the intangible forces that drive human beings from within. Tying intimately with her emotional states, Liu derives the narratives of intention and desire with teetering optimism through her portrayal of the moon, stars, mountains and rocks in her paintings. The complexities of life, from hopefulness to desolation, are carefully infused into the landscapes of her work, alluding to truths from the artist’s own private life.

 

She precisely applies clusters of dots in her paintings, which become a signature surface texture. She also lets the paint take their own course when she uses them with ink washes and marbling techniques, making the elements in her paintings “sprout”, like the nature of life. The swirls of marbleized paint echo the heritage art of Chinese ink paintings. The distinct edged collage mimics the hard and enormous stones, mountains and cliffs of the natural world, providing shelter and protection, and elevating other forms, such as birch trees and chrysanthemum flowers, closer to the moon.

 

She has exhibited extensively in Greater China and North America. Liu’s works are in many public and private collections internationally including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Arts Commission, Ellie Mae Inc., Fidelity International, Microsoft Inc., and the Progressive Art Collection. She currently works and lives in Toronto.

Works
  • Crystal Liu, "catch the light, V", 2022
    "catch the light, V", 2022
  • Crystal Liu, a balancing act, "standing still", 2017
    a balancing act, "standing still", 2017
  • Crystal Liu, going places (weeping willows), ''reunited'', 2018
    going places (weeping willows), ''reunited'', 2018
  • Crystal Liu, i always meant to love you, "lean in'", 2017
    i always meant to love you, "lean in'", 2017
  • Crystal Liu, i always meant to love you, "my heart dropped II", 2017
    i always meant to love you, "my heart dropped II", 2017
  • Crystal Liu, in dreams, "stay close", 2017
    in dreams, "stay close", 2017
  • Crystal Liu, making waves, "hello", 2015
    making waves, "hello", 2015
  • Crystal Liu, our place, “in the garden”, 2022
    our place, “in the garden”, 2022
  • Crystal Liu, our place, “through the fog, into the moonlight”, 2022
    our place, “through the fog, into the moonlight”, 2022
  • Crystal Liu, the flowers, "breathe in", 2014
    the flowers, "breathe in", 2014
  • Crystal Liu, the flowers, "down pour" (IV), 2019
    the flowers, "down pour" (IV), 2019
  • Crystal Liu, the fog, "embrace", 2019
    the fog, "embrace", 2019
  • Crystal Liu, the fog, "like the lulling waves", 2019
    the fog, "like the lulling waves", 2019
  • Crystal Liu, the fog, "nestled", 2019
    the fog, "nestled", 2019
  • Crystal Liu, the fog, "they escaped me", 2019
    the fog, "they escaped me", 2019
  • Crystal Liu, the fog, ''I see you'', 2019
    the fog, ''I see you'', 2019
  • Crystal Liu, the fray, "the fray", 2013
    the fray, "the fray", 2013
  • Crystal Liu, the lake, "fill up", 2019
    the lake, "fill up", 2019
  • Crystal Liu, the lake, "forever", 2019
    the lake, "forever", 2019
  • Crystal Liu, the moon and the tides, “wash over me, II”, 2017
    the moon and the tides, “wash over me, II”, 2017
  • Crystal Liu, the mountains, “the wait“, 2017
    the mountains, “the wait“, 2017
  • Crystal Liu, the sky, "smothered", 2015
    the sky, "smothered", 2015
  • Crystal Liu, trying to get there, “just for a moment”, 2017
    trying to get there, “just for a moment”, 2017
  • Crystal Liu, underground, "ready to wake", 2017
    underground, "ready to wake", 2017
Exhibitions
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