26th – 31st March, 2007

at THE ROTUNDA, EXCHANGE SQUARE
HONG KONG SAR, CHINA

Over the past 3 years I have tralvelled to Bhutan, Southern China and Japan, and have been inspired by the vastly differing cultures of all three regions as well as that of my home in Hong Kong. Being Chinese and having always lived in Asia I feel close and empathise with the Asian people and so with my recent body of work I have ventured into a wider scope of subjects than my previous two exhibitions, exploring the characteristics of not just one country but that of several in the continent.

With each painting I have tried to capture the look and feeling of the timeless aspects of the Bhutanese, Chinese and Japanese cultures, and the landscapes and people of the regions. My kaleidoscopic journeys have provided me with endless source of inspirations: I have wanted to reflect the scenes I have been privileged to witness such as the richness of the Bhutan people’s beliefs and lives and the colourfulness of the peasants’ headgear and their attire. I feel a sense of the simplicity which is reflected in my depictions of the people of Southern China that can be seen in works such as Nets I and Nets II. This contrasts greatly with the extreme sense of ritual, tradition and high culture of the male Japanese Kabuki actors in Kabuki I and Kabuki II. The tranquility of the ponds at the Imperial Palace Garden in Tokyo, situated in the centre of one of the world’s most dynamic, modern cities, was another subject I explored in my series of lily and gold fish compositions. The contemplative nature of these works led me to produce two paintings of a youth orchestra from Hong Kong, and Music of love. I have also tried to capture the fast diappearing traditional Cantonese culture with the rice and tea shops.

Colour and compositions are two of the most important aspects in my work. I try to be true to myself and paint simple and with a new eye. In these times of turbulent unrest in the world, with natural diasters, disease, war and famine, I hope my paintings will bring some joy, hope and peace to viewers and leave them with a lasting impression of colour, tone and atmosphere.

Renoir once said “If Degas had died at fifty, he would have been
remembered as an excellent painter, no more: it is after his fiftieth
year that his work broadened out and that he really becomes Degas.”

I hope that with maturity and my continued efforts to see the things around me in a new light I will one day really become L. Ting.

Net I 2006 Oil on canvas 25 x 36cm (sold)

See more paintings click on “Reflections on Asia”