Junxiang Ma

A Chinese international student, Ma Junxiang came to Canada in 2014. Through his Fine Arts studies, Jun found his niche in painting and his current body of work focuses on that interest. The first of his large scale series Observation Through Water, looks at water surfaces and how, even though transparent, the fluctuations of that surface distort the landscape. Jun’s Tree series depicts Kamloops’ local trees. Their branches bare and lonely in winter, he captures their many novel shapes. In these series, Jun hopes to catch and interpret differing emotions. The TRU Art Gallery hosted his photographic work in the From the Selfie to the Self exhibition and his series Burnt. After graduation, Jun plans a return to his homeland.

Artist’s Statement

The joy of painting is to express scenery viewed, knowledge learned, and life experienced. Rather than focus on the historical events re-enacted on ancient oil paintings, I record personal thoughts, as if talking to myself. When examining my works, the viewer sees a certain aspect of who and what I am.

I enjoy exploring new scenes and alternative processes. I pay attention to other artists, thinking about their works in relation to mine. While experiencing and trying various methods of expression, the most important thing is to express myself in my work—the understanding and viewing. Oil painting is an attitude to life. Each time I wave the brush, each time I create color in harmony; it reflects my mood and emotion. When viewing a completed painting, my mind recalls the scene, mood, and character I was during its creation. These are private things to me, but on the screen of the painting, they are visible to everyone.

My Observing Through the Water series captures these scenes and moments. On one rainy day, sitting the car, I passed by a small town. Through the window, I noticed a cluster of lotus trees. That moment is replicated as water droplets on the glass and the distant and distorted view of the trees. Whether in a car wash or a snowy day, the window glass fogs, the outside is a blur. The specifics of the scene are lost, turn into an abstract.

Trees series is a study of three trees. The lines of trees and the direction of branches form a different kind of abstract view. With no ground view and no description of root systems, these painting depict only the middle of the trees. They are an exploration of composition and line arrangement; bring the viewer closer and creating a visual impact.