Lime 388 Private Sale: Tung Lo

Tung Lo, a small, spry man with a beaming smile chatted eagerly with his patrons in Mandarin, English and French.

Tung's international reputation has grown steadily over the decades, largely due to his innovative mixing of mediums. He creates heavily textured oil paintings by applying patterned fabrics as a base and washing over the material with paint. According to Lime 388, Tung "communicates the nuances of human nature through his delicate construction of textural and colored layering."

The artist works so closely with the fabric that it almost appears to be painted on to his pieces; in fact, he often applies the fabric as a background and then partially covers the material with a wash of paint.

When asked about his artistic influences Tung Lo replied that "he paints for himself and from himself only." At the same time, he added that he wants viewers "to think, not merely to see something beautiful" when they encounter his art.

Tung notes that his series, "Light Years," deals with the significance of philosophical illumination. Throughout this series, Tung has painted over two thirds of the fabric, relegating the patterns to the base of the paintings, where they ensure that the figures visually pop off of the canvas. The images gaze mesmerized at some evanescent golden glow, which Tung prefers not to define other than to call it the power of "thoughtfulness."

In reference to his own childhood, Tung Lo deems himself "a naughty boy," who did not care to listen to his father's advice about learning from the masters. Tung's father, a talented calligrapher in his own right, encouraged his son to pursue artistic studies, but was adamant that Tung study and imitate the masters. Tung had ideas of his own however, which did not include mimicry. Perhaps this resistance to convention has led him to the success he enjoys today and the satisfaction he takes in his work—when asked which work he was the least pleased with Tung replied, "I love them all. I put everything I have into them."