Ling Wang
At the age of 5, the year before I started primary school, my parents decided to keep me at home for a year after they were no longer happy sending me to kindergarten. This is when I first remember drawing.
I was left home alone every day, crying behind the locked doors while my parents worked. I would slowly quieten down after being worn out from crying and stare at the Spring Festival posters that were hung on the wall. I picked up pencils and paper and began sketching the beautiful, traditionally clothed models in the Spring Festival posters. I no longer cried once my parents brought back more pencils, erasers, and papers. I would stay at home alone, quietly, spending my days drawing and scribbling when my parents worked until I entered primary school a year later.
I never stopped drawing after I began my education. I have studied countless images from comic books and picture books. Drawing has always been my main entertainment activity every night after studying. My parents sent me to art classes in the holidays once they discovered my passion for art.
To be able to study Fine Arts in university had always been my childhood dream. Unfortunately, I could not realize this dream for several reasons. I joined the workforce immediately after I graduated from a technical secondary school. Nevertheless, my childhood dream was never forgotten. I finally discovered and commenced an art-related fashion design course 7 years after working. I cherished this year of sketching fashion models. After the birth of my daughter, I excelled in a self-study examination and commenced a university graphic design course for two years. In university, I studied the standard artistic methods of still life, portraiture, and landscape studies. Afterwards, I also participated in animation classes for a year driven by my hobby. Unfortunately, I was not able to persist in it.
In 2017, we settled down in a beautiful Gippsland town named Newborough. I realized that I finally had some spare time to myself after both of my children had gone to school. I was inspired by the world of art again on an accidental occasion when we visited a local art exhibition. Picking up pencil and paper again, I realized that my skills were terribly lacking. Therefore, I searched for different artists and their painting timelapses on YouTube to learn different techniques and skills from them. Since I had an artistic foundation from my studies in China, I have progressed a great deal since my first baby steps back into the world of paint and pencil.
I love pastels. I love its rich and abundant colors and sense of layers. I was almost unstoppable whenever I started drawing with pastels. For 3 years, I would spend hours daily next to my easel.
Gippsland is a beautiful place; it is full of the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers. My family adores birds, and we have our own aviary. We own many birds and are also visited by many wild birds. These feathered friends are my favorite subject matter. There are varieties of beautiful and adorable birds in Gippsland, I think I can barely portray them all with my pastels!
In 2022, I fell in love with acrylic and once again, I began my pilgrimage of learning from YouTube videos. I enjoyed my journey very much! I often participate in local art exhibitions, appreciate the works of other artists, and learn from them to improve myself. Up to 2022, I have successively sold some of my artworks and won some prizes.
2019 Berwick Great Art Show Highly Commended Award
2019 Tanjil Valley Art Show Third Prize
Zoe Buckingham Award
2019 Ficifolia Art Show Highly Commended Award
2020 Honorable Mention Pastel Award Inverloch Art Show 2020
2021 Moe Art Spring Show Best in Show Award
People’s Choice Award
2021 Tanjil Valley Art Show People’s Choice Award
2022 Sandy Point Art Show People’s Choice Award
2022 Hasting Art Show People’s Choice Award
2022 Rotary Yarram Festival Art Show People’s Choice Award
2022 Tanjil Valley Art Show 1st Prize
People’s Choice Award
2022 Pakenham Art Show Highly Commended Award
2022 Moe Art Spring Show Traditional Section 1st Prize
People’s Choice Award
I am a member of the Moe Art Society, joining in 2019, and a member of the Baw Baw Arts Alliance, joining in 2022.
In 2020, I participated in ‘Art Aid Gippsland, the bushfire fundraiser event.’ I donated a painting portraying the horror of the fires and the hope inspired by the many volunteers fighting the fires and supporting the victims of this tragedy. My work was auctioned, and the proceeds were donated to the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund. It was such an honor for me to provide what I could offer to assist in the restoration of the loss from the bushfires.
I aspire to continue painting. There is so much beauty in Gippsland, both the scenery and the wildlife. It has become an inseparable part of my life to record the beauty of Gippsland down on my canvas.
