

Calvin Teng
Born: 1954
Hometown: Taichung, Taiwan
Based in: Taiwan
Born: 1954
Hometown: Taichung, Taiwan
Based in: Taiwan
In Calvin Teng’s abstract artwork, you can see fluid lines and brushstrokes that are like distinct rhythms, inversions, harmonies, counterpoints or variations expressed in music.
In Calvin’s lyrical space, he uses forms, clusters and colors to exhibit the beauty of landscapes in the modern art arena.
To testify his aesthetic belief, Calvin Teng adopts unique approaches to depict the sublime beauty of landscapes through transcending their original outlines into abstract forms and spirits.
The essence of his artwork connects with heaven and earth. His brushstrokes lead us into a primitive, gigantic, lifeless historical time, which represents and interprets something that has already been lost.
The soul in his work, sometimes awake or dreaming, seems to have a connection with the boundless universe. It sometimes intertwines bewilderingly with nature and praises the eternal life and spirit in this world.
Calvin Teng’s artwork depicts many different forms of nature: dripping, splashing, wild, resilient, cruel, lush, misty or murky, all of which leads to his true heart. Through creating landscape art, Calvin spawns metaphors to resemble the harmonious and solemn beauty of the earth.
His artwork contains passionate, poetic and philosophical essence, which epitomizes Mother Nature and will stand as a divine force with the passage of time.
Artist Statement:
"Don’t like over-elaborate formalities
Don’t enjoy citing classic works
Not good at giving long-winded statement
I only use ingenuity, simplicity, modesty, and intuition to share and examine my notion of creativity
Through self-awareness, I realize that life goes on
Through sunlight, air and water, my paintings begin to breathe
With deep Chinese cultural influences
I wonder through the imaginary, three-dimensional space constructed by virtual and real images
Filled with dramatic tension at times
Or with calming rhythms at another
I turn poetry into paintings
Everything I paint
Has not only become living artworks that breathe
But also a window to the soul
Like shadows casted by wielding a sword
Intangibles are there to paint
I Paint, Therefore I Am."
"Capturing moments in time, For time itself flows endlessly, Yet within each captured moment, The infinite finds pause."
What inspires you?
Everything around me inspires me, even down to the little daily details we overlook.
Describe your creative process.
Every piece begins by not actually painting. I trim the grass in my backyard with a pair of scissors and slowly take my time to complete the process. Once I find my internal rhythm, that is when I pick up my paintbrush and paint, no thoughts or feelings.
What is the most important tool when creating your work?
My relaxed state of mind and a harmonized rhythm with my heart.