My original chat with Jacqueline focused on her art career. Two years on, her adventure has taken new developments. What piqued my interest was what she said “The destination is the excuse to take the journey.” Here I sat down with her to learn more of her adventurous and fun-loving side and a candid sharing of life, work, and pursuits.
Karen Tsui, Where My Heart Leads:
Can you tell us how you got from art to business?
Jacqueline Shiu, founder of her eponymous brand and painter
My trade is painting. But since being back in Hong Kong, I was thinking about how I could promote my artwork, how do I get into galleries.
Of the few gallery openings I have been to, I really didn’t enjoy that social environment. I felt it was very superficial. Also, as I was younger and quite shy I wasn’t very confident about myself, so I never made it into the scene. I was teaching most of the time – I stayed teaching, and I stayed learning just as a student, so I wasn’t a professional or I didn’t see myself as an artist. I had always called myself a painter. Because I think the connotation of being an artist is so vague?
Do you consider yourself an artist now?
More so. I’ve learned to appreciate art, through my exploration in psychology, or I guess, you know, being more mature and older, I know better what art means. And its value. And it’s easier for me to admit that I’m an artist.
How did you come to the understanding?
Probably through my learning about Thangka painting, and spending time with my Thangka teacher, I got into the spiritual meditative side of art. There’s a lot of psychology, talking about Mandalas and the visual representation of something deeper. So that gave art or images, paintings, a bit more meaning. So once I can associate the meaning behind images, and that I’m not just trying to paint a picture, I’m trying to create a meaning. That makes it easier to associate myself as an artist.
Read the full article at
https://www.wheremyheartleads.com/on-the-radar/jacqueline-shiu/