Kairong Liu. Photos: Chris Emeott
Kairong Liu came to the United States to study business, but painting spoke to his soul.
The little red tree doesn’t exist. At least, not in real life. In Kairong Liu’s painting of a Minnesota forest, a brilliant splash of crimson stands out among greens and golds. It’s the first thing the eye notices in his American Impressionist landscape. The tree wasn’t really there when he photographed the scene. But Liu painted it anyway. “I feel that little tree is so important because in my culture, red is good fortune,” Liu says from his Edina studio. “It’s energy.”
The artist isn’t trying to recreate what he sees. He’s painting what he feels. Energy and feeling are the philosophy behind Liu’s work. He scours Minnesota to paint vistas that are magnificent and beautiful. His studio has more than 2,000 paintings of familiar Minnesota gardens, lakes, woodlands and more. “I remember when I was in school, I didn’t know what to paint. I was always constantly searching for things to paint. But since I moved to Minnesota, every corner, every place, there are beautiful things,” Liu says.
Liu turns nature into creations of vibrant landscapes that celebrate the majesty of Minnesota through the eyes of someone who never expected to call it home. “I chose art by accident,” he says.
Unlikely Beginnings
Liu grew up in Wuhan, China, in a family full of physicians. Medicine was the expected career path. But after failing China’s highly competitive college entrance exam for medical school, his plans had to change. Liu came to the United States in 1981 to study business administration at the now-closed Westmar University in Le Mars, Iowa. There was just one problem.
“My English was very, very poor,” Liu says. “My teacher said, ‘Your English isn’t good enough to take any business classes. You better take some English courses.’” He enrolled in English as a Second Language at a nearby college, but his student visa was tied to the university. The only classes he could take were art.
“I said, ‘I can paint really well,’” Liu says of a meeting with a college counselor. He explained how he took Chinese calligraphy and painting as a child. “So they said, ‘Why don’t you just take art classes?’”
Kairong Liu paints Monday through Friday in his Edina studio, working on up to five paintings at a time. An artist for more than 40 years, he estimates there are 2,000 works of art in his studio.
His teacher was Impressionist painter, Gary Bowling. After two years, Bowling told Liu that he had almost completed all the requirements of an art degree. “He said, ‘You might as well just go for an art major.’ I just learned art and became an artist.”
After earning his bachelor’s degree, Liu obtained his master’s degree in fine art at the University of South Dakota. It was there that he discovered American Impressionism, which gave him permission to loosen his brushstrokes and embrace color. “The style is very loosely bold, quick approach,” Liu says. “My teachers wanted me to loosen up and paint more things from the inside.”
Detour
After graduating, Liu packed all his paintings into a trailer and set out for New York City. But on the way, a fellow classmate, who opened a gallery in Minneapolis, asked if she could borrow some of his paintings for a show. “I said, ‘OK. I have a truckload of art.’ After I leant some of my work to her, I had nothing to do for two weeks, so I applied for a job at a movie theater working as a projectionist,” he recalls. “And then they were looking for a manager. So I thought, ‘How interesting to be a manager.’ I was supposed to stay for two weeks. I ended up staying here forever.”
Kairong Liu finds inspiration wherever he looks. He will drive around town, and if his discerning artist’s eye sees something astounding, he will park his car and take a photo or sketch the scene. Some examples of his work include known landmarks such as the Hennepin Avenue Bridge. Others are landscapes of fields and parks he happens upon.
For the next 12 years, Liu painted and taught during the day at the Wayzata Center for the Arts and the Bloomington Art Center, gradually building a reputation throughout the Midwest. His paintings hang in private and corporate collections across the country, including Cargill, Delta Airlines and the Mayo Clinic. Three of his works were commissioned by former Minnesota First Lady Mary Pawlenty to be displayed in the Minnesota Governor’s Residence. Since 1989, his work has been represented by Art Resources Gallery, which has locations throughout the Twin Cities, including one at 50th & France.
A Lifetime of Art
Liu’s studio on Cahill Road is full of canvases. They line the walls, piled up everywhere. He paints five days a week. On one side of the studio is his acrylics. Noting the quick approach to American Impressionism, he says, “If I wait too long, I lose the momentum. I paint very fast. I choose acrylics … because this medium dries really fast.”
At the rear of the studio are Liu’s oil paintings. “Those require more patience. They take a long time because they take some time to dry,” he says. His studio is a living representation of both media. “I usually do four to five pieces at one time. If I get tired, I move to the other, so I switch around,” Liu says.
Wandering about the studio, one can see that Liu’s subjects are unmistakably linked to Minnesota. He focuses on alleyways and backyards, lakes and water. There is Bde Maka Ska, the Edina Mann Theatre’s marquee, Lake Harriet, Lake Minnetonka, neighborhood gardens, snowy landscapes and colorful autumn trees. “Sometimes, I drive around. If I see a beautiful scene, I take a photo. If I have time, I will do a quick sketch, a small one. Then I will enlarge them and make adjustments,” he says. “I don’t just paint photos. I don’t really need to paint exactly like that. I just need the layout. I play around with the colors.”
Along with creating art, Liu teaches adults at his studio. His students are from all walks of life who are eager to explore their creative side. Each student leaves with a completed painting.
Kairong Liu with a painting of the Edina Mann Theatre’s marquee at 50th & France. For 12 years, Liu worked at The Highland Theater, owned by Mann Theatres, first as a projectionist and later as a manager. He would teach during the day and work at the theater at night.
For Liu, however, the greatest accomplishment isn’t teaching or seeing his paintings in prominent collections. It’s something much simpler. “To be an artist is a very hard profession. Many artists cannot support themselves by just being an artist. I’m not saying I’m 100 percent supporting myself. With my wife’s help, I feel accomplished that I can do this full time. Very few artists can do this full time without having another job,” he says.
Forty years after arriving in the U.S. with the goal of studying business, Liu spends his days on an endless quest of creation, avidly painting vibrant interpretations of the state he unexpectedly came to call home. “I want people to know that this is a beautiful place to live. And this is a beautiful country,” he says. “It’s not just because of the lakes. The nature offers so much more.”
Kairong Art Studio
Facebook: Kairong Art Gallery
