10 Questions with Kuan-Hsuan Lu

Kuan-Hsuan Lu was born in New Taipei City, Taiwan, in 1986. Growing up surrounded by passionate people, she is also passionate about things in this world, and she wants to convey these passions in her own unique way. Throughout her life, Kuan-Hsuan Lu has been fascinated by color and how she can express her emotions to the world through color and various shapes. Naturally, she was attracted to painting. This interest was cultivated in her childhood and further developed after she chose to go to an art high school. In high school, she studied drawing and graphic design at the same time. And won the best new artist award.

After completing her degree, Kuan-Hsuan Lu studied graphic design and illustration more deeply in her university days. She liked to add elements of illustration to her graphic design to make her graphic design works more vivid and attractive eyeball. After graduating from university, she started working as a designer and illustrator in Taiwan and frequently traveled to increase her vision and to understand the art and design of different cultures. She often used drawing to record everything about travel, and she also went to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to teach children on the mountain to paint.

After working in Taiwan for several years, Kuan-Hsuan Lu’s passion for graphic design and illustration made her decide to come to the United States to study graphic design, and after obtaining a master’s degree, she came to New York to work and live. Her love for graphic design and illustration made her get a good job and she won many international awards.

Until now, Kuan-Hsuan Lu still uses drawing to convey her passion for the world. She draws her favorite movies, favorite books, gatherings of friends and people walking on the road, etc.

www.kuanhsuanlu.design | @hiiamfurbylyunicetomeetyou

ARTIST STATEMENT

Art is Kuan-Hsuan Lu’s language. She uses it to convey and record her thoughts and the world. This language has bold colors and styles; sometimes it is silent, sometimes it is a metaphor for ideas, and crying and laughing are common things.

Different painting mediums are like different languages. She is passionate about trying different mediums, and she is not afraid of changes. Changes will make her art convey ideas in more appropriate words.

INTERVIEW

First of all, tell us something more about you. How did you start working with illustrations? And when did you realize you wanted to follow this career path? 

I have loved drawing since I was a child. From that time, I have been drawing non-stop until now. My scores in other subjects were low. Only art subjects got high scores. When I was in Taiwan, I liked to incorporate illustrations into my graphic design. Also, with my friend's encouragement, I started to sell my paintings. When I made the first money with my painting, I was so happy, and I realized that I wanted to take this career path. I wanted to be an illustrator and a graphic designer who can flexibly use illustration elements in commercial design. I think I am a lucky person because my hobby is my career, so I always enjoy working.

Tell us about your background. How did you develop into such a skillful illustrator? 

I was born and raised in Taiwan. When I was in middle school, my teacher knew that I liked drawing and encouraged me to apply to an art high school. When I was in high school, I drew a lot of fine art and began to learn design. But after graduating from high school, I avoided drawing for a while because I drew a lot of rules-filled paintings in high school, which made me lose the enjoyment of drawing. 
Later on, I started watching many movies about art. Because of the encouragement from my friends, I started using drawing to record my life and the movies and books that I like. By doing that, I picked up my love of drawing again and fell into the world of illustration. This world is very interesting, it has no rules, and no one tells me what to do. All I need to do is to follow my feelings and emotion to create surreal and abstract styles. I have been on this journey from my student life in Taiwan to my current professional path in America. After joining the current working team, my illustrations have gained more styles, layers, and skills. Our team is full of great artists, and I enjoy exchanging creations and art with them.

You have an interesting career, as you have traveled and worked in Taiwan and the United States. What is your favorite memory as an artist so far?

I like to paint huge paintings. I had experience creating and displaying my work at acrylic painting exhibitions in Taiwan. Creating large-scale paintings takes time and drains my energy; there is no shortcut. But the process of holding a big paintbrush to paint freely on a huge board was really intoxicating and made me forget that the whole process is really hard work. I really enjoy the fact that I am in full control of my own creativity. Another fond memory I have is when I went to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to teach children to draw and saw the smiles of those children. 

What are your main sources of inspiration and visual references for your work?

Because of my work and my interests, I browse a lot of illustrations every day. There are many excellent works on Instagram, Pinterest, and Behance, where I get to know more illustrators, their art, and their stories. In addition, travel is also a good way to find inspiration. From walking in my neighborhood to flying to different countries, there are always many visual surprises to inspire people to create. Different cultures tell different stories, and these stories come in all different shapes and sizes, and this fills me with new ideas every day. Reading is also a great way for me to generate ideas.

And what are your preferred subjects? Do you have any recurring theme or subject you like to explore?

I like to address diversity in my work. I love traveling, meeting people from different countries, and experiencing different art, culture, and history. I am also very lucky to have grown up in Taiwan. Taiwan is multicultural in many aspects, and it made me understand the importance of preserving one's own culture and accepting the cultures of others. Because of diversity, the world becomes more interesting and full of endless possibilities.

What about your colors? You have a very distinctive palette; what do these colors represent for you? And how do you use them in your work?

My color is deeply influenced by my personality. In terms of color scheme, I like bold and rich, combined with contrasting colours. I think this is because I like to challenge my audience's limits. We should not limit ourselves and redefine our color collections. This brings more fun to the visual presentation. Color is definitely my favorite focus when I create. I really enjoy the process of trailing on different color schemes for different vibes and visual effects, even though this process takes a longer time to complete. When I take on a client's case, I will first browse the client's website to understand their ideas on color schemes and the story behind each brand's color. This determines how crazy I can do for the colors, haha. Fortunately, my clients usually have a high admiration for my color schemes. I really appreciate their trust.

In your statement, you define art as your language. What messages do you want to convey with your work? And what is your language trying to communicate?

Yes, I want to use my work to convey many messages. For example, I published a series of movie illustrations on IG as a way to recommend people to watch, especially because these movies deliver positive messages. I would draw an illustration of movies I want to recommend. In addition, I use my work to illustrate my personal belief in diversity and human rights, etc. My messages vary, but they are all communicated in a fun and witty way. The next illustration I want to draw is about my birthplace Taiwan, which I hope more people can learn about Taiwan through my illustrations.

Let's talk about new technologies. What do you think of NFTs? And how has your perception changed after the market contraction in the past few months?

Art has had an interesting effect on NFTs. This is a new form that gives artists a new space to display works and sell. Even though it may not be seen as popular as previously, I believe it is all about changes, and I am open to accepting constant change and turning it into inspiration for my creations.

What is your ultimate career goal? Do you have a dream project or collaboration?

My ultimate career goal is to use my work to communicate key messages that address worldwide issues in an uplifting way. I also would like to own my own art gallery as a dedicated space to help some new artists to display their works. At the moment, I am going to do some fun projects with my friends, who are great artists. I am looking forward to the surprises and the great outcome that we will achieve together in the process. 

Lastly, what are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future?

I am currently working in an online media company, and I hope that more audiences will learn about my company through my work. About My plan for the future, in addition to the ideas mentioned in the previous question, I also hope to have more opportunities to teach children who have no money to learn about drawing. Thank you.