On Sept. 26, the Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning premiered It’s Light Tempered, It’s Turmoil Submerged—a new solo exhibition featuring the latest works from Pengyuan Wang.

Wang is a Kingston-based artist of Chinese origin. He immigrated to Canada years ago and brought with him immense skill, passion, and cultural insight that shines through his paintings.

The art featuredin It’s Light Tempered focuses on mountain landscapes and avian paintings, all portrayed in rich shape, texture, and movement. While fictional, the landscapes appear real thanks to their lifelike construction and vivid colour palettes.

As implied in the exhibition title, Wang demonstrates expert mastery in portraying different shades of light and movement in his still images.

The bird portraits are equally as beautiful and bright. Those taking in It’s Light Tempered will see images of swans moving in water and birds captured mid-flight with brushstrokes portraying their graceful movements. Wang expertly uses simple brush strokes to imitate bird feather textures, creating vibrant, fluid creatures on the canvas.

Wang’s style lends itself to an eclectic mix of mediums. He uses oil paints and brushes often in his work, but also collages, wood burnings, and ink paintings.

In an interview for the Tett Centre’s official blog, Wang described his work as “using traditional techniques with modern synthetic materials.” This respect for traditionalism and his culture is well-emulated in his work.

“I have always maintained an open attitude towards learning and experimenting with new art mediums.” Wang said in the same interview. “Using the same painting materials and language for a long time will narrow my creative vision.”

Some paintings featured in the exhibit were made with a mix of oil paints and ink, demonstrating Wang’s dedication to mixing old techniques with the new by blending two mediums. These combinations help him create evocative landscapes.

One portion of the exhibition also involves watching Wang paint live. It’s interesting to watch the artist at work, and see how he handles the abstract colours, values, and shapes.

It’s Light Tempered, It’s Turmoil Submerged closes on Oct. 2 at 5 p.m.

The exhibition is a worthwhile experience. The paintings are beautiful to look at from afar, and fascinating to examine up close. Wang’s art is an expressive dedication to the complexity of nature and the emotions that comes with witnessing it.