Artist

Shirley has enjoyed watercolor painting since her teenage years. Her devotion to the medium has gradually evolved into a lifelong study of technique and creativity. For Shirley, painting with watercolors is both exciting and challenging, especially when it comes to maintaining color transparency and the rhythm of hues throughout the process. Watercolor can create wonderful, beautiful surprises in one moment, yet plunge the artist into chaos in the next.

Born in Hong Kong, Shirley studied graphic design at the California College of the Arts and later worked in New York, Toronto, and San Francisco. Her formal training and years of professional experience as a designer have significantly influenced her aesthetic approach to painting. Her compositions emphasize perspective and strong contrasts in shape to create depth. She allows colors to collide and interact, playing with both hard and soft edges while preserving bright highlights and layering rich, dark shadows.

Shirley enjoys painting a wide range of subjects, viewing each new subject as an opportunity for experimentation — one that offers both successes and challenges within every piece. She believes that compelling subjects are all around us and that there is no need to travel far to find inspiration. Among her favorite subjects are everyday scenes, such as vegetation along a neighborhood path (Growing Wild), a welder at a construction site (Welding in Sunset), and trees in a local park (Autumn Shadows).

Although Shirley appreciates the comfort of working in her studio, she also embraces the challenge of painting outdoors (en plein air) when the weather permits. In addition to her artistic practice, she is a dedicated instructor who teaches painting to students of all ages.

Shirley is a member of the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society and the California Watercolor Association.