Artist Crystal Liu fills her dazzling compositions with beautiful flora and meticulously painted gold dots. The minuscule circles move through each piece like waves, creating a feeling of motion as they expand and contract in size. At times, their placement mimics tiny islands or clouds—especially when set against dark backdrops of blue and black watercolor paint. This motif is punctuated with Chrysanthemum flowers that are large enough to “rule” the abstracted scenes.
Liu’s paper works seemingly describe places, but to areas where we could never physically visit—intangible psychological and emotional landscapes. The imagery, rather than documenting real locales, are symbolic accounts of emotional states and personal relationships. Their visual power comes from within ourselves and the ease in which we can find special meaning in the beautiful-yet-nebulous settings.
