Death Valley, California Painting

Ming Franz has widely recognized for her "splash" painting, combining primary watercolor with Chinese ink and brush. In recent years she has experimented with acrylics on watercolor paper and panels, developing her award-winning skills. Now she devotes almost exclusively to creating colorful abstract paintings that have garnered much attention. Among the many awards she has received is the esteemed Grand Prize in the International Artist Magazine's Challenge in Abstract /Experimental Art. "I was born in southern Taiwan and grew up on a sugar plantation where my father worked as a steam engine engineer. I started painting when I was eight years old with my neighbor, Mr. Tsai, an art teacher. Mr. Tsai taught me crayons, pencil and charcoal drawing, and watercolor. He also took me by bicycle to other villages to paint and hike and taught me how to observe nature. As a child, I also had to hike many miles to school. I have continued hiking and am still an avid hiker today. I have walked many mountains worldwide - fueling my passion for nature, especially waterfalls, streams, rivers, trees, and birds. I have become a landscape painter because that is part of my life." Over the years, Ming has studied with masters of traditional Chinese painting, along with studies at community colleges where she lived in the US. In the 1990s, she studied traditional "Splash Ink" with Master Paul Pei Ren Hau and the teachings of Professor Arthur Mu Seng Kao of San Jose State University: East meets West in art. A highly-regarded instructor, Ming teaches workshops and conducts demonstrations at the New Mexico Art League, University of New Mexico Extension, and in her Edgewood, New Mexico studio. Along with her teaching, both in groups and privately, her famous book "Splash Ink with Watercolor" inspires many artists. Her education has brought her to venues in Houston; Wichita, Kansas; Chicago, and the Silicon Valley Asian Art Center; the Denver Art Museum; the Artist's Materials Expo in Santa Fe, New Mexico; and the World of Color Expo in Herndon, Virginia.