Root Series Print

At the core of Shulin Sun’s art, there exists an intimacy enriched by ancient Chinese philosophy. It informs his practice, overlapping the thought process and rendering of his paintings. It expresses life as a cycle made up of two extremes that coexist in nature. ​ Born in Beijing, China in 1952, Shulin’s interest in art sparked while watching his father practice calligraphy. However, the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s delayed his artistic development. ​ Sent away from his family to the Heilongjiang Province in North-Eastern China he worked in extreme conditions. For the next eight years, Shulin developed a strong will and determination for life. His experience in the forests and bitter cold reflect in his art. After his return, Shulin studied under the acclaimed Chinese artist, Li Keran. While Shulin’s early art style rendered traditional Chinese paintings, he tested new techniques experimenting with Western influences. ​ From 1987 to 1996, Shulin participated in solo and group exhibitions in Germany, Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea and the United States. His Chinese landscapes also won many awards including the "96 International Fine Arts Competition", in South Korea. Later that year his solo exhibition in Houston, Texas, initiated his relocation to the US. ​ Shulin’s life and art entered a new era. He experimented with his technique and style, combining the philosophies of Impressionism with traditional Chinese painting methods. “I focus less on form and more on feeling as I work,” he says of his authentic style of abstract art. ​ After 30 years of experimenting, he launched a new style of painting in 2013. Recent solo exhibitions at Q Street Fine Art in Washington, DC, and Evanston Art Center, Evanston, Illinois, in 2017 demonstrate meticulous brushwork layered with a mystical synergy. Shulin Sun now lives and works in Michigan, US.