Sherri Huang | Artist/Oil Painter

Sherri Huang

Custom landscape oil paintings for commission

“Blagaj: A Cliffside Wonderment” (2018) by Sherri Huang

Oil on canvas. 18x24 inches. Sold.

It was such an honor to create this piece. Blagaj tekija in Bosnia is a sacred architectural wonder that sits among a gorgeous corner of the world. Bosnia is a significant place to a good friend of mine from school who wasn’t old enough to remember his paternal grandparents from this region. When my friend came to me with options of what he would like me to paint, Blagaj immediately captivated me — just look at that view.

I also chose Blagaj because it looked like a challenge that would help me grow as an artist. It would be the biggest canvas size I’d work with in the few years I had been oil painting, require new techniques I’d have to teach myself, and incorporate elements from two completely different photo references. It was an ambitious project, for sure. It didn’t help that I had been traveling and working at the time, making it difficult to find my focus, space, and creative energy to get started on the painting. At last, it is complete and I am so grateful for my journey with it.

“Mallow” (2015) by Sherri Huang

Oil on canvas. 11x14 inches. Not for sale.

The hibiscus is easily my favorite tropical flower. My first time admiring the whimsical beauty of the hibiscus was when I sketched one for my cousin Connie, who is highly fond of Japanese culture. In Japanese, this flower means “gentle” and is often given in honor of visitors. I titled this painting after the flower’s large plant family Malvaceae, or the mallows, which actually happened to be a perfect compromise with my goofy desire to name it “Marshmallow” — you know, because white and fluffy.

This painting is the fruit of my labor during a summer I spent back home in Chicago, visiting with my family. At the time, I was resting and doing my best to restore my balance and creative energy after resigning from working at private speech therapy clinics and schools. I ended up leaving home again after two months and transitioned to working as a traveling medical speech pathologist.

“Hope” (2015) by Sherri Huang

Oil on canvas. 16x20 inches. Not for sale.

In November 2014, I set foot in the state of California for the first time ever and spent a week with my boyfriend at the time, visiting San Diego and his old stomping grounds in Ocean Beach. One afternoon, we went jogging together on this secluded beach at the bottom of some steep cliffs. We caught some breathtaking views of the sunset over the Pacific Ocean horizon. I based this painting off one of my photos from that day and it was by far my most relaxing and effortless painting to create. To me, this mirrored sunset seascape is romantic, calming, hopeful.

“Mountainside” (2014) by Sherri Huang

Oil on canvas. 12x16 inches. Not for sale.

This one is my first palette knife painting — so much fun to create. During my early 20s while living and studying in western Massachusetts, I often took scenic road trips with my friends through the region. We visited Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire several times together to celebrate Independence Day weekend or get together for long weekends in autumn. Being a non-native to New England, I was a shutterbug with my camera, of course, whenever the fall season rolled in with its vibrant foliage. This view is from the Kancamagus Scenic Highway. I miss adventuring with my friends. I’ve been traveling across the U.S. on my own and it’s definitely difficult to maintain close and consistent friendships. I’m thoroughly grateful for all the pick-up-where-we-left-off friends I’ve made at different phases of my life.

“Vermont Getaway” (2014) by Sherri Huang

Oil on canvas. 12x16 inches. Not for sale.

I was born and raised in the impressively flat Midwestern U.S. and, even though I spent much of my young adulthood in New England, I still find mountains surreal. There’s something daunting yet majestic about them. In late September/early October of 2012, I was fortunate to attend a weekend retreat at a beautiful rustic cabin in Vermont, surrounded by the Green Mountains.

A friend of mine secretly coordinated the meetup with a group of us via email as a birthday surprise for his now-wife, who was in my grad school program with me in Massachusetts. This painting is based off a photo I had taken that weekend on a morning walk around the lake. It reminds me of my very first drive up some steep, winding mountain roads.

“Aurora” (2014) by Sherri Huang

Oil on canvas. 16x20 inches. Not for sale.

I am that person who is often looking up at the sky and searching for the stars and the Moon. These are things that make my heart happy. I love a good quiet camping trip, a peaceful hike through nature, and getting to see a star-speckled night sky, shooting stars, and supermoons during my travels across the U.S. The views I’ve caught in the middle of Colorado and Kansas are probably the most unexpectedly amazing so far.

I feel humbled by how the starry night sky can serve as a beautiful reminder of how vast our universe is yet how connected we all really are to one another. I have yet to experience the mysterious and mesmerizing Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) in person and I dream of someday visiting Alaska, Iceland, and Norway just to find them.

“Mystic” (2014) by Sherri Huang

Oil on canvas. 12x16 inches. Not for sale.

I have admired water lilies and lotus flowers since I was a young girl. They emerge beautifully from the muddiest of surroundings, serving as inspiration to be persistent through the tough times in life.

Water lilies have a rich history in China, one of their original places in the world. My parents immigrated to the U.S. from the Guangdong province of southeastern China, and so I grew up learning and enjoying the culture, the languages, and, of course, the delicious Cantonese food for which the region is known. In Chinese culture, water lilies represent unity, a hundred years of love, as well as purity of heart and mind. They are often depicted with my godmother from childhood, Guan Yin, known as the Buddhist Goddess of Compassion.

Around the time when I started working on this piece, a very special person entered my life and “mystical” would be a fitting word to describe our meeting and connection. He used to tease me about my first few layers of this painting in progress and I have fond memories of our conversations while painting next to each other back then. Purple is also a mystical color to me, representing healing and our inner spirit.