A quick look at the front windows
Corner Gallery Ukiah
William Shi
William Shi, will host a one-man public-art-in-action project at the gallery, creating a large-scale painting featuring one thousand chickens. The painting will be 18 feet wide and 9 feet high, so it’s certain to attract more than a little attention as it progresses. William explains, “This visual representation will hopefully serve as a call to action, urging people to reexamine our agricultural systems and advocate for sustainable farming practices. I hope people will see me working and think about the issue in a way they haven’t before.” William is inspired to create art as for call for awareness of plight the chicken as the bird flu purged thousands of chickens across the world.
William a Chinese- American young artist painting in the traditional Asia styles. William plans to paint during the entire First Friday, and then on as many days as he can take time away from his studies and other projects to come into the gallery.
Growing up in China, I began my artistic journey when I was a 4-year-old boy and had my personal artwork displayed when I was 7. Just about when I turned 10, I was officially introduced to Chinese Painting. Right away, I developed a strong affection for the feeling of sweeping my brush saturated with the essence of ink across the silken rice paper, where each brushstroke became a celestial dance. In recent years, I have delved into other art genres such as oil painting, pencil/charcoal sketch, color pencil, pastels, western watercolor, and digital art.
I have been obsessed with observing animals since I was a child. I keep many pets with my favorite being the chickens, for I have kept many for almost 4 years and have paid attention to their very movements the whole time. Needless to say, they are the primary inspiration for my Chinese Paintings. My affection towards animals, combined with my passion for art, created me, a young artist who observes and paints.