Toronto (October 2016) – I had the pleasure of meeting Allen Deng, an up-and-coming Pop Art artist while walking along the shores of Lake Ontario. My curiosity and general appreciation for art caused me to stop and admire the ‘chef-d’oeuvre’ in the making. Allen was busy creating a beautiful pastel while his aunt and art student, Qin, was using water colours. Both interpretations were equally as impressive as the idyllic waterfront scene came to life on each of their canvasses.
I was kindly invited to join my new friends on the artist’s bench so generously provided by nature. Sitting between these two talented artists and watching them create, I felt quite inspired and motivated to forge ahead with my own creative pursuit – photography and my travel blog (and my latest personal challenge, adding to my very limited Mandarin vocabulary).
Our conversation flowed easily as we laughed and shared stories, and then it happened: we made an instant ‘WeChat’ connection (the number one social media platform in China). How awesome! At that moment, we were speaking the same lingo. As it happens, my recent trip to China had me joining the millions of Chinese users who stay connected via this very popular phone app. By far, it was the most convenient way for me to communicate with those I needed to stay in touch with, and now here I am back in Canada still connecting (and keeping a bit of China close to me).
Allen is a friendly, good-natured person who through the study of art has honed his artistic skills while developing is own unique style. He is approachable and willing to share his knowledge and passion with you. He offers workshops at his studio to “help you find inspiration from life”, as his motto says.
I was impressed by his waterscape painting, and I look forward to seeing his other works.
So if you’re looking for some artistic inspiration, and are interested in viewing Allen’s collection of Pop Art, you are invited to pop in to his gallery. See information below:
Traveller's Lingo 