Chao Ding

January 2021
Artist Interview

Chao Ding

Chao Ding is a Beijing native, and currently lives and works in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. During his childhood he sat beside his father’s easel to watch for leisure. Chao received his B.A. in Fashion Design from Beijing University of Technology in 2012. After four years of study and experience as an intern in the fashion industry, he felt limited to express himself. In 2014, he moved to Buffalo, New York to study drawing and painting at SUNY Buffalo State College, where he found the enthusiasm to return back to the painting medium. After graduating from SUNY, he went to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to pursue an MFA degree in studio art at Louisiana State University.

The Interview
At what point in your life did you know that you wanted to become an artist? Did the realization emerge slowly?
During my childhood I sat beside my father’s easel to watch for leisure, and it became my major entertainment during that period. My undergrad was in fashion design program and after four years of study, I felt limited to express myself. In 2014, I moved to Buffalo, NY to study fine arts where I found the enthusiasm to return back to the painting medium.

How did you evolve your style and favorite mediums?
I started with traditional and representational art style. Along with my studies and references, simplification and constructive interpretation to the nature became part of my focus. I began with monochrome drawings with pencils and charcoals. I then turned to soft pastel for my color studies. Currently I have been enjoying oil for the intense expression in both color and texture.

What are your time management techniques? Do you have regular working hours...or favorite times to work?
I find myself often work at nighttime. The quietness and darkness make me more concentrated. I usually get more energetic and activated mentally at later hours. In general, I don’t have a set schedule. Sometimes I would just sit before my painting without any movements for a long while.

Do you work on more than one piece at a time, or primarily just on one?
Over the years, I came to realize that it is helpful to work on multiple pieces at the same time. Taking breaks from working on one piece for an extended period of time helps me stay objective. It also allows me to reevaluate my progress at different states. I would to pull myself out and back in again several times.

What would you say is your biggest influence--that which keeps you working, regardless of all else, your most steadfast motivation?
Fundamentally, I am motivated by the visual formalities and vibes that I encounter in daily life. Sometimes even a pile of trash would make me take out the sketchbook. I find unusual beauties anywhere and I am driven to preserve those moments and fragments in my “painterly reality”.

Does trying something new and not knowing the rules -- the boundary pushing -- create anxiety or excitement in you? (Or both?)
I have been constantly challenged to “step out of my comfort zone” when I was in school. For me it’s kind of a slow process that cannot be rushed. My breakthroughs didn’t come from whims of any moment, but emerged unexpectedly from accumulation of persistence.

Do you enjoy having the "duality of both chaos and control" or are you happiest with a set plan?
Part of my subject matter is to look for constructive force and beauty in nature and discover internal orders. But sometimes great visual effects come out from unexpected “chaos” that excite me. I would intentionally keep my works open and loose in the process.

Do you have any projects or events forthcoming?
Yes, I have two artist residencies coming in 2021. One at Sarasvati creative space in TN, and the other at Sam and Adele Golden foundation in NY. I will also participate in a group show, Young Painters Competition at Miami University in 2021 and a solo exhibition at Arts Visalia in CA in 2022.