Mar 2

Jing Kong

Jing Kong is a painter who tends to paint contemporary portraits and animals. She has been published in ArtWanted Creative Minds Vol. II and has been featured in several online exhibits including a best in show prize at Northern Light Art Gallery.

These fascinating portraits capture complex expressions on the figure’s face, often with the portrayal of light captured in forms of shaped blocks. Their faces are painted delicately with rich warm whites, reds, and naples yellow tones. One painting in particular which grabbed my attention is a painting titled Soft Touch, a painting of a woman conveying a complex pose with her hands as she plays with her pet cat. She is an attractive figure with deep red lipstick, a large smile, and dark, sensual eyes. Just the conveying of her body language with her hands reflects her playful mood and character as she interacts with the feline. The painting reflects the strongest attributes of Jing’s body of work.

How Jing paints clothing and backgrounds are equally fascinating as the portraiture. She often portrays colorful fabrics with loose brushwork with relaxed lines of wedges and shadow. Backgrounds are done with bright colors usually in pastel or neutral tones, either monotone, with a composition of shadow, or with an interior. The paintings are done in gouache which often gives them a vibrant watercolor visual to the pieces.

The psychology of her portraiture conveys different human emotions such as joy, confidence, and relaxation. Her subjects appear to be deep in thought with the delicate application of their light-captured eyes and quivered lips conveying the mood they are in. Portraiture remains an interesting art form, Jing’s work reflects a contemporary nature with bright colored backgrounds and fabrics interacting with watered figures with delicate, almost scratchy blocks of brushstrokes.

You may watch a video on Jing’s instagram page which shows her executing a painting of a tiger. One may see how she comes up with the paintings with such rich luminosity as the paintings are done in very thin layers of gauche, applied like a watercolor rather than an acrylic. How Jing captures light on the figures remains a crucial element as to what separates her from other portrait artists. The light comes off in blocks, often with very bright highlights containing the white of the paper. You could describe the paintings as geometric in a sense as every form as a distinct shape, rather than a gradual integration.

Jing Kong remains an inspiring artist who conveys the psychology of her subject through delicate forms, rays of light, soulful eyes, and quivering lips. Her portraits of animals often contain similar attributes as they often come off as if they have a playful personality. The love of people and animals alike are evident in these delicate works. These paintings come off as deeply inspired, passionate, and fun. These perky and jolly works express the human spirit and conveys the relevance of portraiture in contemporary art.