Kyle Ma had his first gallery show, and a solo exhibition to boot, when he was 16. Although he probably could’ve have started painting full time then, he went to college where he studied geology and continued to paint. Now 25, Ma has achieved a level of success that most artists of any age dream about. He teaches workshops around the country, and on occasion internationally, and takes advantage of the travel to paint.
St. Michael’s Church, oil, 12 x 9"
Most of Ma’s work originates as a plein air oil sketch that is either touched up in the studio or, more often, used as reference material in the same way other artists use photos.
“Generally when I’m looking at a photograph, it’s not the same as being able to work from life,” he says. “A plein air sketch allows me to capture the color, sense of light and atmosphere, and general feel of the region. I’ll look at my sketches and use some imagination to put together the larger pieces that I create in the studio.”
Always honing one’s observational skills is key to Ma’s practice, and for this reason, he says, he feels his work is less impressionistic than it once was. “I’m not intentionally tightening up,” he says. “It’s more because of this mindset shift where I’m learning to observe more closely and noticing subtleties in nature that I can’t replicate if something is done super quick and loosely.”
Afternoon Ride, oil, 24 x 24"
He also says he thinks a lot more about composition now and taking more artistic liberties with his subjects, whereas he was more literal when starting out.
For his upcoming show at Meyer Vogl Gallery, Ma will be showing work gleaned from painting in plein air in Charleston, South Carolina, and along the gulf coast in Florida, Alabama and Texas.
Morning Light at the Harbor, oil, 20 x 24"
Afternoon Ride, one of the larger works in the show that he created in studio, is a scene from Charleston. Ma was painting the palm trees that line the streets of the historic city when he was captivated by the horse-driven carriages riding by, the color harmony and light. St. Michael’s Church offers another iconic Charleston scene that he painted on the spot and touched up in the studio. The Florida nocturne End of Day is part of a mini-series of paintings of shrimp boats in different light. “They’re so complex with all the rigging and make for some really beautiful designs,” Ma says. “I got to that harbor when it was almost nighttime and some lights were turning on. This one captures that general feeling.” Another example, Morning Light at the Harbor, was sketched in Bayou Lebatre, Alabama. Ma was inspired by the textural richness of the scene, from the rustic boat to the soft trees, reeds in the foreground and reflections on the water.
End of Day, oil, 16 x 16"
“To me it’s about noticing things that are beautiful that normally people miss and putting the things I find beautiful in the world in my own work,” says Ma. “As a society we are told certain things are beautiful and certain things are not. Sunsets are beautiful. Seascapes are beautiful. But a random alleyway in a city is not. In anything, it could be the feeling of light, the different textures that are happening, things like that that I would notice and appreciate. I think it’s my job as a painter to, whenever I find something beautiful, share it.”
Ma’s show opens with a reception on April 4 from 5 to 8 p.m. and remains on view at the Charleston gallery through April 25. —
Meyer Vogl Gallery 122 Meeting Street Charleston, SC 29401 • (843) 805-7144 www.meyervogl.com
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