Calvin Lai is one of those versatile artists who seamlessly moves between figurative works, natural and urban landscapes, still lifes and portraiture with equal skill. For Lai, the subject does not make much of a difference. Every painting is an opportunity to have a visceral impact on the viewer and further hone his ability to strip a scene down to its bare essentials.

For an upcoming show at Abend Gallery titled Finding Shelter,Lai has turned his focus to cityscapes which, if there is a slight difference between the genres in his repertoire, most challenge the artist to eliminate superfluous visual information while still maintaining a sense of realism.

Young and Adventuress, oil on wood panel, 20 x 24 in. 

“Cityscapes force you to really reduce the detail and to generalize…you have to, otherwise you couldn’t paint it, it would be too overwhelming,” says Lai. “Painting cityscapes give you more of an opportunity to practice that.”

With a background in classical realism, representational art is deeply ingrained in Lai’s practice, but strictly painting in that style began to feel stale to him. However, when he ventured into pure abstraction, he says he felt very unrooted. “I found that combining realism with more expressive, impressionistic ways of painting, creates more of an emotional reaction and connection with the viewer,” he says. It also keeps the process of painting inspiring and enjoyable, a non-negotiable for the artist.

Art Deco Downtown, oil on wood panel, 16 x 16 in.

To achieve the impact he seeks, Lai creates a heightened sense of tension through his use of dramatic lights and darks; bold, dynamic brushwork slathered on with a palette knife, and by refining certain areas of the composition while leaving others loose and abstract.

“There has to be some area of focus in all paintings, and it needs to be rendered a bit clearer than anything else,” explains Lai. “If you develop that focal point, everything else can be left by the wayside, but in order to do that you really have to see the essential elements of the scene. You want to be expressive and create something beautiful, but you also want to be direct. This ability to be able to see the world in its most essential details is one of my ultimate artistic goals.” He’s also striving to pare his technique down to match—for example, instead of needing 10 brushstrokes to capture a scene, doing it in three.

Urban Sidewalk, oil on wood panel, 24 x 24 in. 

In Urban Sidewalk, Lai demarcates windows and doorways, the body lines of cars and faint storefront signage to orient the viewer. “Then they will use their imagination to fill in the information I’m not painting,” continues Lai. “The power of that is it’s much more interactive for the viewer to look at something and start creating or fleshing out the image in their head. I think that type of work is so compelling.”

Living in the Bay Area, Lai is no stranger the urban landscape. Initially, he was attracted to rainy days for the reflected light and the dreamlike atmosphere it can create, magically transforming the dirtiest of streets into something beautiful. But his appreciation for the city has been evolving into a more general quest for beauty. “Trying to find inspiration is like working a muscle, so anytime I’m out I try to find it in the most unexpected of places,” he says. “It is sort of a game for me now, or an adventure to try to find it. City spaces can be very intimidating, so we have to find ways to feel confident in them…being able to find something visually beautiful is my way of doing that.”

After the Rain, oil on wood panel, 16 x 20 in.

For Young and Adventurous, Lai followed a group of people huddled under umbrellas, snapping reference photos from his hip.  “That moment of seeing people trudge through the rain, and the balance of the figures and the reflections off the pavement…I really found it to be very beautiful. It was just one of those perfect moments—a visual gem.”

Finding Shelter, featuring 15 of Lai’s new cityscapes, opens with a reception on August 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. and hangs through September 12. —

Abend Gallery  1261 Delaware Street, Suite 2 • Denver, CO 80204 • (303) 355-0950 • www.abendgallery.com 

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