Scoopin' Pandas

Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the dried film. Oil paints have been used in Europe since the 12th century for simple decoration, but were not widely adopted as an artistic medium until the early 15th century. Common modern applications of oil paint are in finishing and protection of wood in buildings and exposed metal structures such as ships and bridges. Its hard-wearing properties and luminous colors make it desirable for both interior and exterior use on wood and metal. Due to its slow-drying properties, it has recently been used in paint-on-glass animation. Thickness of coat has considerable bearing on time required for drying: thin coats of oil paint dry relatively quickly. Born in Guang Dong, China and raised in New York, Gigi Chen attended the School of Visual Arts in NYC. There, she received her MFA in traditional animation and created award winning animated shorts. Gigi has exhibited in New York at Deitch Projects as part of the ARTSTAR reality based television program. She has also shown at the Queens Museum of Art in New York and the FUEL Collection and the Knapp Gallery in Philadelphia. Gigi currently works and resides in New York. Artist Statement: My paintings are unconventional self portraits that explore my obsessive yet ambivalent feelings towards being an artist. This neurotic duality, coupled with lack of sleep, is personified as characters that are at once sweet, kind and cuddly, then dangerous and shifty. They, along with the human figures, are interchangeably protagonists and victims, winners as well as losers. Collectively, they illustrate the struggle and rewards of the daily artistic practice itself. *Note: Artist's portrait photo by Reid Harris Cooper: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhcooper