PBR: You mentioned briefly as to experiencing Maurice Utrillo’s work as being inspirational.  Who are some of the other artists do you enjoy the most?

QW:  Van Gogh.

PBR: I was very impressed with your art, especially the choice of color and geometric shapes.    What are some of your thoughts freedom and Nature, which you claim are rooted in your work?

QW:  I mean to express the real freedom, the freedom from heart.  America is one of the freest countries in the world.  But not long after I came into America, I found that Americans are not really free.  It seems everybody was controlled by an unseen hand —money.  Most of the people live in a pattern that others give them; a lot of people have to do something they don’t like to do, say something (or most of the time, they say nothing) they don’t like, because they need to keep their job to pay the mortgage. They don’t have real thought, they even have no time for thought, they’re just working.  They laugh, just to relax, but they do not have the real freedom.

PBR: Having immigrated to the United States, and not having English as your native language, your art seems to overcome the obstacle of cultural differences. How do you see your culture represented in your paintings?

QW:  I didn’t try to represent the Asian cultural, but it is in my blood.  My ceramic teacher, Kent used to say this.  My culture just flows out.  You can see some influence of Daoism in my paintings.

PBR:  If you were commissioned to do a large outdoor billboard along the freeway in Los Angeles, which painting would you display or would you make a new one, and if so, how would you do it?

QW:   I may make a new one.  I don’t know how it will be yet. I need a long time to think about how to do it, before I paint something.

PBR:  Aside from paintings, do you work in any other medium?

QW:   I did some ceramics when I went to West Los Angeles College.

PBR: It is truly a privilege and honor to have this chance to talk with you about your work.  Thank you so much for taking your time to share with us your thoughts.

QW:  Thank you, Gary.