I believe that the right painting in the right place can turn your day around for the better. In my art I like to romanticize ordinary places and things. I have an ability to see the beauty all around me-even filling up at the gas station, loading my car in the Walmart parking lot, or making breakfast. I try to focus on the joyful and beautiful moments in everyday life. With my art, I help others slow down and remember the good things they have right now in this moment. I paint usually with oil, and occasionally acrylic.
My paintings are energetic abstractions with a concentration on movement and color themes. Making them is what I would think playing jazz would be like or dancing with color.
My Latin American origins heavily influence my work. I pay homage in all my paintings to the diversity of the women in the world, including indigenous people, artists, and the everyday fighter. My work is colorful and often includes hidden words, messages, and poems I wrote to give each piece a unique feel and a deeper meaning. My goal is that every piece brings color and history to their future forever home.
Love of art has always been a major part of my life. Growing up in a remote area in Lebanon, I spent my childhood on hillsides entertaining myself by using natural environment to make art, creating miniature villages using twigs, mud, pebbles, seashells and other flotsam. Bullet casings and exploded shrapnel afforded excellent miniature construction material. I started my career as a molecular biologist, but I never gave up art, filling up any free time creating something. After taking my first class in ceramics 10+ years ago, I fell in love and decided to give it 100% of my attention. Turning mud into a mug involves physics, chemistry, and cognitive constructional abilities, yet is ultimately controlled by the unpredictable whims of the kiln gods, … and playing with clay is cheaper than psychotherapy. I replaced scientific experimentation with experimentation with clay. I am constantly trying new techniques, materials, and glazes, giving rise to my eclectic style. There will always be something new and different in my collection. You can view current works by following me on Instagram or my website.
Jeff’s funny Instagram stories came on my radar long before he came to 1st Saturday in 2023. Jeff has turned his obsession with “doodling” into an artform and that in itself makes a great story. Sit back for the rest, Jeff has a fascinating and inspiring backstory!
One could call Jeff Lung’s art figurative abstract art but he often just calls it “doodle art.” “I love to doodle! So I’ve made it my thing!” ~ Jeff Lung
I am a self-taught artist interested in figurative abstract expression and obsessive doodling. All my life I have been obsessed with filling empty spaces with shapes, and my doodle-scribbled notebooks collected over the years document this quest. I find great satisfaction in finding relationships among forms and expressing them through emotion. In my free time, I enjoys being outdoors: running, hiking and cycling. I also love comic books and live stand-up comedy. Born and raised in Quincy, Illinois, since leaving home at 18 years old I have lived in big cities like Madrid, Beijing, Los Angeles and Chicago. Now I’m a Texan. Texan for life.
How did your art journey begin?
Initially it was a coping mechanism for dealing with the chaos of my early childhood. I found that drawing and doodling helped me escape from the drama that was otherwise holding me down.
What are you doing with your art right now?
I continue to experiment by combining my deep interest in traditional portraiture and figure drawing alongside my incessant need to be doodling all the time. In doing so, I also explore themes that are at the forefront of my mind: dynamic movement, faith, love, hope, peace, calm.
Do you have big plans/goals for the future?
Heck yes! I plan to see the world through my art and subsequent messaging. I’ve overcome a lot of adversity in my life and I want to share that triumph while also helping others get through trials of their own.
What guidance would you offer to a budding or novice artist?
Ask questions, of course, but realize too that we are all an experiment of one. What works for one person may not work for you. I ask a lot of questions and pick a lot of brains and then filter that through my own journey and experience to get the most out of it.
If you didn’t work in your medium, what would you choose?
Probably something similar like gouache.
Tell us a surprising thing or story about yourself!
I have a lot of interesting life experiences. I speak fluent Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. I lived in China for four years. I also did some dumb stuff and got arrested and sent to prison at 24 years old for selling Ecstasy. I served 26 months in prison and while incarcerated started my first successful entrepreneurial endeavor by drawing portraits for my fellow inmates in graphite. I became known as the portrait guy in the joint and made a good living (for being locked up that is). I got out in 2007 and never went back to my stupid days.
I was also a competitive boxer with 13 fights, winning the 2015 Chicago Golden Gloves in the Masters Division lightweight class. I have run hundreds of races: half marathons, marathons, ultramarathons. My crowning achievements are a 3:03 PR in the 2012 Chicago Marathon. I ran the Boston Marathon twice (2013, 2014). I also ran the coveted and highly selective Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run in 2017. While I still do run often, I also enjoy riding my bike for short and long distances.
Jeff Lung at another finish line!
Jeff Lung Completes the 100 Mile Endurance Run
Jeff Lung wins the Chicago Golden Gloves Championship of 2015
First Saturday Corner
Has attending 1stSatArtMarket changed you and/or your art? It has changed me in a positive way in that I know more artists and more collectors than I did before!
What one take away would you like the public to know about 1stSatArtMarket? It’s a great place to come and see what is going on in the grassroots art community. These are people who are passionate about making and sharing their creations. It’s a place to have discussions and interactions.
Najia Omer’s mixed media paintings draw profound inspiration from her cultural roots, having grown up in Pakistan. Infusing her canvases with gold-thread stitching, she intricately portrays women as origami birds in her artwork. These visual narratives become a reflection of aspirations and the pursuit of dreams, creating a unique tapestry that beautifully weaves together culture and personal journey.
Miriam Lim O’Brien, the owner and creator of Papermolas, draws inspiration from molas, a traditional textile art form of the Guna Indians in Panama and Colombia. Her designs reflect the vibrant patterns and colors of typical molas, combining traditional looks with modern geometric graphics. Initially creating physical paper art, Miriam transitioned to a sustainable digital medium due to time constraints and market demand. She now prints her designs, including greeting cards and coasters, in her home office using professional equipment. All products Miriam presents are her original designs, celebrating the fusion of tradition and modernity in her artwork.
Svetlana primarily focuses on mixed media 2D, specifically texture art featuring gold and silver leaf. She creates paintings with acrylic, oil, or ink overlaid on textures crafted with various types of modeling pastes. Svetlana incorporates silver and gold leaf into her artworks. In addition, she engages in oil and acrylic paintings, as well as drawings in various media.
Penny’s endless fascination with gemstones has inspired her to incorporate these artworks from Mother Nature into her own art. She loves experimenting and combining metal and stone in novel and unexpected ways to create one-of-a-kind, rustic pieces that have that special soulful feel that only handmade treasures can provide. Penny infuses a bit of her heart and soul into each piece in the hopes that her clients will sense the love that goes into each one and find a connection with the pieces that called to them.
“I strive to create jewelry that brings to its wearers confidence, joy, and the courage to embrace authenticity, and to share their uniqueness with the world.”
My name is Karina “Aimee” Kudla. Ceramics has been in my heart since I started taking hand building ceramic classes at a community learning center in 2016. I love designing, creating and making things with my own hands. Most of my pieces reflect my admiration for nature. Among my different collections, I design mountains, draw and carve birds, flowers and fruits. Adding details and using different techniques of finishing my design thrills me because I know it’s something unique! Ceramics is always with me and it represents not only how I see things, but who I am.
I have a ceramic studio located in Old Katy, TX, where I teach pottery classes and make handmade ceramic pieces for sale. I attend local art and craft markets and have presence on social media. My passion for ceramics is carried in everything that I do. I knew ceramics was the path that I would take to fulfill my needs in art and the relationship with future customers and students.
I work mostly with mid fire white, red and sometimes black clays. I like trying different types and colors of glazes, however, I strive to form a uniform and consistent finish. I plan colors that would work well together taking in consideration how they work on the specific clay undertone.