Check out Liem Duong’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Liem Duong.

Liem, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I came from Vietnam. I had a dream about art since I recognized my art talent at six grades. I have started painting from that. I empowered myself and became one of the most famous arts from Vietnam. I am studying M.F.A. at SCAD Atlanta now. I try my best to blending Vietnamese culture to American culture. I was successful when I have painted about my hometown. People love my paintings, and they buy them. When I was young, I didn’t think I can sell my paintings, but people love them. Why not? and I sold almost ten paintings since I have been to the U.S. I am alone in the U.S. since I started SCAD in 2013. However, I found happiness in my painting here. My hometown is a mountain area. I am Tay people, we speak Tay. My grandfather live on house on stilts. That is a great inspiration that I bring it to people in the U.S. My parents and my older sister’s family are living in Hanoi now.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My culture is very interesting; It is a welcoming and open society. My hometown has nice customs, and many folk festivals take place frequently in Lunar new year – Tet holiday. I am from Hon village; it is the beautiful mountain areas of Bac Kan province in the north of Vietnam. Here, we are called “Nguoi Tay” or the Tay people. The Tay people have a long passion for art such as singing, poetry, and painting. As a Nguoi Tay, I also embraced the beauty in art, especially painting. I have come a long way to reach my dream as a painter, and I am determined to continue my passion as I study M.F.A. at SCAD, the best college of art in the U.S.

Graduating with a M.A. in Painting from SCAD in 2017 was the paramount to my life. From great experiences at SCAD such as studio time, learning new techniques, and exhibits. I studied how to promote and sell art. I have been working hard to practice and create many artworks in America. My work hard definitely paid off because The dog family I sold was worth $3,750 at SCAD Open Studio Night in November 2017. After gaining this recognition, I became more motivated to continue my painting. I am working in the right way. My professors also conveyed theory of art to my creative thought; they consistently pushed me for the better and were great critics. Art critique at SCAD is very important for a professional artist. My friends and I have kept critique once a month after I graduated from SCAD. That helped me to learn English, and flourish in my paintings. Aside from my professors, my father is my biggest inspiration. His name is Duong Thuan, a famous poet, who wrote and researched about our Tay culture. He was famous with many poems for kids and adults such as Riding horse go to hunt and Go to find shadows of mountains… My father’s work was even recognized by America for he was invited twice to the United States of America as the U.S. government’s guest and Fulbright program. My father success inspires me become a better artist.

My studying in the future at SCAD, and learning American culture has been good for me. I am not the same painter I once was and that is because my experiences from Vietnam and the United States have blended with each other in my work. I love my immersion in tradition, family, and country from my childhood, which is present in my paintings in the U.S. today. That is why I continue to be drawn to study M.F.A. at SCAD. My studies at SCAD will improve my future because it will enable me to meet more artists, create more employment opportunities, and learn more about art. My exhibitions at SCAD and other galleries let people know about my paintings, a Vietnamese artist. After I finish M.F.A. at SCAD, I will create more meaningful artwork for my community and teach art for students.

How can artists connect with other artists?
I can teach art for kids. I can connect with other artists by SCAD community. We can create group and critique art. We go to galleries and enjoy art. We can have more opportunities by traveling. We can use social media to connect with artists. Share the art, and be happy.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
People can see my works in Vietnam. People also can see my work at SCAD painting 5C. People also can see my work at my website: Duonggialiem.com. People can support my work by buying some pieces of my work. Or people just love it and enjoy it. That is wonderful. People can see my work at galleries.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://duonggialiem.com
• Phone: 77087637670
• Email: gialiem85@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duong_gia_liem/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DuongGiaLiem
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DuongGiaLiem

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