"Roses and Bicycle VII - Ladybug" by Li Hua Mahalik

Mixed Media with acrylic, ink and paper on canvas board, 9x12

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Painting abstract is like plunging into the unknown over and over again until your eyes and heart say that it's time to stop and move on. The quick drying nature of the acrylic allows you to keep the momentum going before that happens. It is truly a wonderful medium to work with. 

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Please email me for any questions, or go to my web site or blog to see other paintings.

 Thank you for visiting! 

"Desert Mountain II" by Li Hua Mahalik

Oil on Canvas, 9x12

It's a small painting but it took me a long time to paint, a case of almost overkill. But I learned a lot from the struggle; one of them is, after we outline the rocks or mountain up close accurately with the dark line, try to work with it and don't paint over it because the looseness and crispness of it will be gone and replacing it is harder than you know what:))

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Please email me if you have questions, or visit my website or blog

to see other paintings. 

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To purchase this painting, please click here.

Thanks for visiting!

"Wild Flowers" by Li Hua Mahalik

Oil on Canvas, 9x12

I painted this from a picture my friend, Gloria Cuadraz, took when she visited Greer, AZ, by the White Mountain last spring. The field of flower extended to as far as the horizon. It must have been awesome to be there, and it made me want to go there sometime.

 Please email me if you have questions or visit my website or blog

to see other paintings. 

To purchase this painting, please click here

Thanks for visiting!

"Red Rock Crossing" by Li Hua Mahalik

Oil on Canvas, 9x12

Desert is pretty. It is nonchalant and carefree.

This is painted from a picture I took at Red Rock Crossing, Sedona.

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 Please email me if you have questions or visit my website or my blog 

to see other paintings. Thanks for visiting!

"Reflection in Red" by Li Hua Mahalik

Mixed Media, 24x24

This is one of the three paintings still in progress. I feel like I need to define the forms, big and small, a little better with lines and saturated colors. But an abstract like this is a work define by when the artist decides it's done. Before then, the image on the canvas can come and go like clouds in the sky. The more you can preserve, the closer you can call it finished. 

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 21 paintings of mine are being shown in the Grinder's Coffee Shop at Central and Dunlap in Phoenix. These are a mixture of traditional and abstract paintings;

 great gifts for any occasions and are priced reasonably.

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So, please come visit and enjoy a great cup of coffee and sandwiches. The show will last till 6/6/12. 

My friends, painters, Gloria Cuadraz, Vanya Allison and Sven Helle will be showing their work separately in July, september and December. I'll keep you posted.

Please also visit my blog and website. Thank you!

"Art of Collage" by Li Mahalik

Mixed Media, 4x6

Mixed Media, 4x6

The Four Artists Art Show we held two weeks ago went exceptionally well. Thanks to all the friends, colleagues, relatives and neighbors who came to support us! Pleas visit my blog to see some photos and words about the show.

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Posted here are two of about 45 collages I made the last two days as holiday and thank you notes. Included in the card is a poem I wrote:

Time flees

Moments remain

In Life

We mingle on 

Bridges of words

Over rivers of gestures

We assign meanings

And the meaning of

Love remains

Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year! May the coming year bring you great, good fortune!

"Edge of Night" by Li H Mahalik

Oil on canvas, 40"x40"

This painting was done pretty spontaneously with a few colors premixed for pouring and brushes for more saturation. 

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Two days before Thanksgiving, I had a chance to give a collage workshop to 26 first graders at the Kiva Elementary School here in Scottsdale. The children were bubbly, energetic, polite and curious. It was such a great joy working with them. They were already very informed about art, taught by their fabulous teacher, Mrs. U. My emphasis in this workshop was to let go, share with your neighbors and have fun playing with the found objects to create something on the canvas board which I prepared for them, and, finally, choose a view (cropping). They came up with amazing works. Their artwork will be shown this weekend together with our Studio Art Show posted on my blog. You're welcome to come and enjoy the art show.

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Please email me if you would like, or visit my website to see more paintings.

"Plum Tree in Bloom" by Li Mahalik

Oil on Canvas, 40"x40"

Plum Blossom is also called Meihua. As I recall, it is the national flower of Taiwan, symbolizing perseverance, hope, beauty and purity. It stands for the principles and values of virtue because it blossoms in the cold winter. Meihua has been one of the favorite subjects for the poets and painters for thousands of years in China. Together with pine tree and bamboo, they were called "Three Friends of Winter".

I painted Plum Blossom a couple of times before never translating it as Meihua! This time I did a little research and realized how dumb I've been.

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You can see my other work on my web site or my blog. Or email me if you have any comments or questions. Thanks!

  

Little Bottle and Garlic- by Li Mahalik

Oil on panel, 9x12

Garlic is an interesting object for studying color's value and temperature, and, for its delicate light, shadow, shade, reflective light, hard and soft edges. It's so perfectly white all around until the spot light gives it its character.

Please email me if you would like to,

Or visit my blog, or my web site to see more of my work.

Thanks for viewing!

"Rebecca" by Li Mahalik

Oil on Linen, 12"x12"

Portrait has never been my favorite subject matter. In open studio it has been a hit or miss for me, mainly because I didn't know certain process that could make it less of a struggle. A few days ago, I learned that, like painting a still life or a landscape, value defines. Shades and shadows sculpt light to make things look 3D on a flat surface. They define the contour of a face as well as a landscape. 

I look forward to doing more portraits in the future. It will be a challenge!

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Thank you for viewing!

For comments or to purchase my art, please email me or go to my web site,

or follow me on my blog.

"Little Brown Vase" by Li Mahalik

Oil on Gessoed Masonite, 11"x14"

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Sometimes, setting up subject matter to paint is more difficult than painting. In the studio, we juggle with the objects and try to come up with a worthy setting to paint. Often times it's a hit and miss. But the spotlight is always a lifesaver. It can suddenly bring the setting to life and create a dramatic effect. The kind of the light gives a particular temperature to the setting, ranging from cool to warm. The table cloth and the material in the background make a big difference, too.

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Six of my small paintings, mostly abstract, have be chosen to the 

West Valley Arts Council Mini Miniatures Show 

located at The Citadelle plaza at 19420 N. 59th Ave. Suite #A104, Glendale, AZ 85308

The exhibition will go from July 8th till August 10th.

 The opening artists reception is on July 8th from 6 to 8 PM.

Please stop by to see my work and many other wonderful artists work.

The artwork will be for sale, too.

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To see more of my paintings, please visit my web site.

If you're interested to write,  my email is here.

"Creamer" by Li Mahalik

Oil on Linen panel, 12"x12"

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Like I did my previous painting, "Mr. Eucalyptus", I painted this in the studio looking out through the arcadia doors to the subjects I set up outside. I didn't need to do much, because in the sunshine everything looks perfect and beautiful! Just make sure we don't paint them from the morning to the afternoon because the shadow will change from one side to the other, seemingly more obvious than landscape in plein air. 

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Thanks for viewing. To see my other paintings

Please visit my blog, my web site, or email me if you care to comment.

"Mr. Eucalyptus" by Li Mahalik

Oil on Linen Canvas, 14x11

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Mr. Eucalyptus is a big tree in my neighbor's back yard. A couple of hawks like to rest high on it's branches in the spring. I wanted to study painting trees and this is the closest I could find. So I did a plein air in my A/Ced studio looking out the arcadia doors of this grand tree. It was very warm at 104 degree  in Scottsdale today!

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Please also visit my blog, or my web site.

My email is here if you have any comments or suggestions.

"White Teapot" by Li Mahalik

Oil on Linen, 12"x12"

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I painted this yesterday. The sunlight gives an amazing beauty to everything out of door. It makes you want to record that beauty.

Thank you for viewing. 

Please also visit my web site and my blog.

Or email me if you have any questions or comments.

"Dorothy's Pot of Flowers" by Li Mahalik

Oil on Panel, 9"x12"

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My 90-year-old neighbor, Dorothy, had this beautiful pot of flowers on her patio, glowing in the morning sun. I borrowed it and carried it home. it was heavy. I put it in front of my studio and painted it as a study. The objective was to show the sun and the shadow, and it turned out to be quite a fun project.

Thanks for viewing! To see my other work, please visit my web site or my blog.

If you're interested in this or other paintings of mine, feel free to email me.

"Desert Blossoms" by Li Mahalik

Oil on Gessoed Masonite, 11x14

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Spring is the most beautiful time in the desert and is always announced by the arrival of the bright, cheerful yellow flowers on the Palo verde, Mesquite and other desert bushes. 

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Thank you for viewing. Please also visit my web site and my blog.

"Yellow Roses In Vase" by Li Mahalik

Oil on Telati Board, 11x14

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There are times when we are stuck in a not-so-good spot to paint a live model, we have to be more inventive and selective to move object(s) around in our mind and then on canvas for better composition. In this painting, I was looking at three objects evenly spaced with no overlapping whatsoever. I elected to paint the vase with roses and a little brown bottle next to it. Bad choice! I forgot about the magic of threesomes (or odd numbers).

So, I took out the little bottles and placed a rose petal, instead. I think it worked better.

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Thanks for viewing! Please also visit my web site

or email me if you have any comments.

"A Land to Love" by Li Mahalik

Oil on Ampersand Gessoed Panel, 18x24

I'm inspired by an excerpt of an article by George Inness about art. I hope you feel the same way. In it it says:

"...Art aims is not to instruct, not to edify, but to awaken an emotion of love, pity, veneration, of hate, of pleasure, of pain, but it must be a single emotion if the work has unity, as every such work should have...."

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Please come visit my new web site here.

Or, visit my blog.

Thank you for visiting!

"Green Bench and Pots" by Li Mahalik

Oil on Linen, 11x14

It's been so pleasant outside lately. My friends and I decided to paint a still life outdoor in my back yard yesterday. From doing this painting, I discovered that in order to show the sunniness, shadows have to be darker and the values needs to be stretched. But I also remember when I painted in the desert in the sun, everything was kind of golden, even shadows were not as dark. Then, we got into the debate about High Key or Low Key. Is this high or low key? I don't know.

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You're welcome to visit my website or my blog.

Or email me if you have any comments or suggestions.

Thank you for visiting!

Girl in Yellow Dress - by Li Mahalik

Oil on Panel, 9x12

About two weeks ago I took a five-day plein air workshop with Kim English, a brilliant painter from Colorado. The workshop was grueling as the models were instructed to change post every 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes. So we painted, wiped off or changed supports quickly, trying to compose, block-in, mixed the right colors and values as best and as fast as we could. Most people got to do a lot in each painting but I could only often come up with just the figures, like the one above, which Kim was very fond of, nevertheless.  It's the most valuable lesson I've learned so far and I've got nothing but admiration and respect for Kim.

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Here's my email address, my web site and my blog

Thank you for visiting!