Lulu Qu

Asian Gouache, Ink and Traditional Chinese Brushes
Lulu is an artist trained in the traditional Chinese painting style who graduated from the master school at Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2014. She moved from Beijing to New York to obtain her second master’s degree in Illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After spending 4 years’ in New York, she relocated to San Diego in late 2018 to continue her focus on professional illustration and founded her LLC “LULU.LIVE ART” in 2019. She came to the United States to broaden her art skills albeit she still uses traditional Chinese painting materials; such as, ink, gouache, and Chinese brushes while drawing the modern city landscapes, fashion and food... She is passionate about combining traditional Asian art technique with modern Western art techniques together to explore more artistic possibilities. Her clients Include magazines, restaurants, fashion studios and education programs. She participated multiple solo and group exhibitions in New York City and San Diego, and published in different types of magazines. Lulu is also a mural artist and art instructor, she wants to spread her art voice out and influence more people by her artistic skills.

San Diego

Three questions on inspiration with

Lulu Qu

  • Describe an object that has inspired you
    I will say ocean. I grew up in a seaside city in the northeast coast of China and now I live in San Diego, a beautiful seaside city in South California. I love watching waves, and I love drawing them in lines. As you might see in a lot of my artwork, I use a lot of black ink lines to illustrate waves. I enjoy doing that. Sometimes I like to transfer the lines to something else, such as sounds, winds, and connections between two different things.
  • Describe a place that has inspired you
    New York City is the place that has inspired me a lot. I went to NYC for my second Master Degree and lived there for four and half years. There are so many museums and galleries that show us the best arts. The fashion week brings the most trendy style to the city. There are so many stories happening every street, every corner, everywhere around me. I love observing and learning about this city's multi-cultures, the history, the new things, the buildings... Even though I moved out from NYC, but the experience is always there, inspires me and polishes my art style.
  • Describe a person that has inspired you
    It is really difficult to choose one person who has inspired my work, because I admire different styles of artists in different art ages. When I was in college, my favorite artist is Gustav Klimt. While when I was in graduate school, I love Jean-Michel Basquiat. And now, I love Native American and African folk arts from anonymous artists.
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