Mixed Media, LGBTQ-Owned, New to One of a Kind
TshunArt LLC
Whimsical 3‑D faces of charcoal on wood with pencils for hair
Deerfield Beach, Florida
Chinese, born in West Borneo, Indonesia.
Grew up with seven brothers and two sisters in a small house. Downstairs the family manufactured noodles, sold to both restaurants and the public.
The family originally moved to Indonesia from China in the 1930s to try to make a better life. Being immigrants, they were limited to only the ways of the native Indonesians. They were not permitted to study their heritage or speak our Chinese language at all.
Pontianak is a beautiful tropical paradise where the equator passes right through the middle of town. He spent his youth playing in the lush jungles and on the pure white sandy beaches of the Java Sea and the South Pacific. These colors and surroundings would later become the inspiration for his work.
In elementary school one of the weekly lessons was painting. The children were given books with blank paper and the direction to paint whatever they wanted to. Each week they would spend two hours in school or at home painting in their books. The next day, the teacher would collect our “artwork” and grade it.
At home there was a picture book about the circus with colorful images of animals, trainers and circus clowns. He found this fascinating and decided to use it as the subject of his art. He studied the shapes of the faces and proportions of the bodies to use in his sketched and art. He ended up painting a picture of a seal with his trainer balancing a ball on his nose.
He took this to school and the teacher wouldn’t believe that I had painted it himself and insisted that I had someone do it for him! Following that, he painted a picture in school inn front of the instructors to prove that he had done it completely on his own. The teacher and school were impressed insisted it was only for fun and not a marketable talent.
He worked diligently in his father’s business after school. As he got older, his art began to evolve into a pastime of cartoon illustrations. A friend, who had seen the work, wrote a book after graduating school and asked Sip to illustrate the cover for him. He was happy to do it and began to do covers and illustrations for other books as well. An older brother went into the clothing manufacturing business. Fascinated by Sip’s use of color and design, asked if he could use the artwork for the clothing line.
He began to produce designs for clothing and evolved to the point where there were requests for his designs. They sold to stores who would buy 12 dozen at a time, sell them all and come back for more!
He felt happy and honored that his work was liked so much and to think he was only doing it for fun! It was then that he knew that art would remain the great passion of his life.
In 1998 a crisis economy swept through Indonesia creating great unrest. Many of the Chinese people were the target of hatred by the native Indonesians. They were burned out of their businesses and homes. Sip made plans to leave Indonesia to get away from the hatred and physical assaults and was fortunate enough to get out.
He found refuge in the great country of America and now lives in south Florida with my partner after traveling the country for 7 years. It is here that he is able to continue producing his artwork, which continues to evolve.
Sculptures reflect the simple pleasures that life affords, even amid the hustle and bustle of daily routines. He draws his inspiration from the present as well as the past.
The artist reminds us the one constant is time. It is precious and all must live in each moment of it. While we shouldn’t worry about each minute passing, we should be mindful of it and appreciate the whole spectrum of experiences that come with it. Enjoy your journey!
Grew up with seven brothers and two sisters in a small house. Downstairs the family manufactured noodles, sold to both restaurants and the public.
The family originally moved to Indonesia from China in the 1930s to try to make a better life. Being immigrants, they were limited to only the ways of the native Indonesians. They were not permitted to study their heritage or speak our Chinese language at all.
Pontianak is a beautiful tropical paradise where the equator passes right through the middle of town. He spent his youth playing in the lush jungles and on the pure white sandy beaches of the Java Sea and the South Pacific. These colors and surroundings would later become the inspiration for his work.
In elementary school one of the weekly lessons was painting. The children were given books with blank paper and the direction to paint whatever they wanted to. Each week they would spend two hours in school or at home painting in their books. The next day, the teacher would collect our “artwork” and grade it.
At home there was a picture book about the circus with colorful images of animals, trainers and circus clowns. He found this fascinating and decided to use it as the subject of his art. He studied the shapes of the faces and proportions of the bodies to use in his sketched and art. He ended up painting a picture of a seal with his trainer balancing a ball on his nose.
He took this to school and the teacher wouldn’t believe that I had painted it himself and insisted that I had someone do it for him! Following that, he painted a picture in school inn front of the instructors to prove that he had done it completely on his own. The teacher and school were impressed insisted it was only for fun and not a marketable talent.
He worked diligently in his father’s business after school. As he got older, his art began to evolve into a pastime of cartoon illustrations. A friend, who had seen the work, wrote a book after graduating school and asked Sip to illustrate the cover for him. He was happy to do it and began to do covers and illustrations for other books as well. An older brother went into the clothing manufacturing business. Fascinated by Sip’s use of color and design, asked if he could use the artwork for the clothing line.
He began to produce designs for clothing and evolved to the point where there were requests for his designs. They sold to stores who would buy 12 dozen at a time, sell them all and come back for more!
He felt happy and honored that his work was liked so much and to think he was only doing it for fun! It was then that he knew that art would remain the great passion of his life.
In 1998 a crisis economy swept through Indonesia creating great unrest. Many of the Chinese people were the target of hatred by the native Indonesians. They were burned out of their businesses and homes. Sip made plans to leave Indonesia to get away from the hatred and physical assaults and was fortunate enough to get out.
He found refuge in the great country of America and now lives in south Florida with my partner after traveling the country for 7 years. It is here that he is able to continue producing his artwork, which continues to evolve.
Sculptures reflect the simple pleasures that life affords, even amid the hustle and bustle of daily routines. He draws his inspiration from the present as well as the past.
The artist reminds us the one constant is time. It is precious and all must live in each moment of it. While we shouldn’t worry about each minute passing, we should be mindful of it and appreciate the whole spectrum of experiences that come with it. Enjoy your journey!
