Jin Ming Li

As a little boy, growing up in Hong Kong, then, in Heshan, in Guangdong Province, Jin Ming Lee was already learning about art. His father, a fine art enthusiast, also dabbled in painting, and Jin Ming Lee would paint along with his father when he was still a young boy. When people would ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he would tell them that he wanted to be an artist. Indeed, his talents were already apparent when he was still a schoolboy, and, while in Middle school, his talent was recognized, and he was chosen to attend the Guangzhou Fine Arts Academy. His main teacher, at the time, was Jian Bai Xu (Xu Jian Bai).
However, they say that artists must suffer for their work, and that was to be the fate of Jin Ming Lee. After graduating from the Academy, instead of assigning him to the Ministry of Culture, the government assigned him to work for Chinese Export Commodity Trade Fair organization, which, at the time with the country's emphasis on economic growth, took the better artists for themselves. Some people look at what hand life has dealt them, and say it is not what they wanted. Others make the best of what they have got. Jin Ming Lee falls into the latter category. He is an easy-going guy with an impish sense of humor, so, he decided that he could still have fun with the hand that he got. Instead of feeling forlorn, he used his free time, at night, on weekends, and even during tours of foreign countries with the trade organization, to pursue his true passion: painting scenes of boats and life.
His paintings are always bright, optimistic, and vibrant with color. He uses simple bold brushstrokes, in many parts of his paintings, in a style that simplifies, yet defines. It’s a style that was perfected by Monet, in his paintings, and Jin Ming Lee uses it well, in his. You can see that in the costume of the girl, in “The Shepherd”, or in the water, in “Mediterranean Harbor Scene”, displayed in our gallery. Other times, he abstracts the details, as in the flowers, in “Sunshine Villa”, and in the painting, “Macau Harbor” where the skyline of Macau is ethereal, seen as if through a thick fog, in the background.