California Impressionist -  Plein-Air Painter

Pang Yen Chou has to be interviewed from the road, because this emerging artist is rarely at home.  Instead, he's usually traversing his adopted state of California, always on the lookout for unusual subjects and moody weather conditions to capture in his plein-air paintings.

Pang Yen Chou was born in Taipei city, Taiwan, where he received his BFA at the National Taiwan College with a focus on Chinese painting. "I had a desire to study abroad," he writes, "because I wanted to grow a broader view as an artist. In 1999, I decided to come to San Francisco to attend graduate school at the Academy of Arts." He was heavily influenced by Professor Hui-Han, Liu, not only by his style and technique, but also by his devotion to his dream in art.

Pang Yen states that changing from a Chinese-style painter to being a Western-style oil painter has been both a turning point and a challenge, even in such small matters as mixing paint. This is a challenge that he has clearly met, given the long list of awards, competitions, and exhibitions to his credit. The artist is a member of the Oil Painters of America, American Plein Air Artists, the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, and the Carmel Art Association. He now resides in San Francisco where he is represented by Masterpiece Gallery and in Santa Fe by the Michael Wigley Galleries.