Yunkai Shi
Featured Fine Art Works
Summer at Circle Square
Oil Painting on Canvas
24" by 24"
This piece, an oil painting on canvas, captures a nostalgic moment at Circle Square Ranch. Inspired by the warmth and connection found between myself and the children, this work explores the bond between people, animals, and nature. Through gentle brushwork and soft colours, it conveys a sense of tranquility and companionship, highlighting the subtle details in expressions and the surrounding landscape that make this memory timeless.
The Eternal City
Oil Painting on Canvas
24" by 36"
This piece, inspired by my playthrough of Elden Ring, is an oil painting on canvas. Inspired by famous landscape painters Albert Bierstadt, Claude Monet, and Xiaochen Feng, this piece attempts to recreate the wonder and awe one experiences when first encountering Elden Ring's magical landscapes through subtle shifts in value and an exploration of the way light interacts with various landscape elements, such as prominently portraying an aurora's light backlighting the midground and foreground.
Tranquil Afternoon
Oil Painting on Canvas
24" by 36"
As an insightful and creative thinker, I consider myself skilled in quiet introspection, which helps me sees the essence and the core of the surroundings in unconventional ways. Travelling to different places allows me to find new perspectives in inspiring and comforting the people around through my observational painting.
Embracing Pain
Oil Painting on Canvas
24" by 36"
This piece explores my journey of self-discovery through Muay Thai, capturing the intense focus, physical power, and resilience developed in each session. Inspired by the search for new challenges, it conveys the feeling of determination that comes from breaking personal barriers and embracing a new, demanding discipline. Through bold colours and dynamic angles, this artwork illustrates the mental clarity and physical strength gained from martial arts training, offering a glimpse into the meditative rhythm of practice and self-improvement.
Peaceful Life (revised)
Digital Painting
This 100th Year Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Gold Key winning piece, originally crafted in 2022 following the pandemic, captures the longing for a life filled with calm and connection. The soft lights and calm atmosphere evoke a sense of quiet serenity, in hope for a peaceful world in light of the years spent in isolation. This revised artwork attempts to recapture both the solitude felt during the lockdown and a hopeful gaze toward a future filled with peace, companionship, and new possibilities.
Moonlit Blossoms
Oil Painting on Canvas
18" x 24"
This piece, inspired by the serene mystery of moonlit gardens, is an oil painting on canvas. Influenced by the dramatic lighting techniques of Albert Bierstadt and the atmospheric depth found in the works of Claude Lorrain, this painting explores the interplay of light and shadow to evoke a sense of wonder. Through subtle gradations of color and contrast, the composition emphasizes the surreal glow of oversized blossoms against a darkened house, aiming to capture the enchantment of a nighttime scene where nature feels both intimate and otherworldly.
The Tragedies
Marker on transparency, masonite board, and wood dowel
12" x 36"
This piece—created using a cardboard background, wooden pegs, and oil marker, sandpaper, and sharper on acrylic sheets—is an ode to five prominent Greek tragedies. Inspired by Pablo Picasso and Judy Chicago's exploration of depth through different mediums, this piece uses the layering effect of the transparent acrylic sheets to emphasize the martyrization of these figures. Icarus, Prometheus, Sisyphus, and Atlas are displayed at the forefront while shadowed by Persephone's pomegranate tree.
Strings of Thought
Clay Figure, Plaster Casting Hands
This piece features a clay figure in thought with two plaster hands suspended above. The hands are posed like those of a puppeteer, implying the presence of strings controlling the figure. Inspired by various philosophical doctrines such as Brahmanism, the composition challenges the audience to question whether our thoughts are truly our own or rather influenced by external factors.
My Sports Life
Pencil on Paper
18" by 24"
This piece uses graphite pencil on paper.
I choose sports and hobbies for their relative safety: swimming and badminton, reading and drawing. But Covid gutted my competitive edge and led me to quit. Without any replacement, I quickly became restless, and that restlessness creeped into my creative outlets: I’d get frustrated too quickly. I needed something different. I hesitated when a local gym recommended Muay Thai as a recreational sport. It is, after all, one of the most dangerous martial arts. But I was no longer the child I'd been, clutching the handrails at the park. I was desperate to break out of old cycles. Now, all of these athletic activities provide the joy of being in competition with myself, of being in the moment, and of feeling my own body thrive.es
People Watching
Ink on Paper
8.5" by 11"
This piece immerses the viewer in a room filled with watchful eyes, each corner adorned with symbols of observation and introspection. The figures, faceless and absorbed in various activities, seem oblivious to the silent audience of eyes surrounding them. The textured lines and intricate details convey a sense of both familiarity and unease, as if the room itself is alive, witnessing each moment in silence. Inspired by themes of privacy, surveillance, and self-reflection, this work invites us to consider who, or what, is truly observing whom.
