By Selina Mao
Without the single entities that combine to create a powerful whole, the aquamarine seas, the cotton filled sky or the cities that sparkle like a million stars at night, would simply be a monochrome tapestry without heart. So, we may ask, who are these entities? And what do they do? Plausible answer: No one, and everyone. A person can have many passion and talents, whether they are a traveller, an artist, a twin, a teacher or simply just an individual who wishes to add colour to the world around them.
Justine Cheung, a Collingwood art teacher, is all of these things. She was born in Hong Kong and later moved to Vancouver in her childhood. Since her family traveled a lot, she was exposed to many “different cultures, architecture, and landscapes” which have significantly influenced her art. Later, Justine studied and worked in Japan, gaining inspiration from “the bright colours and bold designs of their culture”.
To Justine, art is the way by which she communicates with others; she believes it “is a way to express yourself and to convey a message to the audience”. In her process of creating art, she always holds an intent in her heart, whether it be to make a special implication or simply “to experiment and play”. She believes that ‘play’ is a vital process of making art. In addition to her fervour for art, Justine Cheung also enjoys hobbies such as travelling, baking and learning new languages.
“It’s the practice that makes an artist” she contends, a piece of valuable advice to all other art lovers. Justine asserts that art does not have to be complete or meet an “aesthetically pleasing enough standard” to be appreciated. She believes that an artist should always be open to spontaneous inspiration every day.
Justine Cheung is also a very well rounded individual, having a plethora of expertise in many aspects of her craft. When inquired about which genres of artistic skills she possesses, Justine’s reply included painting, drawing, ceramics, printmaking, and sculpture, with the first mentioned two being her favourites. Justine reveals that she has loved art for a long time, starting from when she was introduced to the trade when she was a kid who particularly enjoyed arts and crafts. Later, to further her passion, Justine took art classes in high school and went on to “majoring in visual art for university”.
Without the single entities that combine to create a powerful whole, the aquamarine seas, the cotton filled sky or the cities that sparkle like a million stars at night, would simply be a monochrome tapestry without heart. So, we may ask, who are these entities? And what do they do? Plausible answer: No one, and everyone. A person can have many passion and talents, whether they are a traveller, an artist, a twin, a teacher or simply just an individual who wishes to add colour to the world around them.
Justine Cheung, a Collingwood art teacher, is all of these things. She was born in Hong Kong and later moved to Vancouver in her childhood. Since her family traveled a lot, she was exposed to many “different cultures, architecture, and landscapes” which have significantly influenced her art. Later, Justine studied and worked in Japan, gaining inspiration from “the bright colours and bold designs of their culture”.
To Justine, art is the way by which she communicates with others; she believes it “is a way to express yourself and to convey a message to the audience”. In her process of creating art, she always holds an intent in her heart, whether it be to make a special implication or simply “to experiment and play”. She believes that ‘play’ is a vital process of making art. In addition to her fervour for art, Justine Cheung also enjoys hobbies such as travelling, baking and learning new languages.
“It’s the practice that makes an artist” she contends, a piece of valuable advice to all other art lovers. Justine asserts that art does not have to be complete or meet an “aesthetically pleasing enough standard” to be appreciated. She believes that an artist should always be open to spontaneous inspiration every day.
Justine Cheung is also a very well rounded individual, having a plethora of expertise in many aspects of her craft. When inquired about which genres of artistic skills she possesses, Justine’s reply included painting, drawing, ceramics, printmaking, and sculpture, with the first mentioned two being her favourites. Justine reveals that she has loved art for a long time, starting from when she was introduced to the trade when she was a kid who particularly enjoyed arts and crafts. Later, to further her passion, Justine took art classes in high school and went on to “majoring in visual art for university”.
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“It makes fun of the banal and allows opportunities to be “artistic” in any way from the every day,” Justine explains, stating that the two styles she relates to most are Pop Art and Dadaism. She also states that she is not particularly partial towards a specific medium of art, retaining a love for mixed media.
To pursue her extensive interest in the many domains of visual art, Justine has pursued her talent by teaching art, by taking professional developmental workshops – she is currently taking a class on encaustic painting—and by creating Yactac. The Young Asian Canadian Twin Artist Collective is a “collective […] started by me, my twin sister, and another set of twins who graduated from Emily Carr”. She initiated the organization to ensure the parallelism of her art career and teaching career. Their first show was held in 2010 and ever since then, they “have curated, participated, and organized art events and openings around Vancouver”.
In addition to her Yactac collective achievements, Justine shares that the group has also operated a gallery called Yactac Gallery and an “artist and residence program” for a quantity of years. To marry her ardor for art and teaching, Justine became an art teacher at Collingwood. “The students whom I teach influence and inspire me every day”. She explains that it was her dream job due to its unrestrictive exercise of creativity. “I enjoy working alongside talented students who give me a new perspective on ways of seeing.” In this way, Justine is able to maintain continuous contact with art material, teaching and learning at the same time.
To pursue her extensive interest in the many domains of visual art, Justine has pursued her talent by teaching art, by taking professional developmental workshops – she is currently taking a class on encaustic painting—and by creating Yactac. The Young Asian Canadian Twin Artist Collective is a “collective […] started by me, my twin sister, and another set of twins who graduated from Emily Carr”. She initiated the organization to ensure the parallelism of her art career and teaching career. Their first show was held in 2010 and ever since then, they “have curated, participated, and organized art events and openings around Vancouver”.
In addition to her Yactac collective achievements, Justine shares that the group has also operated a gallery called Yactac Gallery and an “artist and residence program” for a quantity of years. To marry her ardor for art and teaching, Justine became an art teacher at Collingwood. “The students whom I teach influence and inspire me every day”. She explains that it was her dream job due to its unrestrictive exercise of creativity. “I enjoy working alongside talented students who give me a new perspective on ways of seeing.” In this way, Justine is able to maintain continuous contact with art material, teaching and learning at the same time.
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