For California artist Mian Situ, 2016 and 2017 were banner years. In 2016, he met, courted, and married Gloria. Their romance began on the Internet and Gloria, a resident of the Yunnan Province in China, was a little reticent, when Situ made his first long-distance overture. Situ, who was familiar with the Yunnan Province from many trips he had taken to the province to garner resource material for his art, felt a kinship with her. Eventually, his knowledge of the area, combined with how much they had in common and proof of who he was as an artist won her over. She agreed to meet him in person, when she came to visit her sister in New Jersey—and that was all it took.

A master artist, educated in the Soviet-style realist art, Situ demonstrates his skills to teach new artists technique, artistic strategy, and composition. “I like to pass on my training to young artists to help them become skillful artists,” he says.

Mian Situ (California)

Silence before the Hunt
Oil
40″x32″

“The mountain man’s life was ruled not by the calendar or the clock, but by the climate and seasons. In fall and spring, the men would trap. The spring hunt was usually the most profitable.”

Mian Situ (California)

The Heiress’ Closet
Oil
30″x30″

“This is a bride with her dowry of typical and auspicious gifts, including a sewing basket and a wardrobe cabinet. The kerosene lamp indicates that the scene takes place in the early American West.”