Medium of Choice: Oil
“I first tried out Trekell when they first were gracious enough to help sponsor the workshop I was teaching with Sentient Academy.
Upon picking up and trying out their brushes I never looked back. I have been switching between different brush types throughout my painting journey and Trekell’s Opal and Legion (my go to brush types) offer the perfect handling and flexibility in its performance.
I am at full confidence when I have their brushes in my hand before the start of a new painting and since starting to use them exclusively, it truly enhanced the efficiency of my artistic process.
Their panels are also magic, I’ve yet to come across a linen that could match the high quality buttery smoothness I felt when I used their Oil primed Linen on ACM. I am very excited and beyond honored to join them on their journey as a part of their Pro Team."
Kai Lun Qu b.1995 immigrated with his parents from China shortly after he was born and grew up in San Francisco, California.
Being raised in an artistic family, he ventured back to China after graduating junior high and was then placed in the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts High School in Beijing; being taught the19th Century Russian Academic methods in drawing.
Kai traveled back to the US to finish high school and it was there through being exposed to galleries and museums that he started gaining inspirations from artists such as John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn, Cecilia Beaux, and the contemporary living master Richard Schmid. Kai then began to seek tutelage from renown painter Vincent Desiderio and Steven Assael at the New York Academy of Arts.
He has also studied with Daniel Keys and Timothy Rees at the Scottsdale Artist School as well as ventured to the Village Arts of Putney's Studio Barn; home to Richard Schmid's renown Putney Painters to study with Michelle Dunaway. He graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Arts.
Kai is the Director and Founder of CalColor Atelier in Cupertino, an atelier studio program he created in order to provide affordable classical realism training to students of all ages and backgrounds.
He is a recipient of the Certificate of Excellence for his painting Ashton in the 20th Annual International Portrait Society of America Competition. Kai has had his work exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the US. His work has also been included and published by Poets Artist Magazine and Plein Air Magazine.
In 2018, Kai was featured in Southwest Art Magazine's 21 under 31 Article, where he was one of 21 artists under the age of 31 being celebrated as rising art stars from across the West and around the country.
On top of teaching his students at the Atelier, he has held many demos and taught workshops, some including but not limited to, the Pacific Art League, Boston Academy of Realist Art, Fine Arts League of Cupertino, Sunnyvale Art Club and most recently contributing as a mentor for Sentient Academy
Artist Links: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Website
KAI LUN'S PICKS:
- Trekell’s Opal Long Flat Series
- Trekell’s Legion Long Flat Series
- Oil Primed Linen Panel - 1/8“ ACM
- Gamblin Paints
