Artist Talk & Demo: Helen Liu

Helen Liu (she/her) will speak about her large new works on paper in Chinese ink and homegrown indigo. She will also talk about the growing and harvesting of Japanese indigo (Persicaria tinctoria) and the pigment extraction process. Attendees will get to enjoy seeds that Liu will share with gardeners interested in growing their own indigo!

FREE & Open to the public with a reserved ticket. This event takes place in The Lab.

Learn more about Infinite Possibilities.

Image: detail of Deconstructed Calligraphy by Helen Liu

Helen Liu Bio:

Helen Liu (she/her) was born in Taiwan and raised on a chicken farm in the southern part of the island. Since leaving the country in the early 70’s with her parents, she lived in Jakarta and Bangkok and eventually came to study at the University of Oregon. After receiving her BFA from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in painting and graphic design, Helen worked in advertising firms in Portland and Eugene. Later, after her daughter was born, she worked from home and began to explore her own art.

Over time, Helen Hui-Ling Liu, the immigrant from Taiwan, became a naturalized citizen of the United States, a world citizen, a gardener, and a strong advocate for composting. She grew increasingly concerned about the state the environment. In 2014 American Luminosity was the first large-scale work using her own household plastic waste and non-recyclable bags from local coSee shops. Several large works followed with the biggest one measuring 40ft x 12ft. Plastic Waste to Art Quilt (2021) was funded in part by the Springfield Arts Commission and displayed at the Academy of Arts and Academics in downtown Springfield during Earth Day week.

Trips to Japan in 2019-2020 opened Helen’s eyes to natural indigo and the long Japanese tradition of working with this blue dye. Beginning in 2021, she started growing Japanese indigo (Persicaria tinctoria), learning how to harvest and extract the pigment. She feels humbled by this magical plant and the ancient peoples around the world who worked with it, weaving and making textiles that survived the millennia. Helen’s art practice was changed by Persicaria tinctoria and the wondrous color that it yields. Today, she continues to grow this beautiful ancient plant, producing a wondrous blue pigment that she uses in her art.