(Daily News Tribune Monday, July 26, 2004)
By Sasha Brown, Tribune Staff Writer
WALTHAM – After years of painting, local artist Khoi Nguyen’s passion and hard work are starting to pay off.
Three weeks into his showing at the Newton Free Library on Homer Street, Nguyen has already sold 14 paintings.
“Last year, when I showed at the Waltham Library, I only sold one,” said Nguyen, whose work seems to fit perfectly in the sunlit gallery in Newton.
“The variety of paintings is what impressed us so much,” said Newton library public relations and program director Beth Purcell.
The works include many still-lifes depicting simple objects – a glass of water, a handful of stones, some apples – and some abstract work.
“I devote myself to searching for beauty,” said Nguyen in his artist statement.
Each of the 43 paintings hanging in the gallery means something different, but the inspiration behind all of them is spiritual, said Nguyen.
“I focus on the objects around me,” he said.
According to Mai, Nguyen’s wife, her husband paints constantly.
“He is non-stop all the time,” she said with a laugh.
Mai is proud of her husband’s accomplishments in Newton.
“He has always worked for this,” she said. “I am happy for him.
When he starts a work, Nguyen said he never knows how it will turn out in the end.
“When I start to draw, I am not sure of the colors,” he said. “I decide everything by feeling.”
Nguyen studied at Fine Arts University in Saigon, Vietnam, where he graduated in the early 70’s. He moved to the United States in 1988.
One of the paintings hanging in the gallery is divided into two panels. On one side is a marble, like the ones Nguyen said he remembers playing with in Vietnam. On the other side is a man, dressed in traditional Vietnamese clothing, sitting in a boat.
“I wanted to honor my motherland,” said Nguyen. “The past few years I was thinking a lot about my country.”
Until just two years ago, Nguyen worked full time restoring antique furniture and painting in his spare time. But two years ago he decided to devote himself full-time to his passion.
Nguyen has participated in a number of shows in Maryland, Virginia and throughout Massachusetts, but his has been his most successful yet, he said.
“This is definitely one of our best shows this year,” said Purcell. “We are thrilled that his paintings are selling so well.”
For Nguyen, it is validating to be recognized for his passion.
“Painting has come to me like a destiny,” said Nguyen. “I didn’t make a conscious choice. It has become an integral part of my life, it’s my breath.”
Nguyen’s paintings can still be seen through Friday July 29 at the Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St.
