Welcome to Nan Liu's Website

I began to study Chinese brush painting and calligraphy at a very young age in Tianjin, China. At the age of 16, I was named the winner of the prestigious title, “Young Artist of Tianjin” by the Cultural Committee of Tianjin City. In 1992, I was admitted to the Oriental Art Department of Nan Kai University and majored in Chinese brush painting. Among many teachers, I was most influenced by the renowned contemporary Chinese painter, Fan Zeng, especially by his use of simple and vigorous brush strokes emphasizing dynamic delineation form. In 1996, I continued my graduate study in Art Education at Capital Normal University in Beijing. In 1999, I came to the United Stated and studied Art Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in pursuit of my Master of Arts degree. 

In 2002, I began my pursuit of a dual degree that included both a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and a Ph.D. in art education at Florida State University. As an emerging artist, I has explored various art forms in recent years, including drawing, watercolor, tempera, ink and oil painting. The subjects range in still life, figures, and landscape. My artworks promote natural and simple artistic expression. Nature has consistently served as the main theme in my works in recent years. My art brings cross-cultural perspectives on contemporary America. Recently, I have created a series of life-sized figurative paintings with oil and ink mediums to capture moments of my African American students’ lives on campus. The portrayal of my students provides fresh sensibilities fused with both contemporary and classic influences from East and West.

My artworks have been exhibited across the United States among public institutes, museums, and galleries. Many of my paintings and drawings have been collected by private patrons. Since 2000, I have held 23 solo art exhibitions, and participated in 128 regional, national, and international invitational or juried art exhibitions. In those exhibitions I have won 25 awards. Solo Exhibitions include Mattie Kelly Arts Center (2023), Polk Museum of Art (2022), Todd Art Gallery at Middle Tennessee State University (2022), Gadsden Arts Center & Museum (2018), LeMoyne Art Center (2016), Tallahassee Community College Art Gallery (2015). Among my group exhibitions, my works have been exhibited at the Appleton Museum of Art, Boca Raton Museum of Art in Florida, Albany Museum of Art, Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art in Georgia, Alexandria Museum of Art in Louisiana, William Rolland Gallery of Fine Arts in California, Nan Kai University, and Beijing Normal University in China.

In 2005, I was awarded the Mario Plescia Award for painting by Florida State University. In 2012, I received Best in Show Award from 24th Art in Gadsden Exhibition, Most Thought Provoking Award from Alexandria Museum of Art’s 25th September Competition Exhibition in Louisiana, Founder’s Award from Sumi-e Society of America’s 49th Annual Juried Exhibition, and Jean Wagner Troemel Award from St. Augustine Art Association’s “3rd Nature & Wildlife Art Exhibition”. In 2013, I won 2nd Place in Valdosta National all media juried art competition at Fine Arts Gallery, Valdosta State University in Georgia, Best of Show Calligraphy and National Capital Area Chapter Award by Sumi-e Society of America’s 50th Annual Juried Exhibition, 1st Place in Ocala Art Group’s Juried Art Exhibition “A Toast to the Arts-Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” at Appleton Museum of Art. In 2014, I received 2nd Place in St. Augustine Art Association’s Annual Honors Show, and 3rd Place at Art Center Sarasota’s 2nd Annual Florida Flavor Exhibition. In 2015﹐I received 2nd Place in 27th Art in Gadsden, Gadsden Arts Center, Quincy, Florida and Jerry’s Artarama Award in 2015 Sumi-e Society of America 52nd Annual Juried Exhibition. In 2016, I won the Best in Show of Painting in Sumi-e Society of America 53rd Annual Juried Exhibition.

In 2015, I was invited by Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture, California Lutheran University as artist in residence, and participated in the “Chinese Figurative Realism in the 21st-Century” exhibition. In 2016, I was interviewed by John Seed, a renowned art critic. The interview article, “Nan Liu: An Artist’s Cross-Cultural Journey” was published on The Huffington Post. In 2017, I was invited as the independent juror, judge for Sumi-e Society of America’s 54th Annual Juried Exhibition, and taught a 3-day figurative painting workshop for members. In 2019, I served as the judge for Florida Book Award-Visual Art category. In 2021, I was honored to be the judge for the 28th Annual Fall Festival of the Arts-Deland.. In 2022, My paintings have appeared in Fine Art Connoisseur, and American Art Collector.

In 2019, I published my first book, “Art Education in the United States” in China by Hunan Fine Arts Publishing House, and it is the first comprehensive book introducing American art education theories and concepts to Chinese art educators and audiences. In 2009, I cooperated with Dr. Jingru Ma, translating Dr. Tom Anderson’s book Art for Life into Chinese and published by Hunan Fin Arts Publishing House in China. From 2013 to now, I had published 9 academic papers, and presented 13 academic papers on the theme of teaching and learning drawing and paintings at various conferences. From 2000, I have been invited as a guest artist and speaker conducting to over a hundred lectures and workshops on Chinese painting and calligraphy by universities, museums, galleries, public schools, and art festivals. 

I have taught art classes for all age-level groups and has worked with young students from kindergarten to high school, college students, and senior citizens over 20 years. I currently resides in Tallahassee, Florida, with my wife, Haiqiong Deng, our son, Ethan, and daughter, Isabel. I am currently the professor of art teaching drawing, painting classes at Department of Visual Arts, Humanities & Theatre, Florida A&M University.