Cuong Nguyen: Interview by Blog Now on Streetpainting.tv

Streetpainting.tv is pleased to provide an interview with Cuong Nguyen, a street painter and portrait artist originally from Vietnam, living and working in California.

 

Where do you live Cuong?

 

I'm an artist based in San Jose, CA.  I am originally from Vietnam.

  

What is your occupation and background?

 

In Vietnam, I was trained to be a portrait artist since I was 10 years old. When I was young boy, I spent most of my time drawing. I started to go to art class when I was 10 and at the age of 14, I was able to make money by painting people's portraits.  After high school, I was accepted at the Academy of Art of Saigon.  But not too long after that, I tried to escape the country, and unfortunately, I failed and was put in prison for almost a year. I got kicked out of my art school as soon as they found out that I tried to escape the country.

There were a lot of reasons for me to escape my own country at that time, but mostly for freedom.

  

How did you first get interested in street painting?

 

I had seen street painting in San Francisco, but didn't try it until 2001.  A friend of mine from work, Sara Modercai...she's also a mural artist...encouraged me to try a small street painting in San Rafael, CA, at their annual street painting festival.  And I did, and I've been hooked since then.

   

How many years have you been street painting?

 

I’ve been street painting since 2001… 7 years.

 

How often do you street paint?

 

I don't do a lot of street paintings like other artists because I'm a full-time employee for Yahoo! Inc. It's tough to spend a whole weekend doing chalk art and then have to go back to work the next Monday. Your body is worn out and you don't really have time to rest.  I street paint in about 4 - 5 festivals every summer.

  

  

In what countries have you street painted?

 

I've participated in street painting in the US, Hong Kong, and Mexico.

       

Is street painting popular in Vietnam?

  

Not what I know - I don't think street painting has come to Vietnam yet.  Last year an agent in Vietnam found my contact info in an article from a Vietnamese magazine and she tried to contact me and wanted me to participate in a New Year festival in Saigon.  Unfortunately, she couldn't find a sponsor for me because of the airfare which would cost a lot for them to bring me back there.

Are there any street painters creating their art in Vietnam that you know about?

I don't know of any street painters who are creating art in Vietnam.

  

What do the Vietnamese people think about your street painting art (your friends who live there or people who write you about your work)?

 

Most of my friends like my work :)  They all wish to have a chance to see me in action.

   

 

Do you have a favorite subject in your street paintings?

 

My favorite subject is the human face. As I said earlier, I was trained to be a portrait artist, and that is what I do best.  For me, people’s faces are just like books, which you need to learn so much to be able to understand the stories. Every time I paint a face, I spend lots of time on the eyes because I think the eyes are the windows of the soul and mostly the viewers love to see lively eyes.

 

How do you choose which images to street paint? 

  

I like to street paint my own original work (my paintings).  Most of the people who pose for me for my original work are my family members or my friends.  I know them well and I bring their image into my painting to create my own stories, and I love it. 

  

For the last few years, I haven't painted my original designs as much because I was asked by the festival sponsors to paint their family members, or to recreate paintings they like.  It's OK for me to do this to support the festival, but I do prefer to paint my own work.

  

  

What is your favorite street painting you have worked on to date and why is it your favorite? 

    

Last year in San Rafael, California, I painted a portrait of actress Olivia Hussey, an actress best known for her Golden Globe-winning role as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. I have loved Olivia Hussey since I was a little boy and I was lucky enough to meet her in person last April in San Francisco. I promised her that I would do a portrait of Juliet at the San Rafael festival, and the painting turned out great and I got lots of compliments from the viewers.

  

 

Do you usually work alone or with other artists?

  

Most of the time I work alone, but I do work with other artists sometimes when we travel outside the US. I do like to team up with other artists to create a big painting; it's a great feeling to achieve a huge painting with friends.

    

Do you ever compete in competitions?

 

I do compete in competitions and I have won a few awards. In 2001, I won the first prize in San Francisco and got 2 tickets to Italy. That was a wonderful prize.

 

For me, competitions are fun. They push you to your limits. You also need to have a good strategy to be able to win, like choosing a great image, good concept and good composition, and the rest is how to make the judges fall in love with it.

  

What do you enjoy most about street painting?

 

The attention, I guess. I like to talk to people when I paint and it's always nice to hear how much they enjoy my work.

 

How do you feel about the ephemeral quality of the art form?

 

At first, it was hard for me to know that my work will be washed away the next day, but then I got used to it. It's tradition and that’s why we come back every year to celebrate the art form and the festival.

 

 

What is the most difficult aspect of street painting?

 

For me, the most difficult aspect of street painting is the weather conditions that would affect your work so much. The hot day would burn your fingers and wear you out with its heat.  A rainy day would cost your painting to turn to mud.

 

Have you seen the popularity of street painting grow since you have been doing it?

 

I think so – there are many street painting festivals in California and in other states in the US.  I guess people are in love with this art form.

   

Are there any street painters that you feel are “up and coming” on the world stage?

 

I have seen quite a few great artists who are considered world class street painters, such as Kurt Wenner, Julian Beever and Tracy Lee Stum.  One of my favorite artists is Melanie Stimmell from Los Angeles.  As far as younger street painters, a rising star is an artist from Mexico, Juandres Vera.

  

What are your views on street painting as a contemporary art form?

 

It's an art form in which the artist can directly interact with the audience.  It's unique, fun and also very challenging.

 

How do you feel about experimentation with the street painting art form with new methods of artistic collaboration other than the traditional?

 

I do admire artists who do 3D street paintings – it shows how much knowledge they have about perspective.   I don’t think it’s my thing, but I’d like to do one or two in the future.