Quang Ho: Oil & Fine Art Painter in Colorado

Quang Ho
Painter • Denver, CO

Quang Ho

Distinction: Ho is a force in the Colorado art world, a preeminent artist, and a widely respected teacher.
What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the art world during your career? The biggest change in the art world during my career is the availability of really good art instruction through workshops, the Internet, and DVDs, resulting in a much better and faster art education for young and old artists alike. This inevitably will result in a new generation of terrific artwork being done. I’m already seeing it. The other great change is a return to solid fundamentals in art. The truth always rises to the surface in the end.
Where do you find inspiration? I find inspiration everywhere, it seems, from a child’s drawing to a texture on a sidewalk, to a walk in the woods in the snow. Everything around me becomes a visual idea to explore, if I’m looking and paying attention. Certainly other artists’ works that surprise and humble me are always a great source of inspiration.
What do you hope to accomplish in the next 10 years? My delight in painting takes place in two areas: exploration or surprise, and mastery. What I hope to do in the next 10 years is to push painting to the limit of my abilities, and that includes exploring very large canvases and following my instincts and curiosity as well as any ideas that might sound interesting to explore.
Any regrets? Not with painting.
As a well-known teacher, what advice do you give to your students? Work hard and then put in some extra efforts. To get good at painting, it takes a lot of discipline, love, effort, intelligence, and humility. And if it comes easy to you, imagine what you could give if you dug a little deeper. I think it’s more than just doing it for oneself. It’s about revealing mysteries and sharing ideas, and you get to have fun doing it.
How do you define success? Being able to get up in the morning and be excited about the day.
Describe yourself in one word. Hmmm.
People would be surprised to learn that … I don’t know what I’m doing from one day to the next.
How has Southwest Art contributed to your career? An article in Southwest Art back in the early 1990s, at the beginning of my career, received a lot of attention, and it helped in getting my work to be seen outside the Denver area.
How would you like to be remembered? I can’t imagine why it would be important to me that I should be remembered, and so I have never entertained the thought.