Lucia Neagu

Lucia Neagu

I am a native of Romania. As a student I earned a graduate degree in ceramic art at the Central Institute of Applied Art in Beijing, China.

It was a period of vast knowledge accumulation, learning the new culture and practicing Chinese ceramic art. I fell in love with ceramics, a fantastic domain of human practice, with processes which helped by fire can replicate in hours what nature is doing in millions of years. It can satisfy artist’s creative imagination from modeling, design to texture, color and decoration. My passion for Ceramics brought me to teaching Ceramic Technology at the Ceramic Department of the Art Academy in Bucharest and later writing a book: Ceramics – Craft, Art and Science.

In 2006, as a widow, I moved to Seattle to be close to my children who are professionals working here and felt the need to liberate my creative potential and embark in an experimental journey in the world of painting. I bought myself paper, canvas, watercolor, acrylic and started to paint. It was such a surprise to discover the beautiful colors of today, the variety of materials available and the magic thrill which connects in one expression the mind, the soul, the hand, and the palette.

The process is fascinating, addictive and the reward is great. I am trying to apply all I have learned through my intellectual, aesthetic, and spiritual growth and use my intuition as a mature expression of what I am today.

I am overwhelmed by the lack of time, objects do not interest me anymore, and my life space moved from the environment to the limited space of my canvas. It is hard to predict what next year will bring to me. What I surely know is that I will continue to paint, discover, and learn.