Andrew Li

Growing up, being an artist was not the first thing that I wanted to do. When I was in Primary school I don’t remember having an affinity for art, but I loved my sports. Having said that, I did grow up in a rather artistic household. From a young age my sister was quite talented at drawing and painting. My mum had a great eye and was always doing new things to make our garden look nicer. It’s possible that some of this early influence found its way to me.

My first serious inroads into art occurred when I was around 10. My sister had been taking private drawing and painting classes with an artist Albert Yi-Fu Chen. He was an amazing sculptor who also happened to teach some casual art classes. At some point my curiosity led me to join my sister’s class. My classes began with me learning how to do still life drawings using just graphite pencils. This is where fundamental artistic skills, such as measuring and squinting, were beginning to be ingrained in me. My eye and my hand were being developed. I took his class until year 11 and sadly a few years after that Albert passed away. I owe a great debt to the skills and knowledge that he had transferred to me in my time in his class. By this time, I had developed a foundation in the mediums of graphite, charcoal and oil paint. More importantly, my ability to observe the world through the eyes of a painter had begun to awaken.

My Studio

Oil on canvas

This interest in painting and drawing led me to pursue graphic design as my major in university. While my time in my degree was not exactly what I had expected, I do appreciate the breadths that my university offered. Breadths in art history, life drawing and oil painting continued to foster my interest in art, albeit in a more casual manner. As I graduated University in 2021, I set out to look for a stable Graphic Design job, but part of me was tempted by the idea of doing art in capacity. I had considered using my skills in drawing and painting to work as an illustrator. My search for work ended up being longer than I had anticipated. In that downtime I had begun spending considerable time studying art on my own. This period included self study of figure drawing, perspective and rendering. I also took a mentorship with Canadian based artist, Devin Korwin, in which he imparted on me a much deeper understanding of the art fundamentals of value, colour and shape; all of which I still employ on a daily basis. This is also about the time I discovered VAS and met my great friend and mentor, Nicolas Chen.

Self Portrait

Oil on canvas

Study of Model

Pastel on paper

However, just as my connection to art was finally flourishing and I entertained the notion of becoming a painter, I found a job in Graphic Design. At the end of 2023, I realised how disillusioned I was with design and I decided to truly give art a go. I began orbiting around VAS again and regularly attending the Friday life drawing sessions where I met so many great artists. I also began entering the competitions at VAS and I managed to win a Young Artist Award in the 2024 9x5 Exhibition. Early in 2025, I was chosen to be part of the Hansen Little Coterie which has put me amongst a cohort of amazingly talented young artists to grow alongside.

The Work Table

Oil on canvas

I primarily work in the mediums of oil paint and charcoal at times for figurative work. I work in a predominantly representational manner and am greatly inspired by the Impressionists and Bravura painters. I try to paint things from everyday life which inspire me, whether that be landscapes, portraits or still life. Key artistic influences include Claude Monet, E. Phillips Fox, John Singer Sargent, Joaquín Sorolla and Isaac Levitan.