Background~ written by Ching's daughter, Hui Cheng

Ching Levy, whose birth-name is Ma, Jing-Zhi, 馬靜志 is the youngest of 6 children.  Though her ancestry is firmly rooted in Northeastern China, her parents fled to Taiwan, during the Chinese Civil War, years before she was born.

 

Born in Taiwan to mainland parents made Ching’s experience in Taiwan culturally rich and diverse.  In addition, she has inherited her father’s eccentricity and her mother’s patience and incredible work ethics.

 

Throughout her school years, Jing-Zhi had always been interested in the arts.  Oddly, however, she never tried painting.  Ching was an enthusiastic, successful and award-winning Chinese calligraphy student in middle school. 

 

During Ching’s college years (1973-1977) as a Languages and Literatures major at Cheng Kung University in southern Taiwan, she was still flirting with art.  She joined a flower-arrangement club and took lessons in traditional Chinese harp.  Furthermore, she took lessons in clothes-making and even entertained the idea of becoming a fashion designer in New York City.

 

Ching ventured to the US in 1989 and obtained her MBA from University of North Florida in 1992.  Finally, in 1997, she crossed the threshold and unleashed her latent talent in art.

 

 

About her art

 

In the first 8 years of Ching’s art journey, she used ink and watercolor on silk and rice paper, guided by her Chinese heritage. True to her background as a Chinese calligrapher, she specializes in Chinese brushwork and the elegant style of Chinese art.  Nevertheless, her open-mindedness and diverse experiences led her to experiment with watercolor on regular western paper; floating ink on rice paper; as well as pastel and acrylic. 

 

The central theme of Ching’s art is the challenge with herself to express her inner world and share life experiences with audiences in a unprecedented way – combining both Chinese and Western cultural influences in her paintings.

 

In 2006, Ching began a new adventure by using house paint, acrylic/latex, on canvas and completed 130 paintings.  She’d adopted the Jackson Pollock’s technique of dripping paint and carved her own territory in art.

 

In 2007, she continued to utilize house paint with a new self-challenge – strictly Black & White – testing out the Minimalist’s claim that less is more.  Through this, Ching created 100+ B&W poetic and philosophical paintings.

 

In the past two years, Ching’s new vigorous drive has resulted in the development of numerous techniques and methods to express her world more lucidly.  Ching’s art continues to develop, as she continues to challenge herself.

 

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    Ching’s paintings are displayed at:

 

    - The Gallery, 20 Jefferson Street, City Market, Savannah, GA 31401

    - Chen’s Chinese Restaurant, 20 E. DeRenne Ave., Savannah, GA 31405

      many of her Chinese paintings are displayed in Chen's Restaurant

    - Ching Levy’s Studio, 1 Blue Marlin Bay, (Whitemarsh Island), Savannah, GA 31410

     Ching's paintings have been shown at following events:

1998 – 2008                Asian Festival at Civic Center, Savannah, GA

1998 – 2000                One Person Show at Savannah State University, Savannah, GA

1998 – 2002, 2005     Tybee Art Festival, Tybee Island, GA           

1999                             One Person Show at Bohemia Restaurant, Savannah, GA

1998 – 2004,              

2006 – 2008                Telfair Artfair at Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, GA                  

2001                             World of Nations Celebration, Jacksonville, Fl

2001, 2002, 2003       Deep South Orchid Show, Hilton Head, SC

2001, 2004                  Arts on the River, Savannah, GA

2001 – 2003,              

2006,  2007                 Ching’s Annual Show at Ching Dynasty Studio, Savannah, GA

2005                             Honey Horn Art Festival, Bluffton, SC

2007                             Chen’s Restaurant, Savannah, GA

2008                             One Person Show, Jewish Education Alliance, Savannah, GA

 

Some of representative awards are listed below:   

 

- 1998 ‘Cereus’, honorable mention, Savannah Art Association

- 1998 ‘Egret’, merit award, Tybee Art Festival

- 1999 ‘Bird Family’, Best of show, Savannah Art Association

- 2000 ‘Cat’, honorable mention, Savannah Art Association

- 2001 ‘Thunderbolt Scenery’, merit award, Savannah Art Association

- 2001 ‘Dendrobium’, First place, Deep South Orchid Show at Hilton Head

- 2002 ‘Lady’s Slipper’, First place, Deep South Orchid Show at Hilton Head

- 2002 ‘The Egret’, Second place, the Landings Art Association, the 15th Annual show

- 2003 'Mr. Baker's Orchid', First place, Deep South Orchid Show at Savannah 

- 2005 'Morning Water', Honorable mention, Tybee Art Festival

The following are links which will assist readers in viewing her work:

 

http://old.savannahnow.com/stories/101106/108036198.shtml - 2006

http://www.savannahnow.com/diversions/stories/110102/ARTTelfairPainters.shtml - 2002

http://www.coastalantiques.com/archives/november2000/ARTching.html - 2000

http://www.savannahnow.com/stories/013199/ACCchinglevy.html - 1999