His subjects in nature are limitless. “Nature taught me my style, which comes from a pattern,” he says. “I am just creating the language; it is a journey of discovery. I think I am going to keep painting for a very long time. I haven’t seen anything that limits me, yet. Sometimes a new element comes up, right now that has been volcanos.”

In his latest series of sacred landscapes Nguyen introduces a new feature, an arch-sharped gate that frames the water's horizon line and could be interpreted as a transition point to pass under on the road to spiritual enlightenment.

“Thiên nhiên là nơi chốn tôi thường viếng thăm, như là cách cân bằng cho cuộc sống vật chất bận rộn, nhất là để tìm lại sư thanh thản của tâm hồn, để có sự lành mạnh trong tâm linh. Tôi ví đó như là những chuyến hành hương. Đến với với thiên nhiên, gần gũi với đất trời, sông núi, tôi cảm nhận tôi đến gần với Thượng Đế hơn là đi đến chùa chiền, nhà thờ.”

Phóng viên Đằng Giao của nhật báo Người Việt phỏng vấn họa sĩ Nguyễn Việt Hùng .

Presenting portals, gateways, stars, and incandescent skies, this series includes elements of gold leaf among the rich, rivetingly textured oil-on-canvas works.

Reported by Genie David.

What is your creative process?

I often sketch on small note sketch-book to get some ideas about the best composition. But I usually don’t look at the sketches while creating the artwork, I think that way I can bring more elements into the artwork without planning. I believe an artwork needs to have both consciousness and unconsciousness elements. I build the artwork step by step, from raw thick paints to defined textures, then details and colors adding back and forth until nothing else I can do to make it better.

Written by Betty Brown - Art and Cake Magazine

Q. What role does the artist have in society?

A. An artist is as a monk, focusing on the spiritual journey, lives a simple life, consumes less and leaves something beautiful for others.

"Besides the composition, colors, expression,… There is another factor which is very important to me: The relationship between the material (oil paint) and myself. I can’t explain clearly, but the process of harmony: material has its own soul, and I must respect it. I never think I can totally control the medium. What do I want viewers to take from my work? Having feelings first, then everything else will come later."

Interview by VOYAGE LA Magazine

As an artist, Nguyen is largely self-taught, and over the years, he has sought
inspiration from the works of many masters. In his Mindscapes, in particular,
we can see the influence of modern Western artists such as Klimt and even
Chuck Close in his mosaic-like floral patterning, Van Gogh in his generous
applications and sculpting of oil paint, and Hockney in his meandering
landscape compositions and upbeat, sunny palette. "Some of the influences I
only realized and found out after the artwork had been completed for a while,"
he explains. "They were happening unconsciously." He has also looked to his
Asian roots for inspiration, studying traditions as diverse as Chinese scroll
paintings, Japanese woodblock prints, and ceramic decoration.

Article by Meher McArthur.
Originally from the UK, Meher McArthur is an independent Asian art historian,
author, and educator based in Los Angeles. She has two exhibitions currently
touring the U.S.: "Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami" (through
2015) and "Above the Fold: New Expressions in Origami" (through 2017). She
worked for many years as Curator of East Asian Art at the Pacific Asia Museum in
Pasadena has collaborated with several Southern California museums and
advised the V&A Museum in London.

Can you share your view on NFTs?
"I’m an old-school painter. I believe that a great original artwork is alive and can communicate to others. NFT will put an artwork in jail, and it becomes a commodity for trading."

Despite his vibrant subjects and beautifully honed techniques, Nguyen is nothing but unassuming when it comes to what he wants viewers to take from his work. “It’s great if people can have feelings for my artwork. Everything else will come later.”
...
He adds “I never force myself to change my art. I let it evolve naturally, and I think it should be that way.”

For the viewer, that evolution carries one on a journey to a place that is beyond the ordinary, beyond the defined, into a world that is truly magical.

Article by Genie Davis

“It’s hard to explain. When you’re humble or respect everything, you may experience that kind of feeling.
For me, it’s very spiritual.” He uses the example of a hiker on a mountain trail who wantonly kicks at a rock.
“I see that as disrespectful. I don’t know the rock,
maybe it doesn’t feel pain at all, but for me, you’re
always gentle. That’s the way I feel with material. The
material helps me to build something nice, something
for people to enjoy, so that’s why I have to relate to the
material.”
This sense of respect extends and encompasses
everything in nature.
“That’s the whole idea. We need to respect, that’s all.”
Nguyen notes that people respect animals, or things
that move, whereas “I go a little bit further: I respect
something that doesn’t move.”

Article by Bondo Wyszpolski, Editor of Easy Reader

“While traveling, I photographed favorite moments, places, and scenes. From these images, I created works with ink and watercolor, applied two varieties of varnish for aging and crackling for a classic look. By capturing a cell phone image in a few seconds and then spending many hours to produce an artwork, I uncovered the relationship between the places and myself.”

"PLACES" Exhibition, curated by Tish Laemmle.

Bài Băng Huyền, phóng viên nhật báo Viễn Đông

Awards:
Media Services Award: Hung Viet Nguyen: “Sacred Cove”
Juror’s Choice: Hung Viet Nguyen: “Sacred Cove”