Deng’s Studio & Art Gallery

If you’re interested in large scale sumi paintings of exquisite beauty, or traditional stone seal engravings, or caligraphy, or are searching for a shop with literally hundrerds of sumi brushes on view and for sale, then you MUST pause and browse at Mr. Deng’s studio.
This is the real deal. You can watch Mr. Deng paint in the back room — in fact you pretty much have to walk into his studio to see the finished pieces he’s hung that are for sale. (Prices ranged on my recent visit from about $ 2,000 to $ 4,000 — a price one would expect to be fetched by works of such intricate color and form, some measuring as large as 3×10 feet.)
The artist, Zuolie Deng, paints everything from swimming carp to mountains, from sand hill cranes in winter to the moon in a tidal wash of a galaxy. The titles of some of his paintings (he gave me a catalog): «Tranquil Lake Under The Autumn Moon,» «Sails in the River Shu,» «Moon River,» and «Fishing Alone by the Snowy River for the Enjoyment of the Scenery.»
I did not buy a painting on this trip. I did buy two seals which Mr. Deng carved for me on the spot, taking time away from a massive painting of swimming carp he’d been working on. He has a vey large and varied assortment of stones for seals. I also purchase some small bottles with horses painted on the inside (the work of a personal friend of Mr. Deng’s).
To be able to pop in and watch an artist like this at work is alone worth the visit. And afterward, I recommend a visit to Mike’s Noodle Shop, located just around the corner.