Crystal Liu: what sparkles…
Overview

With sparse sophistication, Crystal Liu transforms elements of nature into a lexicon of characters that enact imaginative narratives with ominous undertones. Liu’s inventive use of glitter animates her work with an unexpected counterpoint to the turmoil depicted.

 

 

In the series “what sparkles,” a snake in love with a garden sets the stage for a drama of jealousy, obsession, greed, and destruction. Here flora and fauna experience the brutal consequences of extreme human emotions. In a second series, “what a drag,” characters from previous bodies of work float through an ambiguous landscape, moored to a cloud with a knotted rope. In another, more light-hearted series, “Papercakes,” Liu imagines cakes made of paper in celebration of the traditional gift marking the first year of marriage.

 

Crystal Liu was born in Canada to Chinese immigrants. She received her MFA at the San Francisco Art Institute in 2005 and currently lives in San Francisco.

Works
  • Ink watercolor and gouache create a large assemblage of a messy cake covered in large flower frosting decorations The mediums are applied lightly making the composition very faint and faded
    Crystal Liu
    "in over our heads, 'and here's your slice cake' ", 2010
    ink, watercolor and gouache on paper
    30 x 22 inches
    76.2 x 55.9 cms
  • Abstract mixed media piece of a grayscale snake body forming an S curve across the piece. Towards the bottom and on either side of the body of the snake muted brown blue and pink flowers sprout
    Crystal Liu
    "what sparkles... 'whatever it takes' ", 2010
    ink, gouache and glitter on paper
    22 x 22 inches
    55.9 x 55.9 cms
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  • Abstract mixed media piece of a large flowing glob of silver glitter, gray watercolor wash, grayscale petalike shapes and a pattern of gray and light orange flowers
    Crystal Liu
    "what sparkles... 'all of you, II' ", 2010
    ink, watercolor, gouache and glitter on paper
    22 1/2 x 22 in
    57.1 x 55.9 cm
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  • Mixed media landscape of two grayscale glittery stone walls. Amongst the upper wall three green blue gouache shrubs sprout up and over areas of the wall
    Crystal Liu
    "what sparkles 'i want you' ", 2010
    gouache and glitter on paper
    22 x 22 inches
    55.9 x 55.9 cms
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  • Abstract mixed media piece of a grayscale cobblestone wall which flows across the piece. Towards the right of the wall two large muted light blue and orange flowers sprout out and from their centers gray silvery glitter pours out
    Crystal Liu
    "what sparkles... 'what you have' ", 2010
    ink, gouache and glitter on paper
    22 x 22 inches
    55.9 x 55.9 cms
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  • Abstract mixed media piece of a grayscale cobblestone column where a pile of grayscale roses is visible at the bottom of it. Towards the upper left of the artwork a cluster of muted brown orange and gray flowers sprays silver glitter from its center and onto the cobblestone column
    Crystal Liu
    "what sparkles... 'what can stop me' ", 2010
    ink, gouache and glitter on paper
    22 x 22 inches
    55.9 x 55.9 cms
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  • Abstract mixed media of multiple green blue gouache trees which have been covered and or toppled by a flow of silver glitter and gray petallike clusters
    Crystal Liu
    "what sparkles... 'all of you, I' ", 2010
    ink, watercolor, gouache and glitter on paper
    22 1/4 x 22 in
    56.5 x 55.9 cm
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  • Abstract mixed media piece of a grayscale snake body flowing down from a gouache tree branch. The snake body curves up towards the right of the piece and then snaps in half exploding into multiple small blue and red and silver flowers and gray watercolor drips and splashes
    Crystal Liu
    what sparkles..."busted", 2011
    gouache, water color, ink, and glitter on canvas
    26 x 48 inches
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  • Abstract mixed media piece of a glittery gray scaly form dripping down from the top right portion of the piece. Multiple small dark red and blue flowers as well as chunks of the glittery gray scaly form appear to fall from the central form at the top and splatter onto an invisible surface at the bottom of the piece
    Crystal Liu
    what sparkles..."too much good sometimes", 2011
    gouache, water color, ink, and glitter on canvas
    36 x 36 inches
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  • Abstract mixed media piece of a grayscale slittery cobblestone wall which breaks away at the center of the piece to reveal two dark red and two pale blue white and pink flowers. The flowers are all floating and appear to be carried by small bursting explosions of gray watercolor
    Crystal Liu
    what sparkles..."can't take it", 2011
    gouache, water color, ink, and glitter on canvas
    36 x 36 inches
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  • Abstract mixed media diptych depeicting several tiny thin bare trees and two gray clusters. The cluster on the left is blurry and cloud like and several shiny gold leaf stars hover around its upper left. The cluster on the right is made of a twisted braided rope which extends out and loops around the cloud cluster on the left
    Crystal Liu
    what a drag, "at the end of my rope', 2011
    water color, ink, gouache, and gold leaf on paper
    diptych; each panel 22 x 22 inches
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  • Mixed media abstract piece of gray water gushing down from the top of the piece and crashing into a red brown pentagon shaped house at the bottom. Alongside the water, several black and brown multi-shaped debris falls down from the sky
    Crystal Liu
    "what a drag 'over and over onto myself' ", 2010
    ink, gouache and collage on paper
    22 x 22.5 inches
    55.9 x 57.2 cms
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  • Mixed media abstract piece of two black flowers tied together by a light gray braided rope. At the center of the flowers gray ink spills and gushes out. Dark gray silhouettes of leaves hang down from the top of the piece
    Crystal Liu
    "what a drag 'let go' ", 2010
    ink and collage on paper
    22.25 x 22 inches
    55.9 x 57.2 cms
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  • Mixed media piece of four black silhouettes of trees and one black silhouette of a bear trapped and tangled up in gray vinelike dripping trails. These balck silhouettes are hanging down from the top of the piece while at the bottom a gold leaf tree is surrounded by the same gray substance
    Crystal Liu
    "what a drag 'the wolf' ", 2010
    ink, collage & gold leaf on paper
    22.25 x 22.25 inches
    56.5 x 56.5 cms
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  • Mixed media abstract piece of a bouquet of five black and dark multi-colored flowers at the bottom left of the piece. A singular light gray braided rope flows through the bouquet and is tangled up in a black silhouette of a bird trying to fly away in the upper right corner of the piece
    Crystal Liu
    "what a drag 'say that you know' ", 2010
    ink and collage on paper
    22 x 22.5 inches
    55.9 x 57.2 cms
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  • Abstract mixed media piece of gray water coming from the upper left corner of the piece and crashing down onto the top of a cliff. A red brown pentagon that was on the edge of the cliff is toppled over and pushed to the right by the gray water. A thin light gray braided rope is fastened around the pentagon and is tied around the top of a black silhouetted tree to the right of the piece preventing the pentagon from falling away
    Crystal Liu
    "what a drag 'will you come with' ", 2010
    ink, gouache and collage on paper
    22 x 22 inches
    55.9 x 57.2 cms
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  • Mixed media piece five black silhouettes of birds struggling to fly away. The birds are tangled amongst a single light gray braided rope and are flying above splashes of gray which allude to water. At the beginning of the rope a small red brown pentagon is also tangled
    Crystal Liu
    "what a drag 'nature's betrayal' ", 2010
    ink and collage on paper
    22 x 22.5 inches
    55.9 x 57.2 cms
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  • Mixed media piece of a gray cloud centered at the top of the piece. Spilling out of the cloud are several tiny gold leaf stars and multiple light gray braided ropes which intertwine with each other and nearly cover a small red brown pentagon at the bottom right corner of the piece
    Crystal Liu
    "what a drag 'the weight of what sparkles' ", 2010
    ink, collage & gold leaf on paper
    22 1/2 x 22 in
    57.1 x 55.9 cm
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  • Ink and marker illustration of a melting white cake with fluffy frosting oozing out from the bottom of it. Along the sides and on top, black ink lines create detailed floral frosting decorations
    Crystal Liu
    paper cake, 'let's stick together', 2011
    ink and marker on paper
    9 x 11 inches
    22.9 x 27.9 cm
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  • Ink and marker create a messily tiered vanilla cake that is collapsing in on itself. Each layer of the cake is decorated to look like several white envelopes and gray frosting oozes out between each layer.
    Crystal Liu
    "but I love you" (paper cake), 2011
    ink and marker on paper
    12 x 10 in
    30.5 x 25.4 cm
  • Ink and marker create a messily and very thinly tiered vanilla cake. In between each layer of the cakerows of petal like frosting ooze out and drip down. Five different gray and red slashes awkwardly cut through the cake at various angles
    Crystal Liu
    "get over it" (paper cake), 2011
    ink and marker on paper
    9 x 12 in
    22.9 x 30.5 cm
  • Abstract ink and marker illustration of a multiple tiered cake with gray and black frosting decorations on its side. Around the cake several clusters of gray frosting are visible. On top of the cake several gray lines erect from the cake base and appear to push off several frosting decorations
    Crystal Liu
    paper cake, 'too sad to tell you 2', 2011
    ink and marker on paper
    12 x 12 inches
    30.5 x 30.5 cm
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