Wen Ze Chen

An artist that has been with High Country Art & Antique since the beginning, Wen Ze Chen is a Chinese immigrant who paints with a rare passion. His studio, in the woods of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is where Wen gets most of his inspiration for his paintings. Wen’s background is profoundly diverse. He started as a young Peasant farmer in China and eventually became a renown professor with a reputation that reached Italy. He followed his wife to America so she could pursue her doctoral degree in Engineering at Georgia Tech. With no English skills, he took any job that was available to help support his family. Wen worked as a carpet tester in a laboratory near Georgia Tech that tested the durability of carpets, walking back and forth all day long. He also worked as a floor polisher, polishing through the Georgia state capitol building.

Wen finally achieved his goals of having his paintings represented in the Galleries around the United States as well as learning English. Wen speaks of his new country: “America is like one big classroom for me, it taught me everything, not just art. It’s taught me what life is, and love, and parties, and friends. The independence that I’ve found here, this is my dream. When I become an American citizen, I will be like an eagle flying — a bird. I will be able to go anywhere, because I am an artist.”

Birth date: 1957
Place of Birth: Zhangzhou, Fujian, China
Professional Expertise: Painter, Sculptor, Educator, Textile DesignerPainting Mediums: Oil, Mixed Medium, Chinese Painting, Sculpture