Jocelyn Tsaih

Where are you from and where do you reside?

I’m originally from Taipei and was raised in Shanghai. I’m currently based in Brooklyn, New York.

What necessities do you require when making your art (radio, specific paintbrushes)?

I have a lot of larger angled brushes specifically meant for walls and murals that I also like to use for my canvas work. They’re amazing for getting straight lines.

Are there any aspects of your process that are left to chance?

I’m slowly trying to let go of more control when it comes to my painting process. My background is in graphic design, so I’m naturally inclined to “design” my painting beforehand and have the final result predetermined in my mind. Lately I’ve been spending less time on the designing aspect and allowing myself to figure things out as I’m painting. Sometimes I’ll be spontaneous with the colors, sometimes I’ll add or remove elements of the piece based on how I feel.

How has your work developed in the past few years, and how do you see it evolving in the future?

My work used to be a lot more flat and graphic but I’ve been pushing myself to explore dimensionality and lighting in different ways. Challenging myself like this has helped me evolve my painting techniques, and I hope that I’ll continue to figure out new processes and methods that I’m excited by.

How/why did you choose to create the glowing effect/particular lighting in your works?

This actually happened by chance. I started blending gouache with acrylic, and the pigment of gouache is so vibrant that it causes the painting to look like it’s glowing, especially in contrast to the black background. I’m glad I stumbled on this way of painting because I think it effectively conveys a sense of melancholy while simultaneously seeming warm and hopeful. I like having these dualities exist within my work so it helps that the colors are part of the emphasis.

I have always been interested in exploring and expressing the limbo feeling of being 'in between' because that’s largely how I’ve felt my whole life as someone who’s caught in between multiple cultures and thus, contrasting values and beliefs.

Jocelyn Tsaih

What tangible objects or intangible moments are you most interested in representing through your works?

I have a deep appreciation for work that is able to pinpoint specific moods and emotions without blatantly spelling it out. I strive to do the same with my own work. I think there’s so much we experience as humans that’s hard to put into words or communicate otherwise, so making the work that I make is a way for me to tackle and confront this.

Where do the characters in your paintings exist?

I’d like to think that the figures in my paintings exist in their own world. I think of it as an “in between” space, perhaps in between what is tangible and what isn’t. I have always been interested in exploring and expressing the limbo feeling of being “in between” because that’s largely how I’ve felt my whole life as someone who’s caught in between multiple cultures and thus, contrasting values and beliefs. In a reality where identifying with and belonging to something is so important, being able to imagine these figures in their own ambiguous world feels freeing.

Is there any artwork on display in your home/studio? Whose is it?

I have a lot of prints, paintings, and objects from artists and friends around my home. I have work by Kimmsujin, Kristin Texeira, Peter Lubach, Emma Kohlmann, Sidney Howard, Paulina Ho, Oli Charland, and my partner Bryon Christman, who’s also a painter.

Published January 26, 2022. Updated May 12, 2023.