Soft Candy (Paperback)

Shanghai-born Danni Shinya Luo presents a collection of brand new drawings, paintings and illustrations. Luo has emerged as one of the most important female voices in contemporary symbolic art. Turning the pages of this dainty 7" x 7" art volume is like stealing glances into a beautiful young woman's salon -- the voyeuristic reward of forbidden access. Watercolor, ink and graphite give rise to Luo's vision of sexuality, innocence and whimsy over 200 full color pages behind a foreword by art impresario Billy Shire (of Soap Plant, Wacko and La Luz de Jesus Gallery).

This new collection explores shifting perspectives of beauty, attraction, lust and decency presented through alluring and decadent images of the female figure. Visions of nymphs in a myriad of suggestive contexts are divided into five distinct chapters ―each acknowledging a different aspect of sensuality as expressed through food, frailty, fetish, fauna and fantasy. The notion of eye candy is emblematic of the capacity to sense flavor, and Luo's gift for capturing the soft, subtle sweetness of young adulthood is often erotic but always tasteful.

Danni Shinya Luo's art is whimsically feminine, and her watercolor paintings are meditations on the female figure. The colors are fresh and luscious, her line work fluid and organic, and her composition engaging and impactful. Psychological tension and emotional torsion fill the images, binding love and lust. SOFT CANDY is an irresistible temptation that satiates the hunger of desire.

riginally from Shanghai, China, Danni Shinya Luo moved to California in 1995. She fell in love with art in grade school and after a few years of private study (and an apprenticeship with an old Chinese watercolor master Ding Ha), was accepted into Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. She majored in illustration and graduated with honor in 2006, beginning her career as a full-time artist. Shinya has assisted artists Gary Baseman and Karl Handael, and exhibited in galleries throughout North America.