KUAN-HSUAN LU
- ARTISTIC HUB MAGAZINE
- 11 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Between Emotion and Imagination: The Inner Worlds of Kuan-Hsuan Lu
Kuan-Hsuan Lu’s art carries a quiet warmth and clarity. Her works are filled with colors that draw attention through presence rather than intensity. Born in Taiwan and creatively shaped in New York, she unites two cultures in a single visual language. Her illustrations reveal a harmony of Eastern calm and Western rhythm, carrying a spark that both soothes and awakens.
A flower, a hand, or a softly defined space becomes a symbol of closeness and care. Each composition breathes evenly, expressing a world where emotion and thought move together. Through her art, Kuan-Hsuan creates balance, a visual rhythm that reflects depth, serenity, and empathy.
In this conversation for Artistic Hub Magazine, she shares how her images take shape, how emotion turns into movement, and how authenticity becomes the most powerful form of artistic expression.
Kuan-Hsuan Lu, Artist
You have lived and worked between Taiwan and New York. How has moving between these two cultures influenced your visual expression and the way you perceive color, space, and emotion in art?
Living between Taiwan and New York has given me very different experiences in art and life.
In Taiwan, my family, friends, teachers, and colleagues have always supported my creative path. That kind of freedom made me brave and open in the way I create, I never felt the need to follow rules too closely.
Emotionally, though, Taiwan can feel like a comfort zone. Most people around me shared similar values and ways of expressing themselves.
When I moved to the U.S., I started meeting people from all kinds of cultural and personal backgrounds. I was exposed to very different ways of thinking and creating, which expanded how I understand “expression.”
These contrasts constantly give me new ideas and keep my motivation alive. Every stage of life changes the way I create, especially during times of self-doubt or personal struggle. In those moments, creating is what keeps me grounded. It’s always there with me.
Your works often blend playfulness with deeper reflections on empathy, care, and vulnerability. How do these emotions transform into visual symbols that later become part of your artistic language?
I usually start from small moments that touch me, a gesture, an expression, or a sudden emotional shift.Those moments slowly turn into visual elements like a hand, a flower, or a broken shape.I like to use color and metaphor to express deeper emotions.For me, the act of creating is a way to release pressure and emotion.And I hope people who see my work can find their own meaning in it, depending on what they’re going through. Some might feel comfort, others might feel loneliness, and that’s okay. I want my work to stay open for different interpretations.
Toxic Nurture | Not a listener | Social Glass
Series such as Social Glass, Toxic Nurture, and Not a Listener explore the complexity of human relationships and contemporary life. How do you decide how an emotion will take shape through form and color?
I didn’t plan much in the beginning. I start by asking myself what the emotion feels like. If it feels heavy, I use darker or denser colors; if it feels distant, I leave more empty space. It’s mostly based on intuition, I keep adjusting until the composition feels right. Sometimes color communicates emotion faster than words. I trust that visual sense more than logic.
Your works feel like visual stories born somewhere between thought and emotion. Could you take us through your creative process, from the first idea to the moment you know a piece is complete?
My ideas often start from a small thought or a feeling, sometimes I write it down, sometimes I draw it out.
I don’t rush to finish. I let it grow naturally and see where it wants to go. Then I sketch and experiment with different forms and layouts to find what fits that feeling best. I rely a lot on intuition, but I also spend time reviewing and stepping back to see if the piece still moves me.
Sometimes an accident, a misplaced line or a random color, becomes the key part of the work.
I know a piece is done when I look at it and feel it’s complete emotionally, not just visually. It’s the moment when it finally says what it needs to say.
As both an artist and a designer, you have collaborated on projects that connect art with commercial design. How do you preserve your personal voice within professional contexts that often come with specific guidelines and expectations?
I always try to keep a bit of myself in every project, through color, style, or layout. Even when there are many rules, I ask myself: “Is this fun? Does it make people want to look at it? Will it catch someone’s attention right away?”
In commercial design, it’s important for me to express content in a fun, positive way, to bring energy and warmth, just like in my illustration work.
I’m also grateful that many of my collaborators respect my ideas and support my creative voice. That makes a big difference.
Grow up | Her beauty and sorrow | Help
You once led painting workshops for children, an experience that seems to have influenced your sense of empathy and accessibility in art. What did that period teach you about simplicity and emotional communication?
Yes, I used to lead painting workshops for children in Hualien, Taiwan. It wasn’t a long period, but it had a deep impact on me. Kids create in a very direct and unfiltered way, you can easily see their emotions through their drawings. They don’t overthink; they just express how they feel.
From observing them, I learned how to better understand and help people from different backgrounds through art. That experience taught me the value of honest creation and of observing others with empathy. It also reminded me not to over-design or overthink my own work. Sometimes the simplest expression speaks the loudest. I always hope I can keep creating like a child, freely and sincerely, enjoying the process itself.
You have received multiple international awards for design and illustration. Do such recognitions inspire you to experiment even more, or do they bring a greater sense of responsibility toward what you create?
A bit of both.
Winning awards gives me confidence to experiment and try new directions.
At the same time, it reminds me to stay sincere, to create meaning, not just recognition.
Each award motivates me to grow, to push my ideas further, and to refine how I express them. For me, awards are not the end goal. They’re a reminder that my work connected with someone out there, and that keeps me going.
If you could curate your own dream exhibition today, what would its theme be, and how would you tell that story through different media?
I would love to create an exhibition about emotional growth or emotional release, how people change after going through hard times, or how they learn to let themselves move on.
You don’t always have to “let go,” but you can learn to “let yourself go forward.”
I want the exhibition to be a space where people can explore and reflect on their emotions together.
It would combine illustration, infographics, motion graphics, sound, projection, and most importantly, interactive design, so people can really experience and participate in it.
My hope is that when visitors leave, they feel calm, understood, and maybe a little more hopeful.
Every creation by Kuan-Hsuan Lu begins with genuine emotion. Her art opens a space for connection and understanding, revealing how color and line can embody humanity. Each work radiates calm, clarity, and warmth, reflecting her belief in kindness and the beauty of shared experience.
Her visual world connects and inspires. In every gesture there is attentiveness, in every color a sense of presence. Through simplicity and sincerity, Kuan-Hsuan Lu creates art that invites reflection, emotion, and inner peace. It is a quiet reminder that gentleness can be a form of strength.
KUAN- HSUAN LU DESIGN
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