Photo by Michael J. GallegosTribune

Tribune

Artist Chiou Ing Chen Risstau has studied the fine art of Chinese brush painting for more than 20 years under some of China's best artists, including Sung Tzu-Feng, Pu Hsin-Yu and, most recently, Lee Chi Mao.

Photo by Michael J. GallegosTribune

Tribune

Artist Chiou Ing Chen Risstau has studied the fine art of Chinese brush painting for more than 20 years under some of China's best artists, including Sung Tzu-Feng, Pu Hsin-Yu and, most recently, Lee Chi Mao.

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As she added the final details to her painting, I noticed her other hand pointing to her heart, and I wondered if she was aware of it.

Artist Chiou Ing Chen Risstau has studied the fine art of Chinese painting for more than 20 years under some of China's best artists, including Sung Tzu-Feng, Pu Hsin-Yu and, most recently, Lee Chi Mao.

Chiou Ing was born in Taiwan 64 years ago and came to America in 1982 with the help of her younger sister, Helen Kung, the first in the family to arrive in the country.

From her small kitchen studio in her Corrales home, Chiou Ing paints when she can, juggling time between her real estate business and her art. She wants to pass on her skills of painting on silk and rice paper to anyone who wants to learn.

In the past she has taught in the Continuing Education Division at the University of New Mexico and instructed adults with special needs at VSA Arts in Albuquerque.

Now, Chiou Ing is worried about the future of her art and her ability to teach it. In September, her doctor told her she had glaucoma in both eyes that will lead to blindness within 15 years. But she keeps painting, relishing the ancient art form she has mastered. She says painting and teaching have taken on new importance for her.

When she feels low, she reflects on what her instructor Sung Tzu-Feng told her years ago in Taiwan. He taught that art doesn't come from your brush or your eyes; it comes from your heart. Chiou Ing will always have that.