My name is Ezra Rose, the sole proprietor of Black Rose Fine Arts. People have recognized me for my artwork since I was very young. Believe it or not, digital media and oil painting are newer mediums for me. My first formal introduction to both digital art and oil painting were in the 2019 Fall semester at UH Hilo, in Art 112 (Intro to Digital Media) and Art 322 (Advanced Oil Painting). I’m just now scratching the surface and still unlocking the full potential of these artforms. Before that, in the early 90s I played around with some of the very first digital art programs. However, that software was still inferior to human capabilities. As for oil painting, the 2019 Fall semester was my first time touching that medium. Prior to this, for years I just dabbled in anything of interest with no focus on the mastery of any particular medium. It was not until the spring semester of 1999 at the Hawai’i Community College that I discovered Chinese brush painting, which became my passion. I was lucky enough to be one of the last students to learn from Master Linus Chao before he retired in 2000. The title of his class was Oriental Brush Painting (Art 227), and I’ve practiced this art form for close to 20 years now. The principles and techniques of Chinese brush painting tend to influence all of my artwork. The true value of taking classes from an old master was not so much to learn how to apply the artistic technique but to learn how to practice a spiritual philosophy. Linus emphasized that true mastery sometimes requires one to let go of seeking perfection and to engage in an activity purely for the enjoyment. He taught that art is a type of mediation like a self-therapy to escape into your mind’s eye – an anti-drug if you will. I believe that applying this philosophy and these concepts is essential to producing outstanding work and progressing as an artist.