Irene Chou is one of the artists who actively supported and contributed to the New Ink Painting Movement in Hong Kong. She stresses to learn from the wisdom of the ancients and innovate on her own.

How did Chou draw inspiration from the ancient while innovating herself? In the painting Home Sweet Home, one can see that the complexity of the composition is no less than that of Wen Zhengming’s (1470-1559) Old Trees by a Cold Waterfall from the Ming Dynasty. Chou used three different brush techniques – heavy ink strokes, lines that pay attention to the distance between them, and delicate yet strong twigs – to coordinate the main and complimentary elements of the painting in a complex composition. She also used perspective and coloring techniques to increase the complexity of the work. The rotation, downward and upward movement, and twists and turns of the lines create a balance in the unbalanced composition. The contrast between the flow and vitality caused by the light and dark lines in motion and the solid and stable circular ball seems to be in opposition. The overall feeling of the painting is one of tranquillity amidst complexity and order amidst chaos.

Chou adopts the symbolic techniques of the ancients, but also uses the sharp contrast techniques of the West to create a unique effect on the painting. She uses a mixture of ink and color for harmony, as well as sharp and diverse coloring to create a sense of flow and prosperity.

Chou’s subject matter is focused on expressing her personal feelings. In the process of exploration, she discovered that the landscape of her inner thoughts and desires, demands, hopes, joys, sorrows, abilities and ambitions is as ever-changing as the external landscape, and is inexhaustible in its portrayal. Her paintings are often a reflection of her inner thoughts and emotions.