What a Wonderful World: Art by Hue Nguyen

The fascination fine arts painter Hue Nguyen has in the natural world is evident in the mystic serenity running through his landscapes and seascapes. From scenes of Vietnam’s bucolic ancient villages to Central California’s charming towns, Hue’s oil and gouache paintings celebrate what a truly wonderful world we live i

Experience his fascination of Vietnam’s extraordinary Hue City and Halong Bay, California’s stunning central coast, and other natural wonders near and far at “The World of Troung Tien Nguyen,” an exhibit of oil paintings taking place October 7th and 8th at Nguoi Viet Gallery, 14771 Moran St., Westminster (off Bolsa Avenue between Magnolia and Bushard streets).

Nguyen is a retired textile artist for Mission Viejo-based manufacturer Hoffman Fabrics, his employer of 40 years. Over the decades, Nguyen’s hand-drawn and hand-painted artwork was developed and produced as textiles sold to garment manufacturers for the creation of men's tropical- and novelty-print shirts. He contributed to what is referred to as the “authentic Hoffman look” in designs for surf brands like Volcom, Roxy, O’Neill and Stussy.

He has painted all his life but had to abandon formal studies at the National School of Decorative Arts in Gia Dinh just before the Fall of Saigon. In a December 2015 article, Nguyen explained to Los Angeles Times writer Kathleen Luppi that he and his wife, Diep, and their 5-year-old son, Le, were fortunate to have been among the groups of refugees that the Lutheran Church helped bring to the U.S.

A reception for the artist will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday. The show continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. All proceeds from sales of paintings will be donated to Smile Train (smiletrain.org), which repairs cleft lips/palates of needy children around the world. Nguyen is a longtime contributor to Smile Train.

For more information, phone (714) 892-9414 (gallery) or (714) 839-2450 (the artist). Follow Hue at https://www.facebook.com/TheArtistHue.