Yu R. is a painter and a product designer who has exhibited paintings and wine goblet designs in the US, UK, Italy, and the Czech Republic.

Yu earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Product Design from Parsons School of Design and furthered her studies with a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from NYSS.

She is interested in designing products that are fun to use and creating paintings that are natural and true.

She was born in Sichuan and lives in New York City.

Biography

Yu Rong is a Sichuan-born, New York-based multi-media artist skilled in various techniques, including oil painting, watercolor, collage, graphic drawing, Chinese painting, Chinese calligraphy, cyanotype, printmaking, water marbling, and mixed media. She also practices knitting, crocheting, and ceramics, with experience in wheel throwing, slip casting, glass blowing, leather shoe making, metalworking, jewelry making, and enameling. Yu holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Product Design from Parsons School of Design and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the New York Studio School.

Yu began her artistic journey at the age of three with children's art, later exploring Chinese brush painting, calligraphy, and graphic drawing to capture the essence of objects. After age eight, she shifted to Western art techniques, including watercolor and acrylic painting. At 17, she moved to the United States, where she expanded her studies to traditional Western techniques such as oil painting, egg tempera, and encaustic painting.

In her collage work, Yu emphasizes traditional oil painting techniques while incorporating methods such as egg tempera, silverpoint drawing, and printmaking. She has studied Western, Chinese, Japanese, and Indian art history to explore the connections and differences between cultures. Additionally, she appreciates various art forms from other countries, including Islamic miniatures and Iranian art. Yu also designs toys for children, clothes and utensils for pets, and creates furniture and kitchenware. Her wine goblet design, "After 5 PM," has been exhibited at Milan Design Week, London Design Fair, and Prague Design Week. Her artworks have been exhibited in New York, including solo and group shows at Ceres Gallery, ARC Gallery in Chicago, and CREATE Council in Catskills. She has developed her skills in studios and institutions in Brooklyn, China, Italy, and online.

As a teaching artist, Yu is inspired by children's creativity and unique perspectives, which enrich her own artistic journey. She currently leads the MOCAcreate Family Program at the Museum of Chinese in America, where she teaches Chinese painting, calligraphy, and creative art techniques. Yu is also an exhibiting artist at Ceres Gallery in New York.