Born and raised in China, Diren He studied at the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts. Later, he received an MFA degree from the Academy of Art College, San Francisco. Upon graduation, Diren moved to Kansas to pursue a career in painting and illustration.

Diren is a signature member of the Oil Painters of America and have had the honor to receive various awards from the Oil Painters of America Annual Exhibition as well as the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society Exhibit.

“I paint because I love to paint—I need to paint. It is the most accurate and direct route of expressing feelings I find difficult to verbalize. Many of my art works are triggered by some unexpected aspect of nature, by ordinary everyday objects, or readings of poetry that awaken certain emotions buried deep from my past.

Regardless of the subject matter, I find that I am always yearning to capture the exact shades of emotion that the image evokes in me. The shapes, textures, colors, lights, and shadows are the notes of melody and rhythm of a composition that exalts the senses and calms the soul. The subtleties of emotions must be felt, not described.”