The man behind the drawing board
Most people have a job and a hobby… Some people have a job, and their hobby happens to be boating… Howard Chen is a surprising character by all means, his job is… boats building and his hobby is painting! For two decades he likes to blend his two passions, yachts and art…
It is always interesting to know more about the rather secret man who is drawing and building dream yachts for 25 years. In his design studio in Zhuhai, the architect’s drawing board sits near the painter’s easel…
Howard Chen is a painter inspired by the French impressionists like Monet, Renoir, Pissaro, Cezanne, but he clearly has a passion for Vincent Vang Gogh… The Impressionist movement began in France during the second half of the 19th century and Howard’s bookshelves and coffee tables are filled with books about these hedonists who came to Impressionism to take up the challenge of reproducing light… Their paintings are often composed of joyful moments and share simple happiness. This vision reflects fully in Howard’s paintings whether he paints a simple bouquet, a street in Venice or wooden boats in a Mediterranean port…
On occasions, like during a recent cruise aboard a Selene 60 « Koon Woon II » in the Taiwan straight, Howard enjoyed sketching sceneries seen from the sea. He always packs a watercolor box in his suitcase! Well, we just wanted to tell you that a good naval architect must be as much an artist as an engineer… It’s our secret, our hallmark… This is why a Selene yacht is always a master piece and a head turner in any port…
