The 2026 Fine Arts Exhibition at Fei Tian College opened this week at the college’s newly renovated Function Hall in Middletown, presenting a collection of oil paintings and graphic design works created by undergraduate and graduate students.
Held from May 11 through May 17, the exhibition serves as the graduation showcase for students in the MFA in Oil Painting program. The displayed works combine traditional artistic techniques with deeply personal themes, ranging from innocence and spirituality to courage, compassion, and humanity.
A year-long creative process behind each painting
According to Dan Pelonis, Assistant Professor, Program Director, and Vice Chair of the Fine Arts and Design department, each graduate artist developed an individual vision throughout a long creative process.
“This is an MFA graduate show,” Pelonis explained. “Each artist is responsible for their own subject matter, their own size, their own style, their own frames and everything.”
While faculty members helped curate the final exhibition layout, Pelonis emphasized that the works themselves were highly personal.
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“Each painting, you’ll notice, has a narrative,” he said.
He described the creative process as “a slow process,” involving “many sketches, many studies, many ideas, many compositions, until you find the one you think works best.”
“The ideas began even last year,” he added, noting that many students spent at least a year developing a single painting from concept to completion.
Visitors impressed by the emotional impact
For visitors attending the opening exhibition, the emotional power of the paintings stood out immediately.
Joseph, a visitor touring the gallery, described his first impression as overwhelmingly positive.
“I’m really impressed by how well everything is really beautiful,” he said. “It has a great message, with the painting. So like, wow, yeah, it’s extremely good.”
Although he said he is not an artist himself, Joseph compared the exhibition to other professional galleries he has visited.
“I have been to a couple of other exhibitions, and I feel like this is on the same level,” he said. “I love the colors on these backgrounds… I just felt like I could really see the human expression, and it really just tells a story that’s coming right out of the painting.”
For him, the most memorable works were the ones that continued to resonate emotionally after viewing them.
“The one that makes you think—you kind of go home with it, and it resonates with you,” he explained. “You think about it and you get new insights.”
Joseph also reflected on the broader themes presented in the exhibition, especially works connected to compassion and human rights.
“I just think about people and peace, that there needs to be more of that,” he said. “A lot of the persecutions that happen in China throughout the world happen because people let them happen.”
He added that he appreciated the exhibition’s willingness to address meaningful topics.
“I think it’s really great this exhibit, this school has a message, and they’re putting it out, and people are listening more.”
Young artists develop their own voices
Among the featured graduate artists was Shani Lin, whose colorful painting drew inspiration from children performers and spiritual imagery.
“I want to show their children’s nature,” Lin said. “The wonders and the divine beings.”
Originally from Taiwan, Lin has studied classical art since high school. She explained that while the painting itself took about three months to complete, the artistic journey behind it has taken years.
Describing her MFA experience, Lin said the program was both rewarding and demanding.
“It’s very, very nice, but I learned very much,” she said. “It’s also hard, because we need to spend a lot of time practicing our skill, improving, and thinking about how to create the new painting and the topic.”
Lin added that graduate students are expected to develop independent artistic perspectives.
“We are graduate students, so we need to have our own thoughts,” she said.
She described her artistic focus as centered on “kindness,” “child nature,” and “pure heart.”
Paintings explore spiritual and historical themes
One of the exhibition’s notable works is Mercy by MFA candidate Nancy Yang. The oil painting portrays a young girl secretly passing along the banned book Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party while divine beings quietly protect her.
In her artist statement, Yang explained that the work was inspired by real events connected to the movement of millions of Chinese people renouncing affiliations with the Chinese Communist Party.
“The act is perilous, but it is guided by compassion,” she wrote.
Yang described realism as “not merely a technical choice,” but also “a moral and spiritual position.” The painting required extensive preparation, including models, photographs, architectural studies, and lighting references.
The exhibition also includes Peggy’s The Descent of the Gods, a large-scale work exploring themes of divine order and sacrifice through imagery inspired by Buddhist sculptures and Renaissance artistic traditions.
Professional artist praises the students’ skill
Professional artist and visiting professor Steve Karp said he was highly impressed by the quality of the exhibition.
“I think the work is exemplary,” Karp said. “I think the student’s quality is very high.”
Having worked professionally for decades in illustration and aerospace-related art, Karp said many of the student paintings exceeded the level often seen among experienced professionals.
“A lot of this work is better than many professionals that have been working many years,” he said.
Karp emphasized that strong artistic ability comes from years of dedication and practice.
“You practice, you practice, you practice, and then you practice some more,” he said. “Then you forget about everything, and then you create.”
Exhibition open through May 17
The exhibition remains open to the public through May 17 at Fei Tian College, located at 65 Seward Avenue, Middletown, NY 10940, offering visitors an opportunity to experience artworks that blend technical mastery with deeply personal storytelling and themes of beauty, compassion, spirituality, and human dignity.
