![[Photos] Check out This Vietnamese-American Artist's Mesmerizing Portraits](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/zLd0Gr5b.jpg)
Next time somebody claims that “colored pencils are for kids”, show them the work of Cuong Nguyen, whose intricate paintings are crafted entirely from colored pencils.
Video via Facebook user Tech Insider UK.
Cuong Nguyen was born a Saigoneer and spent his childhood in poverty in post-1975 Saigon. However, despite his family’s hardships, Nguyen demonstrated a talent for visual arts at a young age and even helped earn money for the household by doing street portraits. In high school, he was accepted to the Saigon Academy of Art.
In 1991, Nguyen emigrated to the US and eventually graduated from California's San Jose State University with a degree in illustration. While working as an icon designer for a Silicon Valley company, Nguyen once again fell in love with painting and started to draw again, first as a hobby, doing street art at public creative festivals. Soon enough, however, Nguyen’s knack for creating incredibly lifelike portraits caught on with the art-loving crowd.
Today, Nguyen has settled in San Jose, working with both pastel pencils and oil paints. Despite his reputation for portraits, Nguyen also dabbles in still-life at times if the work on his personal Instagram account, @icuong, is any indication.
Cuong Nguyen is currently a member of Oil Painters of America and the International Guild of Realism. He has also won the distinction of Distinguished Pastellist from the Pastel Society of the West Coast.
Have a look at some of his works, courtesy of Cuong Nguyen’s official website, below:
[Top photo via YouTube user Cuong Nguyen]
