"My landscapes are imaginary, purposely created from a lifetime of imperfect memories of experiences in wilderness areas and art museums, mixed with selected 18th and 19th Century painting ideas and styles. Of particular attraction to me is the romantic paintings of the Hudson River School. My work focuses on geological structures, water currents and shifting weather. I think of my landscapes as eternal upheavals, erosion from rivers and long forgotten seas, of evolving ecosystems, and endless seasons of rain, snow and drought. The paintings are the present, which is simply a consequence of the past, and a preview of the future. In the end, I think of my paintings not so much as landscapes, but as the depiction of mortality and the persistence of life.” Originally from Palo Alto, California, Ed Wong-Ligda has been a Michigan based painter for over thirty years. After his undergraduate work, he lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. He split his time painting and supporting himself as a graphic designer/illustrator. Eventually, he quit working in graphic design and illustration to become a full-time painter. After participating in artist-in-residency programs for the State of Oregon and the State of Oklahoma, he decided to earn his MFA from the University of Tulsa. Later, he moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to be an Illustration Assistant Professor and the Chair of Design Studies. In 1996, he was asked by Grand Valley State University to create an Illustration program. At GVSU, Ed Wong-Ligda was a full-time professor and the coordinator of Illustration until his retirement at the end of the 2014-15 academic year. He is currently a full-time painter concentrating on landscapes.