Trung Cao

Trung Cao is a self-taught artist whose transcendent oil paintings of nature and wildlife reflect a remarkable journey from wartime Vietnam to artistic achievement. Born in Saigon in 1970, he and his family escaped communism in 1979, enduring a harrowing voyage crammed with over 200 people on a 30-foot boat bound for Malaysia. After nine months on a densely populated Malaysian refugee island, they were sponsored by a family in New London, North Carolina. Throughout these trials, art remained Cao’s constant companion and source of freedom.
From his early days designing logos and painting murals to earning youth art awards, Cao developed his skills through observation and self-discovery. He studied classical masters in museums, teaching himself to recreate their techniques. After years working in pencil, watercolor, and acrylic, he embraced oil painting about 20 years ago, drawn to its transparent nature and ability to create depth through layered applications that become more beautiful as the oil oxidizes over time.
Today, represented by Park West Gallery, Cao creates romantic realism that conveys hope, resilience, and conservation through expressive faces and landscapes celebrating freedom and the natural world. Beyond exhibitions and interviews, his proudest achievement is raising funds to bring art education to children worldwide, believing every child deserves creative expression to nourish imagination and critical thinking.