Trees and mountains breathe out peace. 

Splashes of color vibrate with the energy of life and movement. 

Her visually poetic paintings create a close relationship 

between the beauty of nature and its beholder.

The Honorable Dr. Catherine Yi-yu Cho Woo (1935-2021) was an accomplished poet, composer, painter, teacher, and writer. She was the first Asian American woman to serve on the National Council on the Arts, and was honored by the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Her paintings have been described as visual poems, because of the simplicity, intensity, and purity of her expressions. A master of Feng Shui, the 4,000-year-old Chinese art of designing one’s environment to maximize the flow of positive energy (ch’i), she channeled into her works an insight into beauty and peacefulness. 

Dr. Woo was the rare artist who could address both scholarly and mainstream audiences. She authored nine books in Chinese and English on Chinese literature, art, and culture. 

The body of Catherine Woo’s life work is based on the idea that the flow of universal energy, or qi (ch'i) - the life force that inhabits everything - the material principle that governs the universe - can be directed through landscapes and bodies of water. 

The key principle of ch'i is the balancing of the yin and yang, opposite but complementary forces, ever-changing, yet in balance. By being interdependent, they create each other through their existence and movement. Dr. Woo taught that everything must be in equilibrium for harmony and health as the interaction of these opposing forces produces that ch’i. 

As 2025 is year of the Wood Snake in the Chinese zodiac, characteristics such as growth, wisdom, tolerance, passion, energy, transformation and brightness will surface. Symbolically, this year is considered a return to one’s true nature, a year of self reflection, self-discovery, creativity and inner growth. It is a symbol of rebirth and eternity, the continuous renewal of life. 

Dr. Woo believed that there is no separation in art and life.  She taught the way of “wind and water,” by capturing the special forces of life through her use of the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water.