Artist and former Secretary of State March Fong Eu appeared at an exhibition of her paintings at a reception held in the University Union Thursday.

Eu exhibited many of her brush paintings, which reflect her traditional foundations, but also notably incorporate Chinese and avant-garde Western Techniques with Chinese subjects.

Many of her paintings portray the mountains of Kweilin.

“Kweilin is a favorite area to paint in China because of the pointed and jagged peaks of the mountains,” Eu said.

Eu was regarded as one of the hundred most important women in the United States, according to Ladies Home Journal, 1990. She has been in the political arena since 1966 and was elected Secretary of State in 1974 by a record-setting margin.

Her election made Eu the first Asian woman ever to be elected to any State Constitutional office in America, and the first woman to be elected Secretary of State in California. She was re-elected to the position, receiving more votes in contested races than any other candidate for state office. She served five terms as Secretary of State.

Although she has been busy with her political career and as the mother of seven children, Eu never neglected her efforts to improve herself spiritually and intellectually. Unable to speak or read Chinese, she was first introduced to Chinese painting and calligraphy during a trip to Taiwan in 1988 to study the Chinese language.

Her interest in Chinese art has continued to grow, and she now dedicates much of her time to painting.

“Painting is therapy for me,” Eu said when asked about her work.

Eu has studied under many famous Chinese painters and artists, both in the United States and Taiwan. She has blended the essence of each master’s style into her dramatic paintings.