Born in Nanking, China in 1947
Master of Fine Arts, New York City University, New York, U.S.A.
Master of Computer Science, New York University, New York, U.S.A.
Bachelor of Fine Arts, New York Long Island Stone Brook University, New York, U.S.A.
Bachelor of Fine Arts, National Taiwan College of the Arts

Esther Dai's artistic talent became obvious from a very early age. Upon graduation from high school, she was accepted at the prestigious National Taiwan College of the Arts where she had the opportunity to study under renowned professional artists such as Li mei-shu, Liao ji-chun, Yang san-lang, Hong rue-lin, oil on canvas; Li ze-fan, water colors; and Chen jing-rong, sketching. She was thus able to develop her expertise and skills in these areas.

In 1974 she travelled to New York to explore the vibrant art scene in that city. She spent fifteen years there during which time she attained both a B.F.A. and a M.F.A., in addition to a Master's Degree in Computer Science. During this time, she was able to finance her studies by working in Cape Cod as a portrait painter. She credits her exposure to such noted portrait painters as John Howard Sanden, Daniel Greene and Joe Hine Lowe for her success and popularity as a portrait painter which enabled her to support herself whilst studying and living in New York.

A feature of Esther's work has to be her use and understanding of colour. Her skill, particularly with portraits, has gained her commissions from many notable figures including family members of the former President of Taiwan: Song mei-ling, Kong xiang-xi, Song ai-ling and Kong ling-kai.
With great skill she is able to capture the very essence of personality in her portraits. One notable achievement of Esther was the winning of a commission to paint eighty portraits for display at the Historic Museum in Bermuda. Included in the portraits was that of the Premier of Bermuda, Edward Trenion Richards. Due to the immense satisfaction of the Museum's Governing Board, Esther was invited to paint her own portrait for display.

Additionally, Esther has an educational background, and thus expertise, in the areas of electronic art and multimedia. Over the years, Esther has been the recipient of research and teaching awards both from the Ministry of Education in Taiwan and from the Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei. Moreover, she has held numerous planning, organizing, consulting and auditing positions in Government Departments as well as in the private sector. She was instrumental in setting up the Graduate Program in Multimedia Studies at the National Taiwan University of the Arts.

After returning to Taiwan in 1988, she became the Dean and Associate Professor of the Applied Arts Department, Fu Jen Catholic University. Her goal at that time was to promote excellence in programming for students as well as to hire top faculty for the University. Esther has enjoyed her academic associations, and remains a popular and talented professor. However her first love continues to be her art. Throughout her life, her varied exposures and experiences have only added to her considerable success as one of Taiwan's more prominent artists.