Original Art Stories - Xueling Zou

Not sure who said, “Dreams are like the paints of a great artist. Your dreams are your paints, the world is your canvas. Believing, is the brush that converts your dreams into a masterpiece of reality.” "Dreaming Girls" is a very special painting to us. I created it in 2007 from one of the 10 photos my husband took during his business trip in Brasil. Also, I was called a "Dreamer" by my girl friends since I was very young. I did enjoy dreaming all the possibilities I could have after I grew up. Though life has taught me to be more grounded since I left my home country, but dreaming helps me overcome many kinds of tough situations, and makes me believe tomorrow is going to be better! So I decided to paint it as a square canvas positioned diagonally to effect a diamond shape to remember who I was back then. In 2009, I had a solo opportunity to display my paintings in a very famous multi-national company in Silicon Valley where I live since 2000. There

In Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2012 is the Year of the Dragon. It begins on January 23 this year and ends on February 9, 2013 (if your new baby were born during this Lunar year, we call him/her a dragon baby). The Dragon is the fifth sign, which consists of 12 Animal signs. The characteristics of the Dragon Sign are tempered by one of the five Chinese elements of Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth (like other 11 Animal signs). Every 60 years goes through a full cycle. For example, 1952 is the Year of Water Dragon, 2012 is the Year of Water Dragon again. The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend. In ancient China, the Dragon is the imperial symbol, the sign of the emperor, or the male element Yang. The Dragon is the symbol of power and wealth. Today, it is the ultimate auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness. May the celestial Dragon bring great luck to everyone. You can see there are a lot of dragon signs and symbols in China if you have visited the country. E

I am not a doctor, but I know that Love and Fear are the Two Basic Emotions In Life. All of us can succeed if we can overcome what has been held within us for so long, slowing down our process of growing healthy and happy in life. We all want to achieve what we have passion to do, especially during the New Year - 2012 just beginning.  I have found Brooks Atkinson's quote to be quite inspiring and want to share it: "Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go." It is always a very good time when we have a new starting point, so Let It Go , may all our dreams come true:-)! http://xueling-zou.artistwebsites.com/featured/let-it-go-xueling-zou.html

I love doing photography too because the result comes out much faster and is more direct than painting. Also, it helps me memorize the beauty of nature, the difference of cultures and the variety of religions I have seen.  It is such a rewarding way to gain knowledge and wisdom to inspire me creating art (don't need worry about other's copy rights either ;-) ).  It helps me to understand others better, meditate and discover my deeper self through all the wonderful subjects. "Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." - Buddha "Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." - Buddha "Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life." - Buddha  "In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be t

Knocking on Heaven's Door I saw this nun walking against the beautiful ruined wall the day I just arrived Antigua, Guatemala in February 2010. So, I followed her in the street and took 2 photos. I painted it after I came back my stedio. The title was inspired by one of the most famous song of Bob Dylan's. Because the way she knocked was very mysterious. Confess...  This is the story of how I was inspired to paint "Confess..." When visiting the extraordinary ruins at Qoricancha (Golden Temple) in Cusco Peru, I followed a guy entering a huge gate into a quiet area, I found myself in the beautiful baroque church of Santa Domingo (I found out later). First I saw a statue of the praying Virgin Mary, illuminated and radiant in front of the alter; second, I turned around and saw many golden arches with painted angels near the ceiling. At the same time I realized that a few workers were doing minor construction. Third, I heard a loud voice in Spanish I couldn't un

To me that it is a long process to get involved in creating art and at the same time gaining balance in life! There are some art works I have done and the stories behind them I would love to share with you in this blog. Art, like dance, music, painting, poetry, sculpture and visual art really can help ourselves, others, community and the earth to heal. If our body, mind, spirit are out of balance, we all can get great benefit from doing art, it really depends on what we have the most passion to do! Religion and the spirit world probably began about 50,000 years ago. Religion is considered to be a universal cultural trait, common to all human cultures worldwide right throughout the history of humanity. ST Patricia This icon I copied from one of Ravenna's splendid mosaics. I love being creative, so I named it as 'St Patricia', because the dark color hair, long nose, big eyes and the sharp chin look just like my mother-in-law, who is half Italian, but she has beautiful gree

I am so thankful and happy to share my art and my stories with you! May your wishes and New Year's dreams come true!!! I have sent a Holiday Greeting to my mail list, including a 25% discount code if you want to purchase any print from my art work at http://xueling-zou.artistwebsites.com/ . To the people are not on my mail list, you can simply enter " CVSJCD " if you want to get 25% off any my print till December 31, 2011. Thank you!!

I am one of the millions who love Henri Matisse's art. I admire not only his modernist color, his abstract perspective, but also his free spirit expressed in art. Fascinated by his inspiration in paper cut-outs based on colored stencils - images are characterized by brilliant colors, swirling lines and arabesques forms in series of jewel-like shapes. His themes range form the circus to female forms amongst the sea... what a genius! "In art, the genuine creator is not just a gifted being, but a person who has succeeded in arranging for their appointed end, a complex of activities, of which the work is the outcome." - Henri Matisse So a crazy idea formed firmly in my head last year, I would love to use some of shapes those Matisse created to design a new series. It took me about 3 months from study to finish the work before last Christmas. I redefined the colors which are fit into a modern home in our 21st century. I painted and named 4 wood panels as "Celebrate

The Little Black Boy BY WILLIAM BLAKE (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) My mother bore me in the southern wild, And I am black, but O! my soul is white; White as an angel is the English child, But I am black, as if bereav'd of light. My mother taught me underneath a tree, And sitting down before the heat of day, She took me on her lap and kissed me, And pointing to the east, began to say: "Look on the rising sun: there God does live, And gives his light, and gives his heat away; And flowers and trees and beasts and men receive Comfort in morning, joy in the noonday. And we are put on earth a little space, That we may learn to bear the beams of love; And these black bodies and this sunburnt face Is but a cloud, and like a shady grove. For when our souls have learn'd the heat to bear, The cloud will vanish; we shall hear his voice, Saying: 'Come out from the grove, my love and care, And round my golden tent like lambs rejoice.' " Th

Being not black nor white, I am pretty sure that I am not the only one Chinese female visual artist interested in studying on black people's face structure, skin tones and the expressions. Since my portrait paintings were uploaded onto the Fine Art America, I have got mostly positive feedback from the artists over the world. Thanks for that! I've been around. I believe a majority of people can live together and get along peacefully! Born and raised in Beijing China, studied and lived in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, traveled to many counties in Asia, Europe and South America and now I have lived in Silicon Valley for over 11 years. I am always interested in different cultures, different people and different food, no political interest at all. America, is one of the biggest countries with multi-cultural identity and we all admire it. If we only could understand each other from the one universal language - Love; if we could treat each just only one race - the human race. Th