Original Art Stories - Xueling Zou

Today is Andy Warhol's birthday, he was born on August 6, 1928. Unfortunately, he died in 1987, at the age of 58. Some of my artworks were inspired by him. Of course, creating and exploring in a different visual world was challenging, but I really enjoy it! Andy Warhol was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art, who had an incredible life that many still seek to emulate. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture and advertisement that flourished by the 1960s. After a successful career as a commercial illustrator, Warhol became a renowned and sometimes controversial artist.

This painting took me so long to finish! I started painting it at the beginning of January this year, then I went back to China for a visit at the end of February. Coming back to my studio it was almost in May! I could not follow up with my own feeling to continue this piece. It did help me to complete this painting after I set myself a dead-line. Camogli (Camuggi in Genoese dialect) is a small Italian fishing village and tourist resort located on the west side of the peninsula of Portofino, on the Golfo Paradiso at the Riviera di Levante, in the province of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The former fishing village of Camogli, which now lives mainly from tourism, is known for its colorful houses that line behind the beach.The colors once helped the fishermen of Camogli, easier to catch the way back to their port.

I didn't paint for almost half a year, not sure what kind of mood blocked me... Actually, I wanted to do it, still had a lot of great ideas, but felt it not easy to focus, or might have been there was some interruption going on... I was told that some artists went through this kind of period, could be shorter or longer... So, I did not worry too much, and waited until I finally finished this still life painting. It really took me for a longer time to finish the painting, but I am glad that I could paint again! At the same time, I found my most earliest still life painting which I did when I was a child without any art instruction... It still surprised me that I painted it purely, directly from what I saw, not from how I felt. I really believe now that II have grown up and older... LOL...