Original Art Stories - Xueling Zou

I am not I. I am this one walking beside me whom I do not see, whom at times I manage to visit, and whom at other times I forget; who remains calm and silent while I talk, and forgives, gently, when I hate, who walks where I am not, who will remain standing when I die. My painting was inspired by the poem of Juan Ramon Jimenez "I Am Not I", translated by Robert Bly. Please view a better image at: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/i-am-not-i-xueling-zou.html

This is one of my first paintings from when I started almost 10 years ago.  I aimed to capture the old Beijing culture with an old man and his bicycle. Typically the retired people enjoy hobbies like carrying pet birds in cages to nearby parks for a morning walk, Chigong, chat, chess game with others... Often they would carry small radios to listen to their favorite channels playing Chinese operas, traditional novels or historical stories. Afternoons would pass with a nap in the park or sitting out enjoying sunlit porches. My painting expresses a moment typical of a day like this in Beijing where I was born and grew up. Please view a better image at:  http://fineartamerica.com/featured/old-man-and-his-bike-xueling-zou.html .   Please view more photos at my Photography - China Gallery: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/xueling-zou.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=47756

(Please click the image to enlarge) The Chinese Moon Festival (also called the Mooncake or Mid-Autumn festival) is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, fell on September 12, 2011. When the moon is at its maximum brightness for the entire year, the Chinese celebrate "zhong qiu jie". Chinese culture is deeply imbedded in traditional festival. The Moon Festival is one of the most important traditional events, just like Christmas and Thanksgiving in the West. The legend surrounding this occasion is about a beautiful lady named "chang er", who flew to the moon with her beloved rabbit named "yu tu" whose coat was pure white as white jade and they have lived there forever. Children are told the story of the moon fairy living in a crystal palace, who comes out to dance on the moon's shadowed surface. The moon cake is the food for the Moon Festival. The Chinese families hold reunions together spending their evening t...

I remember that my father took me to the Beijing Zoo when I was about five one Sunday morning. There were about 20 peacocks that lived on a bird island with a hundred other birds, like crays, swans, ducks, etc... When we arrived, there were some parents with their children watching birds - especially the peacocks. I was told that the peacocks might open up their feathers when they saw pretty colors. Some parents would dress up their children with colorful clothes, but I only wore in my father's favorite color, sky blue. We both mentioned the same white peacock was our favorite. It seemed that white peacock heard us and turned around facing me, then opened up its feathers immediately. A lot of people clapped their hands for what they saw - the most glorious shining feathers opening up against the morning sunlight - like a Chinese fan. Of course to me as a little girl, it was the most beautiful and precious moment to experience joy with my father when he big and strong hand was holdi...

In May 2009, after travelling to the beautiful old city Salta in northern Argentina, we drove to Tilcara, a small pueblo introduced to us in our tour book for its unique architecture! (Please click the image to enlarge) What amazed me was to see so many beautiful homeless dogs there. A young female tourist like us bought a bag of hot dogs to feed them, but they sniffed a second and walked away uninterested. From the eye contact, I realized they were not in need of food at the moment... Every time I see there are so many spoiled dogs, those lonely eyes, expecting only love or a caring family are appearing in my head... Please look into his eyes and see if you get the same message as I did. I thought I should paint him, but I still can not... This was one of those dogs I captured, we were not able to bring them home... Please visit my online gallery of Photography - Animals And People at:  http://xueling-zou.artistwebsites.com/art/all/photography+-+animals+and+people/all...