Original Art Stories - Xueling Zou

"When you follow the dream in your heart, you’re energized, inspired, and motivated.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882 American essayist, lecturer, and poet). It was quiet this morning. Not many people passing by. Later getting busier, many trucks stopped to deliver to shops. Wow, it was so warm, about 78 degrees. I finished drinking a whole bottle of water, it reminded me that I really need more water in summer. Again, there was no light on the wall when I started painting. Tiring day from the heat I guess. Santana Row is not only a residential area, also it is a commercial district, full of designer brand shops, bars and restaurants. I used to be a city girl, enjoyed the city life and activities because I was born and raised in one of the oldest cities, Beijing. California life style or maybe living in Silicon Valley, has changed me so much, outdoors for nature and shopping online are my regular activities. I have been to Santana Row only a few times. On the other side from

HAPPY Chinese New Year! The Chinese calendar rotates through 12 different animals as well as the five elements, with each year consisting of a combination of the two. February 16, 2016 is the first day of lunar year of the Dog(狗). The Chinese regard they as an auspicious animal, they are honest and loyal, they are our best truest and most reliable friends who can understand the human's spirit and obey to the masters. We all love dogs, they are one of my most favorite painting subjects too. Hopefully I will get inspired to paint more dogs soon!

Weather forecast showed that today would be a pleasant day. Early spring, birds were so active hanging around the lake, some of them were chasing others, making a certain amount of sound. I stood in the shade, felt cold in the breezy wind from the lake, so lucky I had my jacket on, though it was 70 degrees out. After four-hours standing and painting, I was starving and got a bad headache. I didn't think it was a smooth day, couldn't find my way home nearby where I lived, had to turn the GPS on. But I still want to go back to paint from a different angle. More original artwork @ http://xueling-zou.pixels.com/

Roberto-Suñol Adobe, San Jose, CA where is a historical place to paint. The garden was beautiful, I started drawing immediately. Then I thought it was complicated and how I could finish this watercolor painting in such a limited time. So I decided only to use my large brushes, ignoring all the details, focusing on light, positive and negative shapes, wet into wet techniques, etc... After the painting done, I joined the tour at the museum, learned some history about this location. Spring is coming, cold in the morning, but it was about 70 degree during noon already.