Original Art Stories - Xueling Zou

Besides being caught in not surprising traffic on U.S. Route 101 as usual, it was a nice breezy morning at the location. Walked around and instantly decided to paint those sailboats parked there. Might Be that I didn't paint enough boats at the event in Alameda, it was only ten days ago. It meant that I was physically recovered from exhausted. As an artist, I think that it is very important to be creative. So I decided not to paint all the boats parking in a row, and "moved" the warehouse building behind the three boats I painted. The composition of this painting looked better than exactly what was in front of my eyes. Saw several other artists painted there as well. Only talked a few, they seemed to all have found what they wanted to paint. (August 15 2024)

So, I had a good reason to stay in bed a little bit longer this morning.  It was a gray day, with a couple drops of rain.  Because of the time difference, my family already called and messaged me for my birthday last night.  My sweet husband left a small birthday note with a tiny chocolate cake and a candle was ready for me when I got up.  Had lunch with three other girl friends, I ordered a vegetarian Vietnamese noodle for a simple celebration.  Then went to one of the ladies house for an hour chat.  Really didn't do much today, and felt I really needed the one day break.  Only checked my birthday messages from all over the world over social medias at night, very grateful feeling from my heart.  Though I won't able to respond each of them... Yesterday was another busy Tuesday from morning till night. My first time paining at Lake Chabot Regional Park in San Leandro. I was lucky that it was quite a smooth drive in the morning to the location....

  Got up earlier than usual during the weekend because my husband wanted to try out his new toy inflatable kayak. We went to Moss Landing to get two birds with one stone. He got exercise and I did another painting at the location after having breakfast with a couple friends at the local cafe. Great to catch up with them, and they had fun together on the water. Finally, I got to paint this fishing boat on the other side of the road, which I thought I wanted to paint at least over ten years. A little struggle, it was gray and windy when I arrived, sun came out when I finished the work, haha keep the game going.... (June 26 2021)

Another gorgeous day. I drove over 100 miles to paint boats. I had to take a thicker jacket off to change a thinner one at the location. Walked around and found these two white boats that were different than all the fishing boats. Also I could be in the shade of a big tree. Struggling through with composition, colors and value, then worked in details. About 80 degrees around noon, no wind. Would be back to paint for sure. Definitely there were more cars on the road. -- March 31 2021

  I almost saved about 45 minutes on #101 to the location because of the pandemic and light traffic. Spent a lot of time drawing this "Harbor Patrol" boat, still I didn't get it right. I forgot that I moved a couple of times to my right so I could paint in the shade. Sun kept rising, finally I had to stand next to a big garbage bin. Took three hours to paint up to this point. I am not happy with the result of today's work, the composition and perspective bother me, but I am quite tired to fix it. My husband has working at home, going to prepare dinner earlier, not mentioned that I didn't have lunch...

It was my first time painting on location since "Shelter in Place". No traffic, great day with fresh air. I enjoyed painting outdoors and my favorite subject. Though the airplanes flying overhead made me feeling sad (I miss my family so much and I don't know when I able to visit them, especially my old mother...). Just tried my best to focus on my work. I didn't follow my study much in my painting. I feel happy now, even though my painting's result wasn't that good... So much going on and I had been feeling depressed. So many times I reminded myself I should go out and paint to avoid reading endless news I feel helpless to change. After a while, I started warning myself that I should not pay too much attention to the news. Since my family is in China... Slowly I have learned how to take better care of myself, my family and my surroundings in a new way, because I don't want to live as a victim of Covid-19, and all the madness and politics that come with. Th...

2020 Day7 Over an hour driving instead of thirty minutes on 101 this morning. Sunny day, came to one of my favorite spots to paint boats. There were clouds, air planes flying overhead, boats, birds and reflections in the water, trees and mountains in distance... I thought a boat on the ground being fixed was an interesting subject. Tried wet into wet technique. I know it is one of the tougher parts to master - using the right amount of water to paint spontaneously. I was happy with the study result. Mike, who was fixing the boat, told me that boat would be here next week. So I think I will be back to paint it again next week. Hopefully it only rains during the evening time, California needs it🌧.

2020 Day2 Have you been to the Red Barn at Stanford? Do you know it was a horse farm that produced champion racehorses before Stanford became a world class university? My first time visiting and painting at the location. It was a beautiful day, I brought a very young Chinese artist friend with me. We met at a watercolor event in Shanghai where she was from last year. She came to visit her relatives in Silicon Valley. She told me that it was her first time being so close to real horses. The barns were very clean and well-organized, and the horses were gentle and well trained. I painted one landscape, she did a couple of sketches. I took a selfie with a super cooperated horse, seemed that she really enjoyed posing, lol... We learned that now the Stanford Red Barn is home to the Stanford Equestrian Team, the Stanford Red Barn Equestrian Center, and their affiliated programs. Definitely I will be back to paint again for sure.

My first time came to this park to paint. Planned it for weeks, but there was a chance of rain. Kept checking on the location's weather, finally I made it. Such a beautiful place, there were docks and boats. Though there was some work going on in the park, and there were frequent airplanes flying overhead, I didn't notice. Happy to meet new people. Will be back to paint for sure. It started raining when I was leaving. Not mention there is traffic all day long on Route 101...

I did 3 paintings today. Which one do you prefer? I have been to Santa Cruz countless times, Santa Cruz Harbor is one of my favorite places. Finally, I went to that location to paint today. Of course, I would never feel tired of painting boats, and painted from 9am till 4pm, had a lunch break at the new location of Aldo's restaurant. People were very friendly, talked to me or questioned about my work. A couple of them would like to know how long takes me to finish one painting. Well, it has been a long time, and took 15 years to me painting today's level and speed. Does it make sense to you? (Updating from September 10, 2018)

I really enjoy painting in Alameda now, just because there are so many different kinds of subjects I love to do, one of them is boats, of course. Yes, I painted at Grand Marina again. I did one of the same boats as during the event week, but I was not happy with the result. So I had to come back to paint it before the opening reception. It was much warmer weather than the week before. Actually I felt hot standing and painting in the sun. The big boat had changed its angle since my drawing was done, they were working on fixing it. A couple of nice local people passing by and told me that they liked my work, thought the boat looked prettier in my painting than the real one. Still I got caught in traffic though I left home in the early afternoon. (Updating from August 10, 2018)

After about four hours sleep, I was all over the place. I painted at Crab Cove beach this morning. It was windy and cold, there was nobody on the beach. After my drawing was done, I had to move to a nearby the bathroom, because the wind kept blowing my painting board. Afternoon, a couple artists including me painted at a private Aeolian Yacht Club. I had my morning experience, so just laid my easel on the dock water counter top to paint. I finished one, saw a nearby artist had done four pastel paintings already, though he started a little earlier than me. Rushed and painted at Grand Marina again. An older age guy came to me and pointed my car and asked me to move. Because it was their reserved spot, his wife just went to shopping. I apologized and moved, thought how I couldn't even see the sign. Exhausted already. Tomorrow is the "Quick Draw", I have no clue what I am going to paint in a very limited amount of time. And I don't know Alameda much... It was only my ...

Every piece before we paint for the event needs to be stamped. My first time to attend an official five-day long Plein Air event. I am the lucky last name on the artist names on the attached flyer. A great way to meet and learn from other artists. Look forward to meeting our local friends. I checked in at Frank Bette Art Center in the morning. It seemed that every artist knew what he/she was doing. My first time I had hard time to organize my own stuff. Met a couple of artists I knew, and met Genie Scot, who manages this event each year. She answered all of my confused questions clearly. I came to the Grand Marian dock, started painting. Felt stiff to paint on the stamped paper. Posting what I have done so far, vertical was the first one, 5"x7", horizontal one I did 2nd, 11"x14". People of Alameda they are nice and friendly. Not only did I got some compliments, but also I think I've got a commission work as well. BTW, I've started to introduce myself as ...

Today looked like a pleasant day, but it was cold and windy at the location, my second time painting here. There were many little flies sticking on to my wet painting. Six hours painting outdoors, light kept changing, but I could finish this 12"x9" small piece painting. Had to wait till it got drier to fix it. Felt starving, cold and tired... (June 1 2018) This original painting and prints are available   @ https://fineartamerica.com/featured/shoreline-lake-boathouse-mountain-view-california-landscape-16-xueling-zou.html

This piece won the 1st place in the Contest - Its A Masterpiece on May 31, 2013. http://fineartamerica.com/contests/its-a-masterpiece.html?tab=leaderboard It is one of my Boats In Front of Buildings series, was inspired by the architecture at Cefalu, Sicily, Italy. This piece won the 1st Place of the Contest - 7 Masterpiece Contest on May 12, 2013. http://fineartamerica.com/contests/7-masterpiece-contest.html?tab=leaderboard It is one of my Boats In Front of Buildings series, was inspired by the architecture on Procida Island, Campania in Italy.  Procida is one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy. The island is between Cape Miseno and the island of Ischia. It is one of my Boats In Front of Buildings series, was inspired by the architecture at Riomaggiore-CinqueTerre, Italy. Riomaggiore is a village and comune in the province of La Spezia, situated in a small valley in the Liguria region of Italy. It is the first of the Cinque Terre one me...

"A work of art is the energy manifestation of the one who created it. It holds the spirit of the artist within its shapes, forms, and colors.... When we observe a painting, the light and energy systems of our bodies and minds meet the energy system of the painting."― Audrey Flack "Art &Soul - Notes on Creating") “Tears are a river that takes you somewhere…Tears lift your boat off the rocks, off dry ground, carrying it downriver to someplace better.”― Clarissa Pinkola Estés (born 27 January 1945; is an American poet, post-trauma specialist and Jungian psychoanalyst) “To put meaning in one's life may end in madness, But life without meaning is the torture Of restlessness and vague desire-- It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.” ― Edgar Lee Masters (1868 – 1950; was an American poet, biographer, and dramatist) “Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need - a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, s...

I really love boats and architecture as well as nature, though I love to paint portraits too. I believe that I just cannot separate them from our life and emotions. Italy's architecture and the lifestyle of the are one of my most favorite subjects. I would love the introduce some of my oil paintings here, hope you will love them as much as I do, thank you! This piece won the 1st place in the Contest - Impressionism and Post Impressionism Influenced Masterpieces on January 22nd, 2013.  Please visit my Oils - Landscape And Still Life Art Gallery at:  https://xueling-zou.pixels.com/collections/oils+landscape John Orley Allen Tate's poems (November 1899 to February 1979; was an American poet, essayist, social commentator, and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congressfrom 1943 to 1944.), who wrote this beautiful poetry about "The Mediterranean". Here is the link:  http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15304

“This was Venice, the flattering and suspect beauty - this city, half fairy tale and half tourist trap, in whose insalubrious air the arts once rankly and voluptuously blossomed, where composers have been inspired to lulling tones of somniferous eroticism.” I am not sure who wrote it, but I felt the same when I was there. There are some my watercolor paintings to express the beauty of Venice: Here is link for viewing my watercolor gallery:  http://xueling-zou.artistwebsites.com/art/all/watercolors Or join me at: FaceBook Instagram Twitter Pinterest

What a great inspiration! Unknown in advance, I had seen the Pacific Voyagers and seven boats at Monterey Bay, California! August 13, 2011, late afternoon sun shone on the weekend Monterey beach. I saw some unusual boats, actually ancient looking boats, mostly like the boats made by Maori people from New Zealand, anchored to the beach in the bay. I was so attracted by the beauty of those boats, and a couple of handsome sailors paddling people back and forth from the beach to the boats. I didn't want to miss this good opportunity, and started shooting... A local lady chatted with me that these were Pacific Voyagers - a group of Pacific Islanders from Aotearoa (New Zealand), Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Vanuatu, and Tonga. They started in April of this year, passing the Marquesas, and Hawaii on their journey. Also she said that I missed seeing the landing, which was a traditional American Indian ceremony for welcom...