Original Art Stories - Xueling Zou

(Please click the image to enlarge) The magpie, xi que, a bird symbolizing great joy, can appear in these forms: plum blossom is said to be a sign of good luck, friendship and happiness. Two magpies, shuang xi 双喜(囍), symbolized the wish that you find each other in joy. Chinese use both words and a pair of magpies symbols for wedding, anniversary and business success. The rebus of a magpie depicted at the top of a branch has the meaning of happiness before your face," or xi shang mei shao 喜上眉梢. If you would like to know more about magpies, please visit: http://originalartstories.blogspot.com/2013/02/happy-lunar-new-year-painting-with.html

Like most artists, I love painting animals too:-)! No matter if they are pets or animals in nature, they all have their own expressions. Before I start to paint or draw on canvas or paper, I usually study how to capture individual or groups of any kind of living creatures. Doesn't matter in my vibrant color palette or in a duo-tone drawing or if it is in a more realistic style to more abstract. The composition is always my first priority, and then the movement, and then the expression. What I believe is always to pay more attention to everything surrounding daily life, how the animals live, where, and what they do etc.. It helps me to find more subjects to paint. Actually, I never run out of ideas to paint. And day by day, I can add up more experience, when I am ready to paint the subject, even if I don't have enough study materials, there is a lot of information in my mind already. So, I can just follow my my feeling to create them on canvas and bring them to life. Th