Original Art Stories - Xueling Zou

Let's celebrate the Year of Goat/Sheep with your family/friends and the loved ones, wish you all HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR filled with Love, Health , Happiness , Prosperity and Peace! Have a great year! 半醒半梦半逍遣, 半俗半乐半过年......

In Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2012 is the Year of the Dragon. It begins on January 23 this year and ends on February 9, 2013 (if your new baby were born during this Lunar year, we call him/her a dragon baby). The Dragon is the fifth sign, which consists of 12 Animal signs. The characteristics of the Dragon Sign are tempered by one of the five Chinese elements of Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth (like other 11 Animal signs). Every 60 years goes through a full cycle. For example, 1952 is the Year of Water Dragon, 2012 is the Year of Water Dragon again. The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend. In ancient China, the Dragon is the imperial symbol, the sign of the emperor, or the male element Yang. The Dragon is the symbol of power and wealth. Today, it is the ultimate auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness. May the celestial Dragon bring great luck to everyone. You can see there are a lot of dragon signs and symbols in China if you have visited the country. E

I am one of the millions who love Henri Matisse's art. I admire not only his modernist color, his abstract perspective, but also his free spirit expressed in art. Fascinated by his inspiration in paper cut-outs based on colored stencils - images are characterized by brilliant colors, swirling lines and arabesques forms in series of jewel-like shapes. His themes range form the circus to female forms amongst the sea... what a genius! "In art, the genuine creator is not just a gifted being, but a person who has succeeded in arranging for their appointed end, a complex of activities, of which the work is the outcome." - Henri Matisse So a crazy idea formed firmly in my head last year, I would love to use some of shapes those Matisse created to design a new series. It took me about 3 months from study to finish the work before last Christmas. I redefined the colors which are fit into a modern home in our 21st century. I painted and named 4 wood panels as "Celebrate