Original Art Stories - Xueling Zou

Being an artist not living in my motherland, family has become the most tender treasure hidden deep inside my heart! Every single door I pass by has brought me so much imagination and curiosity unconsciously. And creativity craftsmanship stimulates my artistic sensibilities. Some of them witness centuries of history and others wear the character of the natural disasters they have lived through, making them all the more interesting to share. This gallery is full of documentary images in which I focus on the doors and door decor, including some windows that caught my eye, especially in the different cultures I have been exposed to. (Please click the image to enlarge) In Peru, there were so many beautiful craftsmanship work. I would love to share some of my captures. Welcome to visit my Door And Window Collection Art Gallery: http://xueling-zou.artistwebsites.com/art/all/photography+-+door+and+window+collection/all "The doors of wisdom are never shut." ― Benjamin Frankl...

(Please click the image to enlarge) Machu Picchu is located in the Cusco Region of Peru, South America, which is 2,430 meters (7,970 ft) above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 kilometers 50 mi) northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire. The construction of Machu Picchu appears to date from the period of the two great Incas, Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui (1438-71) and Tupac Inca Yupanqui(1472-93). It was abandoned just over 100 years later, in 1572, as a belated result of the Spanish Conquest. It has become the most familiar icon of the Inca World. (Please click the image to enlarge) (Please click the image to enlarge) (Please click the image to enlarge) (Please click the image to enlarge) (Please click the image to enlarge) Breath taking scenes I sa...

That was one of my favorite trips in Peru, though it was too short. I love Peruvian culture and people. Their unique architecture, beautifully designed traditional textiles... So much to learn and appreciate. Next one I will post photos I captured from one of the most famous ancient landmarks - Machu Picchu, I feel proud just having been there... This piece memorializes a moment from one of my travel experiences. Although we only spent a few days in Cusco, Peru before we headed to Machu Picchu , my impression remains vivid - the expression of this little girl whose mother carried her without complaint up and down the endless uneven steps in this beautiful but ancient city built of millions of stones, and thousands of steps... At the altitude it was hard enough to even breath let alone carry the extra weight of this child who was 4-5 year's-old, not a young baby. Her curious glance captured my attention and I was so touched by the mother and daughter' s relationship and their de...

This was the boy I captured and planned to paint in 2009 during my first visit to Argentina without speaking a single Spanish word. After landing in the beautiful old colonial architecture city, which has a natural scenery of the valleys westward - Salta located in northwestern Argentina, we were exhausted and starving, could not wait for most of the restaurants opened at 7PM. When travelling, we love to follow local people to try their really traditional food. Walking around the city, we found this small Empanadas Restaurant was full of local people in the very center of the downtown. Quickly we decided to give a try. We just learned how to order water, hadn't had learnt to count in Spanish yet. Most of families were sitting together eating there on this late of a Saturday afternoon. A young boy - about eight or nine years old immediately ran in front of us to take our order after we just sat down. I pointed at the other table's food, and showed my fingers one by one. We...

Colorful La Boca grew to become an Italian (mostly from Genoa) district of Buenos Aires, Argentina in a very short time in mid-19th-century. It used to be the area where Italian immigrants arrived, and settled in the poorest of conditions. Their houses were built by the leftover corrugated iron and other waste found in the nearby harbour and industry on the Riachuelo river. In order to make the neighbourhood more interesting, they decided to paint their houses in bright colors by using the leftover paint from boats - hence the many different colours that can be seen. Where first a small river flowed, the area that now is Caminito had tracks installed, and when those were not used anymore, this developed into an ugly, abandoned part of La Boca. There were several museums with paintings portraying its hard-working inhabitants in the shipyards and on the docks. Local artist Quinquela Martín painted the walls of the street, which now we know as Caminito (which means little path in Spanish)...

Not sure who said, “Dreams are like the paints of a great artist. Your dreams are your paints, the world is your canvas. Believing, is the brush that converts your dreams into a masterpiece of reality.” "Dreaming Girls" is a very special painting to us. I created it in 2007 from one of the 10 photos my husband took during his business trip in Brasil. Also, I was called a "Dreamer" by my girl friends since I was very young. I did enjoy dreaming all the possibilities I could have after I grew up. Though life has taught me to be more grounded since I left my home country, but dreaming helps me overcome many kinds of tough situations, and makes me believe tomorrow is going to be better! So I decided to paint it as a square canvas positioned diagonally to effect a diamond shape to remember who I was back then. In 2009, I had a solo opportunity to display my paintings in a very famous multi-national company in Silicon Valley where I live since 2000. There...