Original Art Stories - Xueling Zou

Went to Portola Vineyard, my car GPS still directed me to the wrong spot, had to make a three-point turn on such a narrow road. Glad that I went there and met several other artists. Except for one artist who was at the Alameda Plein Air Paint Out last week, the others I hadn't seen for a long time. My subject was the pool house, because the grape vines have not changed colors yet. It was nice to see other artists, and make a little progress as well, though I felt burnt out after Alameda Plein Air event. (August 10 2022)

08/18/2021 Went to paint at the same location twice in one week. Last week it was hot, I focused on painting the barn and winery. Today was gorgeous, I saw a blue tractor that was interesting, instantly decided to paint it. The owner was very kind to allow us to paint there. Two years ago I painted the fall feeling grapes and vines. Spent a little big longer time for the drawing, actually I really didn't care much for the details, but ended up there was plenty of details in my work. Think I did better last week, and played with the dog after. Not today, I added the dog into my painting later.  Nice practice again!  Which one do you prefer? 08/25/2021

Napa Valley is considered one of the premier wine regions in the world, with hundreds of vineyards set amid rolling hills. I have been there many times, but not every time I could capture the scenes I love, sometimes I was in a rush, other time the weather or lighting wasn't right. Just like wine tasting, not each time you could experience the most delicious taste. Autumn is always my favorite season. It is still warm, colorful everywhere with harvest, and I usually can get the most of inspiration. Once I saw a perfect wine country scenery just in perfect timing during autumn in Napa, but I forgot to charge the battery in my camera. I guess it is one of the reasons I have to go back. Ha ha ha... It wasn't easy for agriculture in California since it hasn't rained enough for years. I saw colors are different this year through the incredible scenery, the layering of lines and patterns in the valley. It had built up more ochre yellow all over, especially in those war...

Wine tasting is always an excitement for my husband, so he signed up for one with his company. Any alcohol makes me feel extremely thirsty, I am not as huge a fan as him, so, it is not a big deal to me.  I'd rather enjoy and always am inspired by nature!  It was only Wednesday, usually he works long hours. But today's event made both us in a very light mood. Byington is a family-owned winery, located in the Santa Cruz Mountains in the South Bay, California, only about 30 minutes drive from Silicon Valley where we live, if there is no traffic. There are 95-acres of estate owned by the Byington family, and it is the home of their Italian-style chateau winery and vineyard operation. While my husband enjoyed the wine tasting with his co-workers, I had a tranquil moment walking up the rolling hills between the rows of grapes and taking footage by myself, far away from the noise and busy life. What a perfect day in autumn visiting a winery, with a wonderful dry...