African American Portraits IV - Why I paint
On this special day, I'd love share my story how I started painting African American portraits, because some viewers are always curious about what inspires me to paint them. I was told by many that the colors I painted were warm and soft, and the facial expressions were so well captured. I was asked why I kept painting them instead of others, or if I had a secret reason to do so... A lot of very interesting questions... First I don't think that each artist has to have a hidden reason for painting. I haven't been professionally trained in a real art school. Painting Asian faces is challenging to me. I don't live in a neighborhood full of African Americans, but I enjoy their music and culture. Their face expression can tell a story to a visual artist from China like me. One of my favorite novels is "Gone with the Wind". I read it many times in Chinese, and watched the movie countless times. In June 2007, I visited Atlanta, Georgia. Of course the first