Original Art Stories - Xueling Zou

I knew that it was going to rain today, so I was well prepared. I couldn't paint standing up as I usually do, just because it was windy. Arrived earlier, got a chance to sketch the boat and had some wash with watercolors, then it started raining. I painted inside the car for a while. Came back home to finish this rusty fishing boat painting.

A study of my succulent in the garden. Cold weather, watercolor painting is not easy to dry...

Today the morning light on my little cacti with shadow grabbed my attention, here is my sketch. I never thought I would like sketching or painting plants. Now, I have found that I actually enjoy watching and drawing them. Painting outdoors is great, but it takes extra hour(s) on the road most of the time. I've noticed that there are so many subjects I could do just surrounding me in my daily life. I don't think I would run of painting ideas for sure, not mention my endless imagination... Paint daily is a necessary exercise, and it is very important for being an artist, don't you agree?

I've started using a new sketchbook this year. I was interested about the shadows on the staircase so I thought I'd focus on for today's subject. Did a quick drawing, then painted over with watercolors. I thought it was not a good watercolor paper, had forgotten I was only sketching, lol...

🍋This is my lovely lemon tree of nine years now. I propagated it from a one foot long branch which was in a pile of trimmings from the neighbor's tree. I could not believe that I had gotten 6 lemons at the end of the second year for a couple of following years. I learned how to trim it and changed it into a two gallons container last spring, but there were only two lemons from last year. Now, it is blooming again with a lot of flowers that brings me joy and hope each day.

It wasn't a smooth day for sure. Sunny and 65 degrees, perfect for painting outdoors today. I was a little bit behind to start such a lovely day. Trusted Google maps, thought that it could help me to get the location quicker, though I knew the place. Who knew Google maps had directed me to the highway, really not necessary, and added 5 miles more to my trip. After arrived, I tried to find a parking spot, couldn't believe that it took me a while to park my car in the normally tranquil parking lot in the morning. Then I tried to find the local public bathroom which was locked, and most of the restaurants were not opened yet. I dragged my painting stuff across the road, suddenly I fell in middle of the street, hard to get up because I fell in an unusual position. Luckily there was not many cars at that moment. Two ladies came and asked me kindly if I was OK. One was a shopper, the other one worked for a just opened shop along side the road. I thanked them and told them that I a...

Sunny and warm in the morning. Came back to one of my favorite places Halfmoon Bay and painted one of my favorite painting subjects boats. Overdressed again with my down jacket on, but it was always better than having less clothe in winter. Still felf stiff when I drew and painted, really shouldn't stop doing it for two month. Rome wasn't built in one day, art takes lifetime to develop! I will continue creating art for sure. Thanks for all my friends for your support!

Sunny and a warm day at our local nursery. I definitely over dressed with my down jacket on, felt hot in sun. I never thought that there was so much to paint at a nursery, it wasn't easy to make a decision. Time passed by quickly, so I painted this one. Still felt stiff both in my brain and my hand after two months not painting out much. Well, it always is good to get started again, right? Then I used an APP to test the result of today's work by adding a frame.

Do you trust your instant feeling? What a day! I didn't like the paintings I did in Capitola last Thursday, so I had to go again. I checked the weather a few times, wished it would be a lovely day in Capitola. In the morning, Google maps showed me that it would take extra 20 minutes, I thought there was some traffic. Then I realized that I chose to avoid high ways. It was OK, I saw something new through the small road in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was gray when I arrived Capitola just as the weather reported. I walked around and checked a couple of locations I wanted to paint from last week. But they looked so different today, especially some people working on the roofs which were covered with dark plastic; last week I saw that there were beautiful palm trees and shadows on the brown roots I wanted to paint. And it started tiny drops of rain... I waited for a short while, walked and looked around, just didn't have any feeling to paint. Soon the rain disappeared. I though...

Capitola is such a beautiful place to paint.First time painting at the location in a perfect weather condition today. I hadn't been here for a couple of years. Actually I arrived early this morning, walked around, found a lovely spot painting the windmill house across the water. There was a car that tried to drive through, the road was so narrow, I had to stop painting and squeeze all my stuff and myself against a tree, otherwise, we would all fall down the slope into the water. After a lunch break, I painted the colorful houses. I didn't know there was a big hidden garbage bin next to me for collecting all the trash from the restaurant. It was a little bit smelly. Besides, I was kind of blocking the walkway for the customers or people working there a bit. Lucky, it was not during rush hour, I didn't move much. It was already 4:15pm, but my second painting wasn't finished... Long day, I am tired. (Updating from September 20, 2018)