Original Art Stories - Xueling Zou

There are many beautiful portraits that have visually showed us the subject's personality, history and culture.  I think facial expression is another very interesting subject in art.  That is why I love to study it.  I do it differently than some artists who just copying a photo.  I'd rather to know a little bit more about my subject before I start painting.  Here are some some portraits I painted and the stories behind them.  Please visit my online gallery at:  http://xueling-zou.artistwebsites.com/galleries.html to see more. Lady from Bangladesh was the portrait I painted in March 2011. We used to be neighbors for a short while. Her name is Tahmina. She was the mother of three very nice and well-educated boys, with such a sweet character. One early morning, I saw her dressed this lovely traditional pink/magenta sari in the garden, the morning light went through her veil, shining on her face... I went back and grabbed my camera imme...

Magpies are believed to be one of the most intelligent of all animals. In Chinese culture, the magpie is an auspicious bird (the opposite of the crow) which has been depicted in art and literature for thousands of years of history. Magpies appear in the most happy events, representing positive energy for new years celebrations, festivals, birthdays, marriages, anniversaries, and any good news, etc.. I designed "Magpie Singing at the Bath" by adding many auspicious symbolic items, like bamboo (longevity, the spirit of scholars), water(prosperity, opportunity, wealth), and full moon (joyful reunion, especially for family and lovers) against the auspicious red/orange colors in the background expressing good luck, or good news coming from hearing the singing of a magpie, or even better seeing one. February 10, 2012 is the first day of lunar year of the Snake. Chinese usually begin the day by offering prayers and welcoming the gods of heaven and earth. Everyone tries to get there ...

"Learning to walk sets you free. Learning to dance gives you the greatest freedom of all, to express with your whole self the person you are." - Melissa Hayden Lucky me that I can walk, the artistic vision and the rich imagination I have had set my thoughts free. I never had learned to be a ballerina, though it was one of the many dreams of mine. I do not think that I could stand the physical challenge of a dancer, but I do enjoy watching and appreciate deeply every single movement all the dancers make. Ballet really has become one of my most favorite subjects to paint, it has come into my dreams countless times as I am one of those dancing on the stage, and also in ancient Rome I was dancing ballet in the middle of the Colosseum! It might have made me wonder if there was a certain kind of soul that haunted me deeply inside, and this transformed into a vision I saw through my mind's eye. Reading all the novels, stories, and watching all the movies, TV series, we all ...