Original Art Stories - Xueling Zou

It was a grey day, I liked the dramatic sky and fall feeling. There were many kinds of birds, and my first time seeing Goldeye ducks from a distance. There were a lot of people jogging or walking. Some schoolchildren were out there for their nature class. More people were out of the office during lunch break. I painted the second one by turning ninety degrees at the same spot basically. My work got many compliments, including from those young students. It made me happier that more people knew how to appreciate an artist's work in progress, especially in Silicon Valley. An older guy stopped by and started asking so many questions, like where I had learned how to paint, how long does it take to finish a painting, how much does each work cost, was my talent genetic, etc. Then he started imagining if I was living during the Renaissance with all the great talents, etc. Lol... He stopped by again after he had done his jogging, told me that he had five grandchildren, so I decided to p...

"Without great solitude, no serious work is possible." -- Pablo Picasso I keep reminding myself that I don't have to spend hours on the road for one or two paintings at the location each day. Not sure why I keep doing it. Wednesday was my first time painting at Montara State Beach on Cabrillo Hwy. It was cold and gray, only 50 degrees, though I was well prepared. Does it mean "passion", I hope so. It is the artist's duty to be inspired and create. And most time I was really isolated, no signals for cell phone and computer, only my outdoor painting station, and only my working clothes on, and me...

Got caught into traffic in the morning. Spent an hour and half drive for only 30 minutes on location. My first time at this place. Only had enough small change for two hours parking. The park was charming, some workers were trimming the trees while I was painting. Leaves had changed colors, many coy fish swimming in the pond. I could hear the fish jumping, maybe looking for food... I tried to paint as fast as I could, and did a small sketch when waiting for the my painting to dry. Time had run out, had to pack and go. Do you think this painting finished?