I love painting. My childhood’s dream was to be an artist. I could imagine a flower, a tree, a cat, or an old lady's face via connecting the natural lines on a marble on the floor, or a piece of water on the land and I often   "painted" a picture in my mind. However, The Culture Revolution started when I was 9 years old. It destroyed my dream.

Fortunately, China has made a tremendous change since the tragedy was finished. March 17, 2003, after I became a senior manager for about 10 years, completed my responsibility to raise my son; company work changed as management art, I took my brushers and restarted my art dream.

I often think it is a pity that I had no an opportunity to learn painting in my golden times. The long-term life and work experience has given me the other kind of knowledge and accumulation, as some cherish intellectual treasure and endless creative source, to bring me so much positive inspiration and creative motivation.

Right now, painting has become a part of my life. It has brought me a calm heart and peaceful life, to treat the others and the world with a wider and tolerant heart.

Since 2003, I have learned and created about 500 paintings. Include: Gouache, Chinese Xie Yi, and Chinese Gongbi. Also, I have created my ownCombined Art Works.

Gouache -- A method of painting with opaque watercolors mixed with a preparation of gum. I started to learn it in March, 2003. I have painted 119 pictures.

Chinese Xie Yi -- Freehand Brushworks, to characterize things by vivid expression and bold outline. It asks artists to paint with brushes and colors directly instead of making a draft at the first. So, we have to pay more attention to its artistic conception instead of the feature itself. I started to learn it in November, 2003 and I have painted 163 ones.

Chinese Gongbi -- Traditional Chinese Realistic Painting, to express something that we are painting with a very detail and realistic style. It asks us to make a draft by pencil carefully, then to color it at least 9 times. Usually, it needs a long time to work with a very elaborate way. So, we have to pay more attention to the feature itself and the skills. I learned Gong Bi first time in 2004 for 2 months. Then I re-started to learn it in September, 2005. Now, I have painted 32 pictures.

Combined Art -- Base on the traditional Chinese painting’s elementries -- poetry, chaligraphy, painting, chops together, plus I created music for Chinese Classical Poems. While translate it into English, play the music, sing the poem in the painting, to create my own art works and art style. I started this explore in June, 2007. Now I have created 32   ones.   

I had bought all of the tools of oil in 2003. I will learn it after I retire. :-)

I enjoy painting flowers and birdswhile I create character painting and landscape.

As a learner, I do hope to bring you a positive enjoyment via my paintings, while to get your help and directions. If you have any suggestions, comments and questions, you are welcomed to write to shirley@ebridge.cn . I will be happy to hear from you and to respond you.   

-- Shirley Yiping Zhang
March 25, 2010