9.22 / the Autumnal Equinox

1. 9.22 /the Autumnal Equinox This was my first watercolor painting. I remembered that I used some dark colors like brown as the main colors. However, I changed my mind because fall season needed more bright colors, such as yellow, red and orange. The vibrant colors express peoples’ good moods because fall is a harvest season and worth celebrating.

2. Air City One day before I painted this picture, I had looked up the Hanging Garden of Babylon. It is such an inspiring wonder that I wanted to create something. Using watercolor in an abstract way I centered a vanishing point in the middle of the painting and then used perspective and color. It was the first time I abstracted an image from my mind.

3. Calligraphy A long time ago, calligraphy was normal writing in daily life. But now, doing calligraphy is a celebration for big events or for some people to show Chinese traditional aesthetic works. This one was written for the best withes to hope the Beijing Olympics would be successful. The four big characters meant Olympic spirit, and those small characters showed how Chinese people looked forward a successful Olympic game.

4. Seasons of A House When I first saw the photo of the peaceful house in the snow, the beauty shocked me. After I finished the painting of winter season, I could feel the warmth from the house, as I could sit near the fire with hot chocolate. I was surprised by the power the picture gave me. I started designing paintings in the different seasons, spring and fall. The final picture is a digital one that combines all three of them and shows the most important and interesting part of each one.

5. Bridge in the Evening One of my favorite painters is Monet. This painting’s idea came from Monet’s oil paintings, especially one named Bridge at Giverny. It was my first experience combining a famous artist’s ideas with my imagination.

6. Melody There are two separate paintings, but they have a connection. These are my first pencil drawing. The details in this painting are also a big step for me, because I observed everything very clearly, and I had to exhibit a lot of patience to have it turn out as I had envisioned. When I dry my hair everyday, I start thinking how it would feel to hear music from it. This idea blended into the music from my headphones, which I very much enjoy.

7. A Black City from Afar The idea was from Industrial Revolution I learned in history class. At this time in history, the world began to become a place where people put making money before environmental problems. Industrial cities all have sad endings. The picture expresses my feeling that the nature is angry with human beings.

8. Calligraphy The one on left I did was the earliest work for a competition. I wrote two poems inspired by different poetic styles but explained the same idea and theme. They both described about an interesting and reclusive life. The one on I did was a gift to my friend for her birthday. It is a poem wrote by a poet named Lu You from Yuan-dynasty. There is a famous sentence about life attitude: Where hills bend, streams wind and the pathway seems to end, past dark willows and flowers in bloom lies another village.

9. On the table This painting was my first representational sketch in colors. Also, I did a lot of detail work for this picture, especially the flowers. This was a new challenge for me, but I feel my calligraphy skills with a brush helped me. I spent one week in portraying the details of flowers very carefully and making value ranges from light to dark.

10. Roaring Tree When I saw a photo of a green tree in daytime from my friend, the idea came up to my mind. I changed the time in the painting, painted it monochromatically and added more from imagination. The amazing tree is magical.

11. Buildings At Night This piece of work is my first 3-dimentional project. It displays an outstanding place for living, because it has a peaceful environment, friendly neighborhood, and colorful activities. It is my dream to live in a place that feels like that.