| Mona
is a woman from Southern China. Her Chinese name is Ying
Zhou. She is talented and extraordinary, not only because
of her many abilities: she is an artist, an author, a
designer, and a philosopher, but also because she has
such a pleasant outlook on life and she is highly developed
with deep personal feelings.
At the age of 5, she started
her very first Chinese painting and calligraphy lessons.
At university she majored in oil painting and graphic
design. Her oil paintings combine Realism and Expressionism,
a combination found rarely in the works of such a young
artist. Whether she paints a portrait, a still-life,
or scenery, she makes natural use of her individual
skills, which reflect her understanding of both the
European and Chinese cultures, as well as her profound
love of nature. This combination creates works which
are appealing, in terms of both their visual harmonies
and picturesque qualities.
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Artist Statement: I learned Chinese traditional
watercolor when I was 5 years old. At 11 years old I began to
learn the basis of Western painting: Sketching and Gouache.
From my academic experience at two universities, I have obtained
a solid foundation of drawing and am skilled in realism and
classicism. After studying in China, New Zealand and the United
States, I began to combine the styles of Western and Oriental
by the highest aesthetic integration points. Regardless of my
Oil paintings, Gouache, Watercolor and Chinese paintings, they
all come deeply from my concept of philosophy.
In my opinion, painting is not a competition of the realm
of high technology, but rather the artists’ discernment of
life to the inherent thing in the analysis way of realism,
neoclassicism, as well as impressionism. Painting is not only
the best with the superb painting skills, but more importantly
it has the means to decrypt the philosophy of life with adept
painting technologies; this is my point to reach my target
of paintings in the future.
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Some people are of the opinion
that this is due to her solid, all-round educational
background together with her very keen love for her
fellow humans.
Her paintings, her photography,
her art directions, her documentary writing on her travel
experience, and her literary essays, give one the feeling
of a prominent artist. To collect her works at this
present stage would be a wise decision, and probably
a promising investment. These works of art could also
be worth collecting just for one's own appreciation
and enjoyment. Sooner or later this gifted young lady
can be expected to become famous in one or other of
the fields in which she works.
——Jim Morris
7/16/2006
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