Jie Zhou Fine Art

Artist's Statement

Jie Zhou

I grew up living with my Grandmother in Suzhou, China. Water was everywhere. There were dingy canals, stone bridges, and fields with areas of water. This was a vast difference from the stark white walls and dark roofs wbere people would nap on quiet aftenoons. I learned what it was like seeing nature untouched, yet constantly changing. The harmony of the Earth and its wholeness verses the Earth as it has been changed by man. Life is a journey. It is constantly propelling us forward; moving us through Joy, Suffering, and Love. This is why I am moved by the images of everyday people as they live and work together. Sometimes life brings people together through Grace. Sometimes the relationship resembles an embrace, sometimes it is a Dance. In that complex dance we call life, different cultures mix and merge to form a new step of the dance. There will be times that the dance resembles a struggle or conflict, but there is still harmony in that dance as they revolve the movements. The temperate colors and grey tones of my childhood and the discoveries of more vivid beautiful hues of my adulthood linger in my paintings. I hope that they touch you as you are traveling and dancing through your own life journey.