Where do we come from, and where do we go? This timeless question lingers in the human mind. As an artist, I respond by endlessly posing this inquiry while painting my own paradise, free from the constraints of time, space, and life itself.

In my paintings, a small female traveler quietly continues her journey toward paradise. She climbs steep cliffs and crosses endless deserts, fords rivers and oceans, and moves forward with courage even in moments of trial. At times, she rides on the back of a leopard, sits among plants to contemplate the grandeur of nature, plays among flowers on the grasslands, or reclines by the seaside to enjoy sweet repose.

Her ultimate destination is an oasis blooming with flowers and equatorial plants between vast highlands. Here dwell sacred animals: white leopards with golden eyes and heart-shaped red noses who greet the traveler. Leopard cubs swim in the oasis, climb trees, and spend their afternoons in play. The black leopard appears as the white leopard’s companion and lover. They are the only beasts of the paradise, guardians both fierce and tender. Their heart-shaped noses symbolize a life without conflict, transformed by love, representing a utopian vision of eternal happiness.

A great golden-leafed tree, symbolizing abundance, serves as both playground and resting place. The plants are in full bloom and bear fruit, embodying the apex of nature’s perfection in an ideal world. In this abundant paradise, nature itself is sacred, a subject of reverence, and exists in deep harmony with humanity. Whale sharks circle a small island, symbolizing unseen order. Curious pandas represent children, while great flamingos in flight stand for crowds. Insects like ladybugs and butterflies serve as guides to prevent the traveler from losing her way, and a chameleon perched high above acts as the watchful observer. This landscape of an oasis, devoid of man-made objects, is a miniature reflection of how I envision the world.

The exclusive focus on natural elements traces back to the secret garden my father created for me in childhood. Down a path, past large leaves and across a spring’s wooden bridge, lay our garden. There, I raised animals, observed plants, breathed the earth, and gazed at the sky. Later, I sketched nature from a hillside home by a lake under the great moon and stars. These childhood memories were the most perfect moments of love in my life, and they continue to function as sketches—an organic bridge—between my ideals and reality.

The expressive quality of my work lies in the technique: I apply oil paint mixed with metal knives in thin overlapping layers. As a sculptor trained in metalwork, I forge knives that allow me to blend pigments and apply high-chroma colors with delicacy. With a heart full of anticipation, I build each layer, drying and reapplying, until the canvas opens into a new world. This long process mirrors a journey through endless roads and mountain climbs, guiding me into realms of immersion and imagination where paradise unfolds.

I believe everyone carries a personal paradise within their heart. In mine, beneath moonlight, tender white leopards play with mysterious plants and animals in harmony. What about you? May you find yourself reflected in the oasis of my paintings, stirring waves in your own hidden paradise—like the sudden discovery of a secret treasure map in the midst of life’s unsteady journey.