Growing up in China, I have been obsessed with two things from the time when I was a 4-year-old child: observing animals and creating art. These two hobbies of mine eventually shaped me into a young artist who observes from the natural world for inspiration for my art.

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        As part of my hobby when I was young, I kept many pets, including aquatics, reptiles, insects, and birds. I love spending time with them and observing whatever they do. Then, I would find a piece of paper and doodle the animal in remembrance of what I have seen. This continued for years, and I used up thousands of pieces of paper to record my observations.

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        When I moved to the US in 2020, I had to quit all my relationships with the animals I had before. The beginning of the pandemic in early 2020 marked a time when I found myself trapped in a cloud of melancholy and loneliness that seemed to deepen with each passing day. Without any animal companions, as I always had before, my life was missing its lifeblood. Unexpectedly, not long after the pandemic began, I developed a relationship with the most unexpected animals—chickens. Soon, they turned from my new animal companions into my indispensable inspirations for art. I began observing very closely their movement and behavior, and, as before, I would capture their essence under my paintbrush. After the pandemic passed, I began adding new animal species to my “collection,” such as fish, cats, and a bunny.