Listening to the Flowers Bloom
听见花开的声音
Listening the Flowers Bloom is a lyrical ink-and-colour painting that explores the inner resonance of nature through the motif of the lotus.
Rendered with soft washes and refined brushwork, the lotus blossoms rise from still water with a sense of purity and quiet vitality. The composition balances delicacy and strength—the hallmark of Zhang Huaicun’s visual language—inviting the viewer into a realm where sound, colour, and spirit meet.
Shown at the National Art Museum of China, and later featured in the Chelsea Arts Club Year Book, the work was selected as an award-winning piece and reproduced in the Club’s Yearbook. It has since become one of the artist’s emblematic lotus paintings, expressing her belief that “even the smallest soul is part of nature, and every flower has its own voice.”
Media
Traditional Chinese Ink on rice paper
Artist
Huaicun Zhang Hon.RBA FRSA (张怀存)
Year
2022
The True Kindness
真善者
This owl painting by Huang Yongyu presents the bird with a direct, almost human gaze—calm, sharp, and quietly humorous.
Executed in ink and colour on paper, the brushwork is swift yet precise, capturing both the softness of feathers and the symbolic intensity of the eyes. The composition is typically accompanied by Huang’s playful inscription—often related to kindness, sincerity, or self-cultivation—reflecting his belief that true goodness comes from an inner freedom rather than effort.
The owl, long associated with wisdom, becomes in Huang’s hands a gentle self-portrait: witty, solitary, thoughtful, and resilient. The combination of lively lines, restrained colour, and philosophical inscription makes the work a perfect example of Huang’s mature artistic voice.
Media
Traditional Chinese Ink and colour on paper
(Traditional Chinese Ink painting mixed with expressive colour washes, accompanied by artist’s handwritten inscription and red seals.)
Artist
Yongyu Huang (黄永玉, 1924-2023)
Year
c. 1980-1990s
Lu Xun
鲁迅先生
This limited-edition colour woodblock print portrays Lu Xun, one of the most influential writers in modern Chinese history.
In this work, Wu Biduan uses layered water-based pigments and the expressive textures of woodcut carving to capture Lu Xun’s intellectual sharpness, humanity, and enduring cultural presence.
The edition number 81/155 indicates that this print is part of a carefully controlled limited run, each pulled by hand, giving every impression a unique tactile quality. The combination of bold carving and subtle colour washes demonstrates Wu Biduan’s mastery of the modern Chinese woodcut idiom.
Media
Woodblock print (colour woodcut) Water-based pigment on paper
Edition
81/155
Artist
Biduan Wu (伍必端, b.1926)
Year
1998
My Book
我的书
My Book (1992) by Xu Bing is a woodblock print on paper from an edition of 100. Measuring approximately 34.9 × 49.5 cm, this work forms part of the artist’s critical inquiry into the book as medium and the boundary between literary meaning and visual form. Xu Bing uses traditional printmaking techniques to question how text, object and culture relate to one another.
Media
Woodblock print on paper
Edition
58/100
Artist
Bing Xu(徐冰, b.1955)
Year
1992
Riding the Autumn Wind
乘风的秋
Riding the Autumn Wind presents an autumn scene shaped by movement, atmosphere, and an elegant sense of flow.
Using multi-block colour woodcut techniques, Chao Mei layers transparent pigments to create a soft yet dynamic rendering of the autumn wind moving through the scene.
The interplay between carved lines and colour fields captures both the clarity of the season and the poetic spirit often associated with autumn in Chinese art.
This work exemplifies the artist’s ability to merge craftsmanship with emotion—turning wood, pigment, and paper into a living moment of nature.
Media
Woodblock print on paper
Edition
14/100
Artist
Mei Chao(晁楣)
Year
1998
Harvest-High Autumn
高秋
Harvest-High Autumn (2009) by Li Yanpeng: a colour wood-cut print exploring autumn’s rich textures and the harvest landscape. The multi-block technique harnesses layered carving and print-making to evoke the rhythm and fullness of rural life.
Media
Multi Colour Woodblock print on paper
Edition
63/105
Artist
Yanpeng Li(李彦鹏, 1958-2022)
Year
1998
Bashan Moon
巴山月
Bashan Moon is a fine example of Zou Changyi’s wood-cut work from the late 1990s. The title evokes the “Bashan” region — literally “Ba Mountains” — and the moon imagery suggests a quiet, contemplative moment in nature.
The use of oil-based inks on wood-cut gives the print rich depth and texture; the nearly square dimension (≈ 69 × 61 cm) allows the work to feel balanced and poised. The edition size shows it was produced in a reasonably large run (155) but still limited, adding to its collectibility.
Media
Multi Colour Woodblock print on paper
Edition
89/155
Artist
Changyi Zhou(邹昌义, 1944-2023)
Year
1998
Autumn River
秋江
Autumn River (1998) is a wood-cut print by Mo Ce that evokes the quiet, reflective mood of autumn by the riverbank. The choice of print medium gives a strong textural and linear quality to the scene, allowing the river, foliage and atmosphere of fall to be expressed in a sculptural-graphic manner.
Given the date 1998, this piece belongs to a mature phase of Mo’s print-making where the artist explores seasonal landscapes and employs print techniques to heighten expressive effect.
Media
Multi Colour Woodblock print on paper
Edition
22/105
Artist
Ce Mo(莫测, b.1928)
Year
1998
All the Fun of the Fair
Media
Oil
Artist
Michael Harrison PRBA
Year
2025
Recipease at Notting Hill
Media
Oil
Artist
Michael Harrison PRBA
Year
2014
Snow on the Lake
Media
Oil
Artist
Michael Harrison PRBA
Year
2018