"Greenhouse lighthouse" fantasy oil painting 11"×14" ©YueZeng2025 Initial thought I wondered what it would be like if a lighthouse were made of glass. Then I realized that a building made of glass is called a "greenhouse"😂. Inspired by this idea, I created a greenhouse lighthouse oil painting. So here it is—the greenhouse lighthouse. It standsContinue reading "“Greenhouse lighthouse” Fantasy oil painting"
“Moonlight sailing” Fantasy oil painting
"Moonlight sailing" fantasy oil painting 16"×20" ©YueZeng2025 Initial thoughts This idea actually came to me when I first started painting in 2018. At that time, I was refining my skills but kept wondering what subjects or themes I would like to explore in the future. One captivating idea was creating a moonlight sailing fantasy oilContinue reading "“Moonlight sailing” Fantasy oil painting"
Exploring fabric dye and needle work on linen canvas for oil painting
"Gone fishing" fabric patchwork oil painting 11" ×14" ©YueZeng2025 Previous experiment Please check out my pervious experiment for background context. Project ideas 1) Dog portrait This piece is similar to the cat one. I paint directly on dyed fabric, but the difference is that I transferred the line drawing before dyeing the fabric. 2) GoneContinue reading "Exploring fabric dye and needle work on linen canvas for oil painting"
“Lightning tree” Fantasy oil painting
"Lightning tree" fantasy oil painting 16"×20" ©YueZeng2025 Initial thoughts The idea starts with "tree of life". Since the lightning patterns resemble tree roots, I want to place a giant, mysterious tree above the lightning. Initially, I considered a regular tree with green leaves, but I soon realized that everything would appear dark without an additionalContinue reading "“Lightning tree” Fantasy oil painting"
“Teleporting train” Fantasy oil painting
"Teleporting train" fantasy oil painting 11"×14" ©YueZeng2025 Initial thought I had been considering painting a teleportation scene for some time but had not yet decided on the main subject. Then, earlier this year, news about the California wildfires was everywhere. It’s not just California; here in Minnesota, we are also affected by wildfires in CanadaContinue reading "“Teleporting train” Fantasy oil painting"
“Gold ravens” Fantasy oil painting
"Gold ravens" fantasy oil painting 16"×20" ©YueZeng2025 The story In ancient Chinese mythology, there are ten suns. And there are ten gold ravens carrying each sun. Everyday, one of them flies up high across the sky. They take turns to light up the world. By the end of the day, the gold raven will returnContinue reading "“Gold ravens” Fantasy oil painting"
“The false eye” Fantasy oil painting
"The false eye" fantasy oil painting 11"×14" ©YueZeng2025 Initial thought Ever since I saw the butterfly with the owl's eye, I wanted to put it on real cat's face. I tried it once 5 years ago but didn't like it half way there. So that piece was left behind and collecting dust. Old work ofContinue reading "“The false eye” Fantasy oil painting"
“Castle on cloud” Fantasy oil painting
"Castle on cloud" fantasy oil painting 11"×14" ©YueZeng2025 Initial thought Clouds are in all sizes and shapes. We often like to imagine what a piece of cloud looks like. Sometimes, the shape of high thunderstorm cloud looks like it could easily host a castle. So what about a real castle? A real white castle onContinue reading "“Castle on cloud” Fantasy oil painting"
“Dragon in distance” Fantasy oil painting
"Dragon in distance" fantasy oil painting 11"×14" ©YueZeng2025 Initial thought I've always wanted to paint some creatures from ancient mythology. Dragon is a very good one. And as you may know, Chinese dragon doesn't have wings. Yes they can fly and swim and go wherever they want without wings. In Chinese culture, dragon is oftenContinue reading "“Dragon in distance” Fantasy oil painting"
“Dragon gate” Fantasy oil painting
"Dragon gate" fantasy oil painting 16"×20" ©YueZeng2025 The story This dragon gate fantasy oil painting depicts the theme of 鱼跃龙门 [Yu Yue Long Men] This proverb comes from a folktale about carp leaping over Mount Dragon Gate to get to a beautiful lake on the other side. The folktale is believed to have taken shapeContinue reading "“Dragon gate” Fantasy oil painting"