Amsterdam Riverside

Another place I visited this summer was Amsterdam, and this is an artwork of a boat on the riverside . These little boats are very common in Amsterdam, and you could see them in almost every river. All of the boats are pretty similar. Amsterdam is a large city near the seaside, and most of the city is just old apartment buildings and boats. I didn't use much color in this painting, but the boats are just so interesting to paint and actually make the city look more modern. I painted this artwork on a 16" x 20" canvas.

The Foot of Mount Titlis

This is an artwork of Mount Titlis, a very famous tourist attraction in Switzerland. Many people visit this area and go on the gondolas to the top of the mountain, where there is a lot of snow. The mountain is very beautiful from high above, and at the bottom, there are many old houses and animals such as cows and horses, like the ones in this artwork. When I painted this landscape, I used a variety of colors and made the mountains merge with the sky to stretch the distance in the artwork. There is also a lot of wild grass near the river, and I mixed many colors to paint the grass. The house and the animals complete the artwork to give it some balance. I painted this artwork on 18" x 24" linen.

German Folk Valley

This is another landscape in Europe, specifically in Germany. We took this picture on our way from Luxembourg to Cologne. The colors in this valley are very rich, and there are many of these kinds of folk valleys in Germany. Mountains are everywhere in Germany, and these villages in the valleys are very beautiful. Normally, you wouldn't see these amazing scenes in other countries, and the little houses in this painting give a little bit of a mellow feeling that captures the eye and allows everything to contrast together. I completed this artwork on a 24" x 30" canvas.

A Piece of Netherland

This June, I also went to Netherland. Windmills are very famous throughout Netherland, and you could see them almost anywhere in the country. Most of Netherland is agriculture and grass covers almost all of the area. The visions of Netherland give a natural feeling and are very beautiful. This artwork is on a 16" x 20" canvas.

Venice Impression 2

This is another painting about Venice on 18" x 24" linen.

Venice Impression 1

In June, I also visited Venice, Italy. I took several amazing pictures there. There are many people in Venice, and the colorful city has many small rivers and bridges. The different parts of the city really attract a lot of tourists. People love to ride in gondolas and take a tour of the city. Also, the designs of the buildings are very interesting and wonderful to study. Everything in Venice is very bright and warm , making it great for plein air painting. I painted this artwork on a 16" x 20" canvas.

Mountainous Switzerland

In June, I travelled to 9 countries in Europe, including Switzerland. This landscape is a view of Switzerland and the beautiful mountains there. These types of mountains are rare in other countries. The valley in this artwork gives it a feeling of nature and the rich green color of the land. This is on a 18 x 24 linen.

Ranger Texas Style

This is a Texas ranger I met at the train station in Palestine, Texas. He looks like any ordinary person, but he has many distinguishing facial features along with the star indicating that he is a Texas ranger. Also, the pose he is giving is quite interesting and his sky blue eyes show off his personality. I painted this ranger on  18" x 24" linen.

Legend Cowboy

This is a cowboy I met on a train at Rusk, Texas when I took a spring break this March. The reason I painted this portrait was because I really liked the expression on this cowboy's face. The eyes give the main characteristics of this cowboy. The background is the windows of the train. I painted this on a 16" x 20" canvas.

Veteran Cowboy

This painting is based on a cowboy working at Enchanted Spring Ranch where I visited last year.  He has a typical character of a cowboy with a fascinating beard. The beard is my favorite part because of the intense colors I used. I painted this painting based on my feeling of color, not the details. Also, the reflection of the sunglasses is very gleaming with glowing colors. I completed this portrait on a 20" x 16" canvas.

Optimism

This conceptual painting suggests optimism and happiness using Chinese opera facial make-up on half my face, coupled with Chinese characters in different forms that have the same meaning as "Happiness".  Opera facial make-up plays the artistic functions of implying commendatory and derogatory connotations and differentiating benevolence and malevolence.  In this sense, facial make-up has obtained the reputation as "painting of heart and soul".  Opera facial make-up, as the product of fine artisanship, has become part of the masterpieces in the thousands years of Chinese culture and art.
At the lower left corner, there is my signature in the form of Chinese seal stamp.

Statue Head Study 2

This is another artwork involving the study of the head structure. This statue head is very interesting to draw, and it tests an artist's skill with different values. Overall, the angle at which this statue head is is a very common way of seeing an object.

Seaside

I used a palette knife to create a scene along a sea shore of blooming flowers, a bright sky and ocean blue water. The different ways of using a palette knife allow me to paint different types of objects, such as the rocks and the grass. Overall, this painting is pretty bright. I completed this artwork on a 18" x 24" canvas.

A Boy's Emotions

This is a study of a statue head in my weekend art class. It is very interesting to see the structure of a head from this angle. This statue head resembles the characteristics of a young boy crying. The emotion allows it to give a real life effect.

Autumn in Zhang Jia Jie

This scene shows the Zhang Jia Jie nature site in China. My grandpa took a few pictures and decided to send me one of them. This painting consists of many rich colors since Autumn is very colorful. The water and trees combine and contrast to make a beautiful scene in nature. I completed this artwork on a 18" x 24" canvas.

Little Barn

This oil painting is quite simple. There is a barn standing in the grass with a lake stretching behind it. Overall, everything contrasts and the main colors I used were green, yellow and blue. I think this artwork is very natural, and it kind of gives the idea of farm life. I completed this artwork in about 90 minutes on a 12" x 16" canvas.

For more of my artworks, please visit my website @ http://www.antonzhouartwork.com/

"Harmony" , by Anton Zhou

It is an oil painting on canvas 18" x 24".

Last spring, my family went to the Hill Country in central Texas, and I was very impressed by the beautiful landscape. This painting is based on a scene at Enchanted Springs Ranch, and it describes the peaceful ranch where different kinds of animals live together and enjoy early spring.

Your comments are welcome,

Anton Zhou

Please visit my website: antonzhouartwork.com for more works,