In the Path of Morning Sunlight on Balmoral Bay

In the Street Light on a winter night

In the Receding Sunlight

On the bank of Assiniboine River at Dinsdale Park of Brandon

From Dinsdale Park Brandon early in the afternoon

A Brandon Skyline viewed from Dinsdale Park

The Provincial Exhibit building in morning sunlight on Keystone grounds Brandon

From the Frozen Assiniboine River in Brandon

Looking over the frozen Assiniboine River at the distant Brandon skyline.

It is so peaceful to stand by the frozen Assibinoine River behind the Riverbank Discover Centre of Brandon to do this small oil sketch after a busy shopping at the shopping centre today at 1 p.m. It was cold and windy with mostly cloudy sky. However, the absolute silence was so comforting and refreshing to me.

A glimpse of Evening Sky looking out of our window at 5 p.m

In the path of late afternoon sunshine

A quick oil sketch from our front yard on Balmoral Bay at 3 this afternoon.

In the path of early morning sunlight a glimpse out of the window at 8:30 this morning

Our Snow-covered Back Alley at noon hour

In Memory of the Connors

I can not remember how many paintings I have painted over the years of the backyard view looking out of our window, The Connors whose backyard has been the source of inspiration to so many of my paintings have both passed away but their memory came alive each time I pick up my brush and paint this view. Their kindness and generosity as a neighbor and their unconditional love to their children are what will keep their memory alive forever. This is my painted memory to them on this beautiful winter morning of November 18, 2017

In the Path Of Early Morning Sunlight

In the Path of Receding Sunlight

The challenge of painting outdoor in winter afternoon is the swift change of light which demands a very quick and resolute response on the painter. Yesterday it was relatively warm when I stepped outside on my front yard to paint this rather big painting of 18 inches by 24 inches. However, it was close to 3 p.m already when I started and I could see how quickly the sun light had already started to recede with the cool shadow from our house encroaching . Although I have painted hundreds of paintings from our front yard over the years, I am still captivated by the interplay of light, colour and shadows especially at this time of the day and at this time of the year. I finished this painting in less than an hour before the light was far gone.

Walking to school in early winter morning light

Landmarks of Columbus Indiana of the United States a collection of my plein air paintings from my two week trip to the most remarkable city

This collection of my plein air oil paintings was created from my two week trip to the most extraordinary city of Columbus Indianan USA where my brother Clyde Xi and sister Lynn Zhao and their families have called home for many years. Columbus is extraordinary with a very contemporary modern appearance but deeply rooted in tradition. My two week stay there gives me the opportunity to paint en plein air the city's extraordinary landmarks created by some of the world most famous architects such as I.M. Pei also well known for his Louvre Pyramid in Paris, and Eliel Saarinen also well known for his National Museum of Finland. Columbus is also extraordinary for it is the birthplace of Cummins, an American Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines , which also employs four members from my family. It is so exciting for me to paint up so close the creations by these extraordinary artists. I have left all these paintings to my brother who will find a proper occasion to auction them off to raise money for local community.

A window view on a beautiful autumn morning

Tiger Hills Art Centre Building steeped in morning sunshine in Holland Manitoba

Brandon University Original Building Steeped in the Morning Sunshine at 11 this morning October 11, 2017

Brandon University Original Building Steeped in the Morning Sunshine at 11 this morning October 11, 2017
Reached Brandon University around 11 this morning , and after parking my car in front of the original building on BU campus , and feeding the parking meter with enough coins, i started to paint right away with a sense of urgency knowing that in a matter of an hour, the morning light will shift away from the facade of the building and leaving it too dark. It is no doubt rather a challenging task to try to finish a fair big sized canvas in less than two hours from beginning to the end. It is always exciting to me to come to the campus to paint especially when you could meet some new interesting people as well as seeing some old acquaintances. Today towards the end of my painting session, I had the great pleasure of meeting Mr. Gerald Butler who is a BU alumnus from the early 60s, who contributes financially towards BU Indigenous teachers education programs and is the owner and president of BCWB Financial Care in Winnipeg. The wind was getting worse and I had to hold the easel steady with one hand , and so glad that I was able to finish less about two hours with a sense of satisfaction.

In the path of early morning sunshine

Color of Fall, a view over Meadow View Road in Onanole MB

Memory from Childhood in Ripid City Manitoba

As the request from Ellen in the States I drove to the beautiful small town in Manitoba to paint this view to mark her 50th birthday.

Clear Lake in its autumn splendor Riding Mountain National park Manitoba Canada

Did not plan to paint this view of Clear Lake but when the colour and light from the lake caught my eyes while driving by , it was simply irresistible.

Full Moon Night looking out of the window

By the road side to Brandon Hills on a beautiful autumn morning

Brandon Court House in full sunshine on an autumn morning

Color of the Fall from our Balmoral Bay

A Wedding to Remember

Yesterday afternoon on Brandon Research Station grounds. They could not find a more beautiful spot to have their wedding ceremony than the ground of Brandon Research Station. Surrounded by beautiful oak trees with a glimpse of Brandon City center in the distance , with family and friends standing by carrying with them the best wishes for the newly weds, and accompanied by Bach's music , Robert Latka and Jo-Anna Wells exchanged their wedding vows. I had the great pleasure to set up my easel on site to record in oil colors using my best effort a snapshot of the ongoing ceremony at 4 p.m yesterday afternoon.

Grain Elevators in Inglis Manitoba A Monument to Prairie Agriculture

Finally after an hour and half drive through the most beautiful prairie landscapes , we stopped at the most famed Inglis grain elevators built between 1920 and 1925. They have been standing there for over four scores of years by the railway track like silent sentinels witnessing the rise and fall of the fortune of so many generations of prairie farmers. I had again so little time to spare at my final destination today as we have to return to Brandon in the afternoon. With the strong gust of wind, it was really a struggle to hold my hand steady to paint , and for a hour or so I had to hold steady my easel with my left hand against the strong wind while painting. However, the thrill of painting carried me through to a satisfying finish.