copy after my own cast-drawing "Prodigal Son" 14 years later, August 2026
handwriting by Melancholy on August-23, 2026
The most important thing in art is not how familiar you are with your skill, it's not your knowledge either, but it's your instinct, your feeling, your impulse to make it. If you have great talent since you were born, so you have it. If you don't have it, so you just don't have it, no matter how hard you trying. But the great talent inside you may be sleeping for a decade, even for 20 years until you wake up, and realize it. Learning from teachers and learning from books, as well as learning from practice is very very important. Even though you have great talent, you still need to work extremely hard, to sharpen your pencil, to form your style, gradually. You can not make a personal style all a sudden. Style formed gradually by years of drawing. It's almost your habit during work. How you start a drawing with sketch, and then how you render light and shadow on the picture, including the blurry shadows are very important also. I started cross-hatching 20 years ago when I was a College student at Tsinghua University in Beijing. But at that time, I didn't realize it, didn't recognize myself yet. During the 4 happy exciting years, I was amazed by Vincent Van Gogh, and did some copies from his work. He taught me how to mix colors to paint a blossoming tree. And then when I was standing in the cast-hall of PAFA --- Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art, I was shocked by those beautiful Creek sculptures, and determined to draw my entire life. So I just keep drawing, all the time. But during that time, I wasn't aware of myself yet, I remember that I was always very proud. Until Hao found a job in Washington DC suburb area, actually we moved to Virginia, from New York City. So I started drawing at my lovely small-island studio, right at my home. It was 2016, I started my cross-hatching formally, as my personal style, and keep doing it, to make a group of works, including studio interior series, musician series, fabric series, and master-copies after great artist Leonardo Da Vinci. I am trying to summarize my 10 years here, but there is not much to say, I got used to be work silently. Cross-hatching is a way to look at your subject gradually, to describe it gradually, to show light and shadow puzzle gradually, until it's ripe and finished. Right now I am doing some fundamental training to myself, including cast-drawings and sketches. I bought a Raphael book from Metropolitan Museum of Art when Raphael's exhibition was on there. I notice there are so many beautiful drawings in it, and I decide to learn from it. It's not a shame to do master-copy, quite opposite, it's a very important way to learn how masters work with pencil. And then I will pose with a model to draw the gesture again from life. Right now, I have recognized myself, I see my own great talent inside me. The only thing I decided for my next 10 years or 15 years, is to draw, to draw a great deal, to make great pieces, as well as some failures unavoidable, right here, right at my small-island studio. When I learn from someone, I studied his work intensely, but it took me so long until I get over it, and be independent to be myself. I want to be alone. I want to work quietly, alone. Some old memories or songs may disturb me, but when I am really engaged with my drawing, I could think about it. Read some books, if you have some time, and then you will understand the world better. The next decade since 2027 to 2042, I will do my "New Renaissance“ plan, with my own style. Hopefully I could finish it. I am married with Hao, he is a very friendly person, very nice any time, and he is very supportive to me. I appreciate him a lot. He is my dear Theo, even though we only have just enough for the month going on, but it's ok. I am sorry that I couldn't tutor students right now, because I have to finish my drawing plan first and entirely time doing my drawing alone. But for the coming season, I will do sport a lot, to lose some weight, as my doctor told me to, hopefully I could put on my jeans skirt again. Thank you for viewing my website once a while, it means a lot to me, it gives me hope and encouragement, thank you. I will update once a week. handwriting by Melancholy on August-23.
Xiong Xuan Melancholy'S small-island studio 2016-today
Windowsill-Purplegray, 40 by 60 inches, purple colorpencil on paper, 2016 Autumn
Destiny-Peach, 40 by 60 inches, pink color-pencil on paper, in the series of drapery-study, 2018.
Demo-5, 240 by 60 inches, orange colorpencil on paper, 2022
street-musicians 4, 2024, 60 by 420 inches, pencil on paper
Destiny, 40 by 60 inches, pencil on paper, 2016 summer
sculptures in water, study after Leonardo Da Vinci, for the 8th time, 60 by 80 inches, with blue color-pencil, 2026 summer.
Destiny-Blueberry, 40 by 60 inches, pencil on paper, 2016 Autumn
muster study after Leonardo Da Vinci - 7 is going on, 60 by 80 inches, pencil and color-pencil on paper, April 2026
Door-Street-Musicians (part one) 60 by 80 inches, 2019 Feburary, Glenn Gould always my favorite pianist, I love his Goldberg Variations.
I started master-study after Leonardo Da Vinci - 9 on July 15th, 2026
Destiny-Blueberry-2, by 40 by 60 inches, light blue pencil on paper, 2021 August
Windowsill-Lightness, 40 by 60 inches, blue colorpencil on paper, 2016 Autumn
I am doing a master-copy after Leonardo Da Vinci right now, it's only at the beginning, but it's very beautiful.
Heaviness-2, 40 by 60 inches, pencil on paper, 2017 Spring, trying to catch the blue-light.
Demo 4 , 240 by 60 inches, pencil on paper, 2022
This is the third time doing master-copy after Leonardo, I was trying to figure out the gesture of Baby Jesus, 40 by 60 inches, pencil on paper, 2018.
In The Afternoon, 60 by 80 inches, pencil on paper, 2026 Spring.
Musicians-5, 60 by240 inches, color pencil on paper, starting September 15th 2025
Blackberry enlarged horizontally, and then enlarged.
study after Leonardofor the fourth time, pencil on paper, with different material and different technique, learning how important to make the underpainting sufficient, on 2019-November
study after Barge Haulers on the Volga, 60 by120 inches, pencil on paper, 2023
Demo-2, 60 by 200 inches, pencil on paper, 2019 December, a continuation after Demo, just imagined my surroundings, some peers used to be my classmates, some artists I used to watching dumbfounded, until someday they all fading away from my mind, care so much, but also struggling to be independently flying by myself, I think I have found my path, all sudden everything becomes relief sculptures, self-teaching process accomplished so far.
Destiny-Orange, 40 by 60 inches, orange color-pencil on paper, 2018 Spring
7th floor sculpture classroom, with my unfinished self-portrait in clay, I used to dream of it once in 2012, and this drawing done on 2019 November.
Destiny-Blackberry, 40 by 60 inches, pencil on paper, 2019
Heaviness-1, 40 by 60 inches, pencil on paper, 2016 July.
study after Rapheal, 60 by 160 inches, pencil on paper. 2023
The first time learning after Leonardo, as the models for Demo, 2017, got precious lesson from great masters, at that time, Michelangelo has a solo drawing show at the Met, sometimes I need my dream to be with me, at least imagine someday I have a show like that also, silly, or could be true.
Desrtiny-Green Lemon, 40 by 60 inches, colorpencil on paper, 2018 winter
Symphony at my studio 2022
Demo-6, 240 by 60 inches, green colorpencil on paper, 2022
Musicians - 3 60 by 240 inches, pencil on paper, based on orange bedding, practice what I learn from LEONARDO.
Pencilwork
Meet, 2020, orange color-pencil on paper,60 by 80 inches.
2020- October
"Demo-1", 200 by 60 inches, pencil on paper, 2017, about 7 months lasting till done, a very hot and intense summer time. I was questioning myself: what if saint Mary and baby Jesus posing for me, could I draw any eager? This piece based on my memory and imagination, to honor my former teacher Mike, thank you for giving. He used to teaching drawing at the Art Students of League in New York City, I happened to watch him demo twice in that brief summer time, everything just so fast, a lot got erased by time, only fragments stay in mind.
master study after Leonardo 3 2018
Demo3, 200 by 60 inches, pencil on paper, 2021
Street Musicians -2, 60 by 280 inches, 2019 summer, there are so much I couldn't do anything beyond my drawing, I do care those musicians on the streets, but when I realized that so little I can help except giving them a "stage" to play just on my paper, love to art never becomes less, no matter rich or poor, and care becomes another level of existing, remember the movie "Pianist" well, sometimes daily difficulty could be even more rough than war, when it becomes everlasting, every single day becomes so serious heaviness.
Destiny-Strawberry, 40 by 60 inches, red color-pencil on paper, 2017 Spring