About my art: I am a pencil-work artist, because I swear to make drawing only, and the reason for that because I like the texture of pencil, like sand by seaside, I walk there, feel the sand underneath my feet, leaving footsteps behind me. I work with mechanical pencil, because it save me time to shave it, and because it can reach max level of fineness, especially when it's a classical art theme, for example, my "Street-Musicians" series. I do cross-hatching gradually, rather then put darkest dark immediately, I perceive light and shadow gradually, especially the strongest contrast between light and shadow, it takes time to understand why somewhere looks stronger than elsewhere, it's the earliest lesson I learnt since childhood, which is if the light comes from right, then the shadow will be on the opposite side, the farther it's distant from the light-source, the weaker it appears, and contours under the dark areas will be blurry, as it retreating into the background. I do not use cotton or stump to smear pencil marks, I just build up with my mechanical pencil, because I prefer leave some texture of cross-hatching on the paper. My drawing paper are board mat using in frame-shop, it's strong enough to let me do cross-hatching for 50 layers. I do vertically and diagonally, and then I turn my paper horizontally, to be able to do cross-hatching from the opposite direction. Gradually I have trained my eyes to continue working when it's turned horizontally. I love my printing pictures, it teaches me to observe carefully, and be patient during working. I know there are differences between photos and actual drawings, and I do not try to mimic to be the same as what I trying to learn, especially when some contours look so sharp that it must look like a paper-cut if I make the shape sharply, that's where I decided to smear the contours, to make it fading away and retreating back until disappeared gradually, so that you could feel the space around the figure. I love classical paintings, especially the Renaissance period of time, I got amazed by the calm, peaceful, serenely mood in the pictures, including Greek sculptures can refract the atmosphere of something holy and beautiful. I noticed in classical paintings, there are blurry contours retreating around the figures, to step back into the darker background. I always darken the background to be darker gray, because in reality, no matter where I look at, there are backgrounds around whatever I am looking at, and there is no absolute whiteness background, so I darken the sky and the foreground darker, gradually, of course. The areas the feet stepping on will be dramatically dark, it's the darkest dark in the picture. I still haven't figure out darkest dark mixed with oil, the technique is unknown for me, I put it aside right now, I will find the way later on. I do not like charcoal and white chalk, because my logic is the build up light and shadow effect gradually, and indirectly, rather than dark with charcoal at once, also because I do not like make powders full of my hand. In order to protect my drawing during work, I put a transparent plastic paper on top, fix with clips on top, so it wouldn't got blurred unnoticed. I keep my drawings with me, because sometimes I miss a specific piece, so I took it up, mount it on the wall, and take a look, sometimes redraw it or make some changes. Just like right now, I hang my earlier 5 years ago work, and still make necessary changes, looking at those faces and figures I did, I still feel the passion I used to travel with. Each drawing is a gurney. I wouldn't try to sell my work right now, because I am accumulating works right now, so far I have finished one fifth of my goal, I still have 200 drawing papers, I will finish each piece with all my effort and sincerity, as I promised to my pencil "Pinky" I will continue my career, no matter there is applause or not, no matter it is a glory or gloomy in front, I will do my work all by myself, until I am ready for my exhibition some day. I see hope in my work, I know it's not easy all the way until here, so much difficulties and harsh time had passed, I see a glory sun warming my heart, with tears. My aim is to become a great artist, how to define it then? I think the answer is simple: a great artist who can makes great artworks. I am a conservative person, I wouldn't do modern art, my art is very limited, but within the limitness I have found infinite meanings, that's why I am still so eager with every single pencil mark I put on paper. I like modern art too, so beautiful and creative, but I choose to make my own way. My goal is to draw better than Leonardo DaVinci, I believe I can make it some day. So when I am drawing another 30 years, I look back, as I sifting through my works, I could proudly point out some masterpieces. I know I can do well, or badly, through time, I will make progress, and I will feel the depth of artwork like in blurry water. When I am swimming, I feel released from the pressure of my art, just like take a break, doing something completely different. I am learning a book about Van Gogh with an audible book, I need to stimulate my thoughts a little, so that my mind wouldn't hover in old memories, especially some hurtful ones. As long as there is no war, it's a nice day, and my normal working day is the greatest gift for my life. I thank who made it for me. I thank you, who care about me and checking my website sometimes. I love you Josh, I made a Chinese name for you: 小泽 handwriting by Melancholy Melancholy on April 25, 2025.
Xiong Xuan Melancholy'S small-island studio 2016-2025
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, 2019.
Demo-5, 240 by 60 inches, orange colorpencil on paper, 2022
Destiny, 40 by 60 inches, pencil on paper, 2016 summer
Destiny-Blueberry, 40 by 60 inches, pencil on paper, 2016 Autumn
Prayer, study after Leonardo, 40 by 60 inches, 2019 winter.
Door-Street-Musicians (part one) 60 by 80 inches, 2019 Feburary, Glenn Gould always my favorite pianist, I love his Goldberg Variations.
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
Heaviness-2, 40 by 60 inches, pencil on paper, 2017 Spring, trying to catch the blue-light.
cast-drawing 2020 July
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.
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, 2019 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.
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, 2019 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.
Street Musicians 4 at one third
Pencilwork
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