Xiao Wen Xu’s artistic practice is influenced by her contemplative love of the natural environment. Her two current interests are an oil painting series, Minimal Skies, and a watercolour painting series, Rainbowland Leaves. Minimal Skies is inspired by skies she’s seen and photographed. The paintings are abstracted forms of skies with everything eliminated except for the colour gradient, evoking simplicity and serenity. Rainbowland Leaves is a collection of works painted from life using a wet-on-wet technique with watercolour and acrylic gouache. Capturing the realistic shapes of leaves using bold and bright imaginary colours, she seeks to convey her happiness and joy experienced from such a vivid palette and the natural forms of her subject with the viewer; to offer an escape into a “new romantic world”.

Based on a series of photographs taken more than twenty years ago focusing on vegan foods in a thriving cultural mosaic, this painting is a snapshot in time of a place in Chinatown, Toronto, CANADA, between his school and Home.

The painting belongs to a large series of paintings based on markets where Fruits and vegetables and vegans food are available. The artist reworked the painting in 2021 and painted over the name of the street on the sign in the painting as it belongs to a series of names and public monuments celebrating slavery, misery, and death which do not belong in a city of different nationalities and peoples from all over the planet.

The road the Artist embarked upon to school also led to a giant institution named after another Slave-trader and tyrant. The names of these institutions and roads and monuments need to be changed and taken down immediately as the longer they stay the more pain is felt.

These artworks are also available to Rent. Please contact Josh Vettivelu to learn more or read the Art Sales & Rental About page for further details.