Born to be an artist, Ms. Zhao’s paintings began attracting admirers by the time she was 5. By the age of 7 she earned the attention of several Chinese masters and at 20 years, she was already the recognized star protégé of international Chinese master Cheng Sh-Fa. Along the way she amassed best of show awards, secured museum placements, and was shown throughout Asia and Europe. By 1990 she had admirers and supporters around the world including the United States. One such notable and highly respected collector is Steven Spielberg who sought her out in China. Other supporters held several shows in her honor along the west coast of the U.S. and in 1996 The City of San Diego as well as the San Diego County Board of Supervisors honored her as “The Outstanding Female Artist of the Year”.

Today Ms. Zhao is a permanent resident of The United States and is without question a master in her own right and one of the finest contemporary Chinese ink/brush artists in the world. Her journey from then to now is as poignant and compelling as her art. Fine art painting is her calling and she is consumed by it. “I am a quiet person but my imagination roars in me like a volcano. Americans like to say still waters run deep. I believe this is true.”

It was an ink that Mr. Spielberg purchased. Throughout the world and history many sophisticated collectors, and perhaps most, have regarded ink art, especially Chinese and Japanese inks, as the highest, most spiritual, most historical, and most disciplined of the painting arts. The art form began in China. Most would agree that China, and then much later along with Japan, is where this art form was perfected and continues to reach its highest expression. Via the links on the Home Page you can learn more about Chinese ink. Picasso believed art students should not be going to Europe but rather China to learn Chinese ink techniques. In fact, when Ms. Zhao served as a professor of art many students from Europe and around the world went to Shanghai to learn from her. Her most popular classes included not only ink and art history but European impressionism and cubism.

Most of Ms. Zhao’s artworks are mixed media, usually acrylic, oil, and ink. Most of her paintings are on rice or cotton paper while others are in keeping with the western preference for canvas. Some of her inks are also in the ancient style of being draped from a scroll. Regardless of style or medium, her art usually evokes feelings of joy and passion. By far, music and dance serve as her muses.

“While my paintings always begin in solitude and quiet stillness, they find life through music, which infuses nearly all of my art.” The universal languages of music, dance, and passion, and our spiritual longing for harmony and oneness are primary themes. She believes music, dance, and passion can reveal the longing of our souls for that higher or deeper part of ourselves to be realized, or if you will, for the word/art to become flesh. “I live, I find life in this circle, and want to serve and bring joy to others through my art.”

Lihua Zhao’s art not only brings joy but conveys a strong and serene sense of delight in being female. The unifying, healing, and inspiring nature of the feminine is a predominant theme in her art. In a word her women are divine.