[exhiphoto_84.jpg |right]How are you? I do hope everything is good with you and you have had a good weekend..

Today is 342nd day that I have been in the US.

This week, three big things have happened in my life.

First of all, I have completed all of the courses that I should learn in the US and I have gotten the Study Abroad Certificate that was offered by Chinese Consulate in Chicago. My Master Degree will be sent to me by the University later.

Secondly, I have moved fourth time, from the third apartment that I found in a hurry into a Chain Hotel. Do you know why? The windows of the bedroom and bathroom cannot be opened and the air does not flow, some strange smell in the rooms makes me cough and sneeze, the more terrible thing is that I had been accompanying by cockroaches and flies since I moved into the apartment July 31, sometimes, flies were in my soup, on my food or face...

I was lucky and touched by the local American friends and my tutor Ms. Anna L, Mr. George J. and Mr. Keith, as soon as they knew the situation of my apartment, they tried to help me. Anna drove for several hours in the evening, to look and see 3 hotels and she even booked the room for me with her own money at the first. Mr. Keith drove his trunk and Mr. George J. carried my things times...

The third and the most excited thing is that my first personal art exhibition was opened at 6:00pm, September 4, in Springfield, Missouri, USA, my long time art dream has been true in the US.

About this, I have opened a new special columns on my web site, you are welcome to hit the link to see the list of the paintings that have been exhibited, also, you can see about 80 pieces of photos of people and me in the art exhibition opening ceremony.

Pictures and Photos of Shirley’s Art Exhibition Opening Ceremony in the US

It was raining in the evening, September 4, there were still about 60 people come to the opening ceremony. At about 6:00pm, I introduced something about Chinese painting's history, category and main techniques, also my own art dream and exploring. I was nervous and my hands were trembling, but, the warm audiences gave me some friendly applause.

Anyway, I still forgot to show my own web site; to send every one my business card and connecting way; I also forgot controlling time so that I just had about 3 minutes to paint a peony. :- )

But, still, it was really a great starting: it seems like everyone came here liked my paintings and gave them a comment ? “So Beautiful”; within the short 3 hours in the first night, 3 pictures were sold with $45, $230 and $ 375. : -)

An interesting thing is:

The first picture was sold is my gouache 0120: Sunshine in The Mountains target

The second one was my Baimiao 031:Peony & Little Chickens Practice

The third one is my own combined art 005: Combined The Dinging from the Mountains

That really gave me some new inspiration: Maybe not certainly the more traditional, the more welcome? I am not sure about that yet. I am continuing to observe the selling situation about my own paintings in the coming several days.

Another a piece of good news is that I have been invited to offer some lesson for the local teenagers before I left for China since Sept 12. I would really like to do my best to delivery Chinese cultures to the local American people, while to learn from them.

With an endless appreciation heart, I expressed my thanks to my sponsors, teachers, bosses, Missouri State university and all of the people who have helped me, directed me and supported me with language, while with my actions ? I would like to donate whole of my income from my first art exhibition to a local disable people’s rest house or a disable people’s recovered center, to repay the society, while to remember my late first American art and music teacher Mr. Charlie Kand my late elder brother…


Even though I have had my first art exhibition, I know clear that I have only learned something very surface on Chinese art and I have little knowledge about Western art yet. So, I would really like to make this art exhibition as a new point of my art learning road, work hard continuously, to learn for whole of my life.

Do you agree with me? Do you think that we should learn for whole of our lives?






















I am just a learner on art of painting, music, English and Chinese language, to work on the web site in my free time. I would really like to do a few things with what I have learned to make this little web site to be an Electronic Bridge of Culture Exchange, Chinese Language Learning & Friendship making. To help the others while to improve myself.

I would like to appreciate your understanding, directions, supports and hope to get your friendly direction and help.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, you are welcome to write to shirley@ebridge.cn or Yiping007@MissouriState.edu, or to publish your opinions in the forum.

Shirley Yiping Zhang
Sun, September 6, 2009 From USA