Working out of a studio in a suburb just west of Chicago, Illinois, Zhiwei Tu lives some 8,000 miles away from his ancestral home in the remote, mountainous area of Guandong Province in South China. Despite the distance, evocative figures on light-filled canvases still allow the gifted artist to share childhood memories and the ancient tales and legends of his beloved homeland with a worldwide audience.

Zhiwei Tu (Illinois)

Girl With Red Scarf
Oil
30″ By 24″
In 2007, I was asked to do a demo, and the model was dressed very well by Frankie Johnson, director of Mainstreet Art Centre. The demo painting was sold by draw. While doing the demo, the red scarf attracted me so much that, later, I did this painting from a different view.

Zhiwei Tu (Illinois)

Breaking Time Of A College Student Model
Oil
48″ By 24″
I did this painting of the model reading during a break. Many models at the Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art in Chicago are college students, who study hard and use the break time to learn.