TITLE: MORNING BALLET
ARTIST: HE SI

HeSi, born in Beijing, China, is a gifted and accomplished female artist. She demonstrated an exceptional artistic talent in drawing, painting and sculpting in her early years. She began serious art training at age 12. In 1982, HeSi enrolled in the Central Academy of Art and Design. While a student there, HeSi developed her lifelong signature style which achieved an integration of eastern and western artistic values in ceramic designs and paintings. Upon graduating, HeSi earned a permanent position as an associate professor at the Fine Arts Department of Beijing's Central University of Nationalities.

During her early years as a teacher and working artist, HeSi's gained attention due to her unique combination of traditional Chinese artistic themes and values with western aesthetic forms and expressions. Her award-winning integration of surrealistic and naturalistic ceramic figurines gained her widespread recognition in China. Her work "The Pearl of Orient" received the Gold Medal in the China Ceramic Art Exhibition, "Chain" received the Medal of Excellence in the Invitational Art Exhibition in Singapore, and "Flame" received the First Prize at the 1991 China Ceramic Art Exhibition.

In 1992, HeSi moved to America and lived in New Mexico for three years. The artworks of the Southwest, particularly those of Georgia O'Keefe, had a profound impact on her style. HeSi moved to California's Silicon Valley in 1995 began to explore a new style. Beautiful images of super-realistic flower blossoms, irises in particular, became her new passion. "For me, irises evoke more expression and emotion that any other flower."

HeSi explains, "Even though their forms and colors are a bit exaggerated, the soft texture and the see-through petals convey a sense of clarity and simplicity far beyond mere exterior beauty. I love all beautiful things in the world, especially the beauty of nature. I think that flower blossoms are one of the best expressions of that beauty. Though they might look fragile and delicate, the different shades of colors and different appearances of blossoms reveal their inner strength and energy. This is where their true beauty lies. The life of the blossom is short, but it leaves people with a strong impression of its beauty. I hope I can capture the most stunning moment in nature with my paintbrush and present it to the world." HeSi's artworks are held in collections in China, Japan, United States, France, Singapore and Hong Kong.