‘Peach Blossom’ was inspired by the Tibetan wild peach. During one of my painting trips to Tibet, I was fortunate to catch the peach blossom season, where the peach blossom bloomed along the river, on the hillsides and even in the crevices between the mountainous rocks. The tall and stout branches, covered with moss, and against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains and clear water, was particularly enchanting. This reminded me of the time when I first painted the wild apple trees and inspired me to create again.

Upon returning to Beijing, I started work on the ‘Peach Blossom’ series. With very solid strokes, I coated the canvas with thick layers of oil. The effect was powerful but lacked the oriental feel of whimsical beauty. I continued to experiment with the Chinese form of ink painting and calligraphy, repeatedly developing different forms of expressions, such as using the smudge technique to depict flowers, and other traditional Chinese landscape painting techniques for the branches and the trunks so as to bring out the vigour and the vitality of the old peach trees. The process of painting was truly heartening and thoroughly satisfying.

– Xu Zhi Guang