September 4, 2009 is a special day in my life.

Sponsored by Springfield Regional Arts Council and Springfield Area Chamber of Commercemy first art exhibition (Sept 4- Sept 28) was opened in the Creamery Arts Center 411 N. Sherman Parkway, Springfield, Missouri, USA.

Thirty-five paintings that was chosen from my 420 painings in the past 7 years was opened to the public first time.

Formally, include:
Gouaches Paintings
My Own Combined Art Paintings
Chinese Gongbi
Chinese Xieyi
Baimiao

On Content, include:
Landscape
Flowers and Birds
Characters

In the Opening Night Reception, I introduced something about Chinese traditional paintings, my own painting ideas and endless appreciation to all of the people who have helped me, supported me and directed me.

Even though my speech got the applause by the audiences, I was too nervous so that I forgot to show the audiences about my own web site. I forget to send people my business card and connecting ways. Even, I forgot time and I had only 3 minutes to paint a Chinese Xieyi painting for my audiences...:-)

But, still, it was a good starting --   many people came here in the rain; all of them gave my paintings a comment "So Beautiful"; I have been invited to offer some Chinese painting lessons, to make some demostrations; within the short 3 hours in the first night, 3 of pictures were sold with $45, $230 and $ 375 even though thy had not been mounted (Usually, Chinese painting needs to be mounted by some professional company. I had no the condition to do that when I was in the US).   

At the happy and special time that my long-term dream to be true, there was full of the appreciation in my heart. I would really like to thank my teachers, my sponsors, my bosses in china, my university in the US, and all of the people who have helped me in the past time and right now.

Especially, I would like to thank and to remember:

My Teachers:
-- My Late First American Art and Music Teacher Mr. Charlie K
-- My Current Chinese Art Teacher Mr. Tao
-- My First Vocal Music: Chinese Folk Song Teacher Ms. Ma
-- My Current Vocal Music: Art & Folk Song Teacher Ms. Huang
-- My Current American Art Mentor Dr. Booth

The Organizations:
-- Springfield Regional Arts Council
-- Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
-- College of Business Administration of Missouri State University
-- Our Company in China

The Individuals & Friends:
--Mr. Brad Bodenhausen
-- Ms. Leah Hamilton Jenkins
-- Ms. Stephanie Cramer
--Mr. Gong Xiaoou

With an endless grateful heart, I would also like to do something to repay the society and those kind and friendly people, to remember those who have gone --   my first American art teacher and my late elder brother...

So, I would like to donate the income of my first art exhibition to a Springfield’s Disable People's Rest Home or a Disable People's Recovered Center...

Even though I have had my first art exhibition, I will be a student forever. I have only learned something very surface about Chinese and I have known little about Western art. So, I would really like to make this art exhibition as a new point of my long art learning road, to work hard continuously, to learn for whole of my life.

Future is bright, road is long and work is hard. I will do my best...