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Claire Zhang
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Visual Art

Art Portfolio

I work primarily in oil, watercolour, and charcoal. My paintings and drawings explore how light changes ordinary subjects — still lifes, landscapes, and the human face. I am drawn to close observation: spending time with a subject until I notice details I would have missed at a glance. Each piece here represents something I learned about seeing, patience, or material.

Oil painting of a still life with warm afternoon light on ceramic vases and dried flowers
Oil on Canvas · 24 × 30 in · 2025

Afternoon Light, Studio Table

A study of how warm light transforms familiar objects and how shadows carry reflected colour.

Watercolour landscape of a misty Pacific Northwest lakeside at dawn
Watercolour on Paper · 15 × 20 in · 2025

Morning Mist, Boundary Bay

How fog simplifies a landscape into essential shapes and tonal layers.

Charcoal portrait drawing of an elderly person with a thoughtful expression
Charcoal on Paper · 18 × 24 in · 2024

Quiet Reflection

A portrait study exploring how time leaves marks on a face — and how charcoal can hold that weight.

Oil painting of a garden wall with autumn ivy in changing light
Oil on Canvas · 20 × 24 in · 2024

Garden Wall in October

Painting outdoors means accepting impermanence — the subject changes even as you work.

Graphite studies of hands in various positions and angles
Graphite on Paper · 11 × 14 in · 2024

Hands Study

Drawing hands teaches you that difficulty is not a reason to avoid a subject — it is a reason to return.

Mixed media artwork with layered paper, paint, and ink creating textural depth
Mixed Media on Board · 16 × 20 in · 2025

Layered Memory

Exploring visual depth through torn paper, acrylic, and ink washes — an experiment in process over perfection.

Open sketchbook pages with quick studies of light and shadow
Graphite & Ink · 2024–2025

Sketchbook Pages — Light Studies

Quick daily studies to understand how light behaves before committing to a larger work.

© 2026 Claire Zhang · Surrey, BC

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