Cici Lee was born in China but now lives in South Carolina, USA. She was inspired, while on a walk in the countryside of the American South where she now lives, to preserve the beauty of nature - but didn't quite know how. An article about Chinese traditional painting then caught her eye, and she immediately began looking for a teacher. Almost ten years on, her work has been exhibited in major exhibitions in Xiamen and Beijing and she enjoys a global Instagram following.
In Chinese ink paintings, tradition attaches significance to particular flora and fauna, which when painted together should harmonise. Cici chose to depict the Red-billed Leiothrix bird alongside the osmanthus, as both represent loyalty and faithfulness.
The first two characters 癸卯 (gui mao) of the calligraphy indicate the lunar year 2023. The third 夏 (xia) and fourth 月 (yue) represent the summer season. The fifth 希希 (Xixi, the repetition indicated in the calligraphy by two dots), is the artist’s name in Chinese, which means hope. The final character 寫 (xie) references the style of painting. The red stamp is the traditional way of signing a Chinese painting.
Cici Lee is the fifteenth artist to work with us on the Ffern Artists series. You can read about the others here.