(Ms.) Wang Yani
Chinese 1975 -

As a curious young girl, Wang Yani painted over a beautiful painting of her father's. When asked why she had done this, she replied, "Papa, I was helping you paint. I want to paint and paint!" Yani was born in 1975, in Gongcheng, China, a small town between Victoria and Guilin. Her father was an art teacher and painter, which intrigued Yani. When she was only three, she was drawing monkeys, and by age thirteen, her paintings were in galleries around the world.

Yani's work incorporates traditional Chinese brush strokes and traditional tools, which include brushes of animal hair, black liquid ink and handmade rice or vegetable paper called xuan. Yani uses the xieyi hua style of painting, which is freer than gonghi hua -- the more precise and detailed Chinese style. Although young, her hard work and talent have propelled her to hero status among other Chinese artists.