Chinese Grand Master Painter Demonstrates and Exhibits at Linden Gallery

The Linden Gallery of Ellison Bay in conjunction with the Barnsite Gallery of Kewaunee proudly announce an exhibition of paintings by Grand Master painter Zhiwei Tu opening Saturday, September 5 at Linden Gallery. A reception to meet the artist will be from 6 – 8 pm. Tu will be presenting a slide show and open discussion of his paintings at 6:30 pm. On Sunday, September 6, Tu will give a painting demonstration with a live portrait model from 10 am – 1 pm at Linden Gallery.

Tu’s story of becoming an artist sounds almost impossible to believe. Born in 1951 to peasant parents in a remote rural village of Guangdong Province, China, Tu was exposed to oil painting when the Beijing government sent an “official” artist to his village to create a public portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong. Only a teenager, Tu watched the artist work for an entire day, then asked to borrow samples of his paints and returned the next day to set up alongside the professional and prepare his own oil portrait of Mao.

As the story goes, the villagers were so impressed by Tu’s finished work that they chose it over the government artist’s portrait for display.

After achieving widespread recognition and acclaim in China, and studying at the Guangzhou Institute of Fine Arts, Tu traveled to the United States in 1987 to study at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. He was named president of the Oil Painters of America in 2004 and still travels to China several times a year for exhibits.

The public is invited to meet this talented artist on Sept. 5 – 6 at Linden Gallery located at Highway 42 and Mink River Road in Ellison Bay. The gallery is open daily from 10 am – 5 pm. Call 920.854.2487 for information.