” I’ve got to paint, I can’t help myself. When a man falls into the water, i doesn’t matter how he swims, well or badly, he’s got to get out or else he’ll drown. “

— the moon and sixpence, by Maugham

That was August of 2014, when I was in Russia, the first night when I arrived in Saint Petersburg, I couldn’t sleep, so I spent several hours on reading the Moon and Sixpence.

I still remember the moon and wind of Saint Petersburg, and how I had a sigh after the book, that was the first moment I heard a strong voice from my heart “You need to paint, you have no choice, you just have too.”

I heard the voice, but I didn’t really take actions, and didn’t feel that was the right moment, until 2 years later, when a lion came to my dream and kept encouraging me to be an artist, finally I said yes, it’s this moment, now I’m ready for it.

Here is the original painting from Dec of 2014, and now when I re-color them, I still enjoy it a lot.

Mowen Li

Dec 2014, China
and
May 2017, Philippines