Black Jack feature

Black Jack

Black Jack feature

Black Jack is not his actual name, in China he is known as Xiaohei (小黑), which means a little black dog. But here let’s call him Jack, just in case people find it a struggle to pronounce Xiaohei.

Yes, Jack is from China, 2 years old, but you might not be able to guess his story. Jack was a stray dog, no one knows when had he started wandering around a business area in Beijing. Unlike other stray dogs in China, who is afraid of people, or barking at pedestrians, Jack was very friendly and cheering.

Sometimes all it takes to chase the dark clouds away from the daily work is to have a new friend walk into our lives. Jack was the new friend to the business community. He treated this business area as his home and those who cared about him as his playmates.

So gradually, a small Jack-caring community was formed by his “playmates”, and they would share news about Jack, feed him with the food from the canteen, and even bought Jack a house with the raised fund.

However, everyone knows what happened in 2020, when the pandemic hit China, together with other safety issues, the Jack-caring community had decided to find Jack a permanent loving home. With his cuteness and stunning reputation, Jack was shortly been adopted by a family. The Jack-caring community didn’t stop there, they keep checking on Jack and make sure he is happy and loved.

In return, Jack would upgrade his service to include escorting his mates to the tube station to ensure them a safe journey if they work late at night. How delightful was that!

Black Jack Chinese stray dog

Type: Acrylic painting on canvas

Size: 30cm (W) * 40cm (H)

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Home sweet home

Blue eye cat 1000*580

Cat

Cat

Cat is my first try to create a realistic animal portrait by drawing each hair carefully. I have to say I was astonished by this image from the first sight, so here it is. What attracts me most about the painting is the way 

No need to introduce the cat; You’ve got one lying on your mat. Ailurophobes, of course, do not. They’d rather see cats hanged or shot. The cat detractors can’t abide the creatures overweening pride. Admirers of the feline praise his occult, incandescent gaze. Both sides have merit–and the view endorsed by mice is also true.

-By Anonymous

Type: Acrylic painting on canvas

Size: 30cm (W) * 20cm (H)

Original image
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Cat

Reference:

https://www.dennydavis.net/poemfiles/travel/catpoem2.htm 

highland cow

Highland cow

This painting is based on a photo we took in Scotland in Oct 2020. As we were trekking in the jungle of the Loch Lomond southeast Balmaha route, we encountered a herd of delightful cattle. 

Highland cattle, or Scotland cows, are often known as the gentle giants of Scotland. With their long horns, and flowing red locks, these iconic beasts are easily recognised, but how much do you really know about them? 

Highland cattle
By David Zong

Type: Acrylic painting on canvas

Size: 60cm (W) * 50cm (H)

Fun fact 1: The Highland cattle is the oldest registered breed of cattle in the world!

Queen Victoria is said to have commented on a trip to the Highlands that she preferred the red coloured cattle. In an effort to please the Queen, this resulted in selective breeding of the reddish colour that we see most often today and the black colour gradually declining over time.

Fun fact 2: These cattle are a hardy breed, designed to withstand the conditions in the Scottish Highlands.

Their long hair is actually an unusual double coat of hair – on the outside is the oily outer hair, the longest of any cattle breed, and it is covering a downy undercoat underneath. The bulls can way up to a whopping 800kg, and the cows up to 500kg, and their milk generally has a very high butterfat content.

Fun fact 3: Are Highland cattle Friendly?

Yes! These fantastic beasts have a reputation for their fantastic temperament. They are known for being a very docile animal, never showing any aggression and are very low stress to keep and manage. Within their herds they have a great understanding of their own social hierarchy and never fight. They also enjoy the company of humans, often approaching walkers seeking affection.

Lemur

Lemur

I absolutely love lemurs, because they look so much like monkeys as well as dogs. They jump, climb and look at you with their enormous big round eyes. This lovely lemur painting was based on a photo we took from Wildwood Trust, which is a conservation centre for British wildlife. 

Lemur by david
Photo by David Z

Type: Acrylic painting on paper with frame

Size: 35cm (W) * 27cm (H)

Here, clearly, lemur comes beyond the British soil. Lemurs are prosimians, a type of primate. Other primates include monkeys, apes and humans. Lemurs are endemic to Madagascar, where they evolved in isolation.

Here are some facts about Lemur:

  1. This lemur’s name is Black and white ruffed lemur(Varecia variegata). They are endemic to the island of Madagascar, like all lemures species, they can only be found there.
  2. They make nests for their young, like birds. Female lemurs often give birth to twins or triplets after a 90-120 gestation period, then the newborn will be placed in the nest on the tree 10 to 20 metres above the ground. The young stay in the nest while the female forages. When a female needs to travel with her young, she carries the in her mouth, like dogs, rather than her belly.
  3. The B&W lemurs are known as the world’s largest pollinators, due to their mutualistic relationship with the traveller’s tree. As they are primarily frugivorous, the tree benefits from the pollination that occurs when the pollen sticks to the lemurs’ faces and gets transported to the next tree.
  4. Lemurs are among the most threatened groups of mammals. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that over 95% of lemurs face extinction in the next 20 years. The primary threats facing black-and-white ruffed lemurs include logging, slash-and-burn agriculture, mining, development, and hunting. Their large size and diurnal activities make them easier targets for hunters and this has put great pressure on their population. Protecting and preserving lemur habitats in Madagascar is essential to their survival.

References:

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/black-and-white-ruffed-lemur

Jellyfish

Jellyfish

Jellyfishes are like fly agarics (red mushroom), bright, tempting yet quite dangerous. Here let’s just focus on their free-swimming, elegant deep-water dancing for a moment. Painting the nettle jellyfish was completely out of plan, as I had been concentrated on the terrestrial animals, until one day I came across a stunning image of these nettle jellies online.

The pacific sea nettles, also known as west coast sea nettles, are commonly found in coastal waters of California and Oregon.

These jellies are carnivores, feeding on other jellies and a variety of zooplankton (including larval fishes and eggs). They catch their prey by means of nematocyst -laden tentacles that hang down in the water. The toxins in their nematocysts are effective against both their prey and humans, though it is typically nonlethal to the latter. Despite having a potent sting, nettle jellies are preyed on by sea turtles, to ocean sunfish, and the seabird Northern Fulmar.

Many scientists believe that urban runoff and global climate change is changing the nutrient composition and temperature of coastal waters, causing an increase in swarms of sea jellies. As more jellies consume more larval fishes, fewer fish survive to become adults.

Type: Acrylic painting on canvas

Size: 50cm (W) * 60cm (H)

Gelada-999*590

Gelada

This painting was based on a photo we shoot at the Bristol Wild Place Project. It’s quite extraordinary to see Geladas in the UK, as they live only in the high mountains of Ethiopia. This high-altitude homeland is replete with steep, rocky cliffs. With their short and stumpy fingers, geladas are adept rock climbers.

Gelada-David Zong
Photo by David Z

Type: Acrylic painting on canvas

Size: 50cm (W) * 60cm (H)

Here are some facts about gelada:

  1. Geladas are also known as “bleeding-heart monkeys”, you will know why when you look at them.
  2. These baboon-size animals are the world’s most terrestrial primates, except for humans. As mostly grass-eaters, they are the last surviving species of ancient grazing primates that were once numerous. 
  3. Geladas live in multi-level societies. Sometimes geladas sill form large herds of up to 1200 individuals. These are some of the largest groups observed among any primate. Geladas can form such large groups because they feed mostly on grass, which is widely available. However, a diet of nutrient-poor grasses means 10 hours of grazing per day, compared to just 4 hours a day for the average monkey.
  4. Good at communications. Because geladas spend so much time foraging, they are unable to properly bond through grooming, like many other primates. Walk through a band of geladas foraging and you will be deafened by the sounds of grunts, groans, and squeals, over 30 of which have been identified by researchers so far.
Alpaca 999*580

Alpaca

Alpaca

Type: Acrylic painting on canvas

Size: 30cm (W) * 40cm (H)

Alpaca, which originated from South America, has always been a mysterious and exotic mammal for me. Until now, over 90% of alpacas are still live in South America. Luckily, we visited Peru during the 2019 Easter Holiday, and we have absolutely enjoyed our exotic acquaintances. They are very obedient, shy, and cute!

Here are some fun facts about Alpaca, time to test your alpaca knowledge:

  1. Alpaca cannot live alone. It is said that alpacas have really strong herding instincts. The best way to keep an alpaca with a companion is to have them all be the same gender. This is because even neutered alpacas can sometimes successfully bond with each other.
  2. Alpacas are vegetarian. Alpacas diet mostly consists of grass, but also includes leaves, wood, bark, or stems. Do you know how much they eat? An adult alpaca only eats 0.9 kg per day.
  3. Alpacas do not have teeth in the top-front of their mouths. In hindsight, I realized this after I had finished this painting.
  4. They always poop in the same spot. Because of their predisposition to pooping in designated areas, some alpacas have been successfully house-trained.
  5. Llamas have always been used as beasts of burden, while alpacas are strictly bred for their wool.
  6. Alpaca wool is softer and less itchy than sheep’s wool. The best part of it is that their wool is both water and flame-resistant.

 

Alpaca-by Ouyang
Alpaca-by Ouyang