Chunbei (Daisy) Schenone
I am a self-taught artist. In June 2014, I discovered my passion and talent while I was painting with my daughter on ceramic tiles for fun and further to distract her from her cell phone. Since then, I have not stopped painting. 
 
I utilize thick and vibrant colors in my work which reflects my passion and personality. Each of them is a settlement of time and freezing of an emotion. I am not painting an object. I am expressing an affection, a longing.  A love story never fades. A waiting never withdraws.
 
I have been told many times that my art is full of enthusiasm and joy. Have I been living a happy life? Well, just like many of you, I have some torments in life. Instead of sadness and anger, my art shows passion, hope and love. In many cases, personal crisis is the powerful force for my creations. 
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I did not start painting until the age of 49, I surprised myself as much I surprised everyone. When a friend told me it must be in my genes, to suddenly be able to paint such beautiful work. This made me remember my mother’s father was a great artist. He was a high-ranking officer with the Nationalist in China. When the Communist took over after the WWII, he was put into prison for 30 years till the end of The Cultural Revolution in 1979. He told me the only way to deal with the hardship in jail was painting. He spent rest of his life in a very backward and remote village and refused to become a political figure both for the Taiwan and Chinese governments. When I got into a great college in China, he sent me a few beautiful and vibrant landscape paintings.  Is it a coincidence that art is both of our saviors?
 
Being in my late 50s now, I can say I understand life very well and cherish it tremendously. My life experience is the key element for my paintings. I have lived my life both in big cities and small villages in China and America. I have experienced different cultures and sceneries. I love gardening and also design landscaping projects for multi-million dollar homes. But most importantly, I am a romantic person with appreciation and desire, who can discover the sentiment of the nature and the beauty of being.
 
Again and again, people told me my paintings have stories and draw them in.  I did not say much. My paintings are very personal. In this year (2022) The International Women's Day, my daughter wrote to me "Happy Women's Day to the strongest and most motivated woman I know". These words will be the eternal power to encourage me in this path. Starting at such late age and somewhat successful, I am glad I have inspired people around me to be strong and hardworking no matter what happened in life, never stop learning, working, and creating.
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My artwork has been showcased in some prestigious galleries, including Coffey and Thompson Gallery, Hickory Museum of Art, Four Corners Gallery, DA’s office, Charlotte Art League, Mooresville Art Group, articled in various newspaper and sold both domestically and internationally. Here, I hope you will join me on this journey of Creation, Beauty, Love, and the life within.
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Five months before I started to paint, I was in Central Park, New York. Sitting on a bench I saw a little plaque that said “To Romance Life, a Loved One or even Yourself, at the End, it will Become Art.” It is a sign and my destiny!