Zoe Feng

Zoe Feng is a New Zealand fine artist recognised for her highly realistic and vibrant oil paintings of flowers. Rich in colour and detail, her works capture the abundance of a garden in full bloom, while exploring the delicacy and resilience of the flowers themselves.

Zoe has worked as a full-time artist since the early 2000s, producing work for exhibitions as well as commissions for hotels, restaurants and private clients overseas. She has also completed a number of large-scale murals. Her earlier work in New Zealand included still life paintings featuring glass bottles.

Zoe studied graphic design for four years at Chongqing University in China during the 1980s. She subsequently worked as a graphic designer for a magazine in Beijing and in the design department of a television station in Chongqing, continuing to paint in her spare time.

After completing an oil painting course at Sichuan Artists College in 2000, Zoe established her own professional studio. Two of her oil paintings were retained by the College for its permanent collection.

Zoe moved to New Zealand in 2007 and worked part-time in a flower shop. This experience became an important influence on her painting. She was particularly drawn to the contrast between the apparent fragility of flowers and their ability to withstand journeys, adapt to different climates and establish roots in new soil. This idea of resilience runs through much of her work, alongside themes of human relationships, personal experience and self-discovery.

Zoe was a featured artist at the 2002 Guangdong Artists Exhibition, with one of her nude oil paintings subsequently reproduced in the exhibition’s published art book. In 2003, she received a commendation for excellence at the Chongqing Art Teachers Exhibition.