A MAJESTIC tiger mural is currently being created in a Leicester’s John Lewis store, to mark the start of the Chinese New Year.
Tuesday (February 1) marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year, and Glenfield artist Siyuan Ren is currently creating a ‘live mural’ at the city’s John Lewis store to welcome in 2022 – ‘the year of the tiger.’
John Lewis & Partners at Highcross, Leicester, has teamed up with the Leicester Society of Artists to offer the artist a residency during the in-store Spring festivities.
Siyuan, who is otherwise known as The Peony Girl’, is in the process of creating a wall mural featuring a majestic tiger surrounded by blooming peonies. Work began on the painting today (Friday, January 28), and is set to finish on Monday (January 31).
“As we welcome the Year of the Tiger, the symbolism in my composition is representative of everyone’s efforts to protect our communities and embrace a prosperous New Year with hope,” said Siyuan, who is a member of the Leicester Society of Artists.
“The peony, a national flower of China, has long been associated with prosperity, good luck and good health while the Tiger symbolises power, bravery, honour, and defeat of evil.”
Siyuan was born in China but has lived in the UK almost half of her life.
She is self taught and paints as a form of ‘meditation’ and in order ‘slow down’ from her day job as the owner of a busy marketing strategy company.
“Painting peonies is mediative and stressful at the same time,” she said.
“It’s meditative because it keeps me calm and focused and is a test of my patience and spiritual equilibrium.
“The process of painting Peonies is always a constant struggle. It’s like a challenge for me to explore the conglomerate of petals and I often find myself lost in them with my fine brushes,” she added.
As well as painting on canvas and other medium, Siyuan’s work has also been transferred onto scarfs and other items (pictured).
Picture: Pukaar News
In 2019, she was invited to the Chelsea Flower show by a Peony grower, where she was lucky enough to present one of her silk fans to Her Majesty the Queen.
To find out more about Siyuan’s work, visit: www.thepeonygirl.com, or find her on Instagram by searching ‘Art by the Peony Girl’.
The finished tiger painting can be viewed from February 1-6, on the first floor of Leicester’s John Lewis store.
Louise Steel
