What is the essence of art in the eyes of a Chinese-Canadian artist? The painting, Moonlight, by artist Shi Le, answers this question by emphasizing feeling over form in the depiction of an aged and broken tree trunk.

One of Shi's representative works, it is embedded with surrealistic elements, such as hidden human faces and horse heads in the contour of old tree trunks. Yet contrasting with these elements it also incorporates a super realistic style with its attention to detail.

Teaching at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and having held a successful solo exhibition, after six years in China, Shi is heading back to Canada, where is signed with three Canadian galleries, so he may continue exploring the landscape of that country.

Shi emphasizes lyricism and the ability to touch viewers with his work, as such color, brush strokes and composition comes first in his work.

"I insist that painting is nothing but feeling. Personally, I perceive the essential function of artwork is to strike a chord with the audience," said Shi.

Influenced deeply by the Group of Seven, a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920 to 1933, Shi immerses himself in natural beauty and translates his feelings onto canvas through the use of colorful visual elements.

"I believe that people's devotion to the land is an eternal theme in artwork. Such sentimental attachment can cross faith, ethnicity and ideology, connecting people all over the world. That is the reason why I concentrate on landscape painting," he said.

Shi has been exhibiting his paintings since 1980. Before moving to Canada the first time, Shi had immersed himself in the world of traditional Chinese ink wash painting. However, he changed his creative style while pursuing his master's degree in fine arts at the University of Waterloo to better reflect the beautiful landscapes that he discovered in Canada.