An independent panel of the Arkansas Arts Council chose Longhua Xu as this year’s Arkansas Living Treasure based on the quality of his wood carvings, his contributions to traditional crafts fields and his efforts in community.
Xu has studied and practiced art all his life. He emigrated from China to the U.S. in 1989 and settled in Hot Springs in 1990. He has taught in prestigious schools worldwide and in the U.S.
Xu’s techniques include everything from sculpture to painting. He was commissioned in 1992 to produce “Mother Nature,” a sculpture that stands outside the historic Arlington Hotel.
Xu said his work is inspired by the people of Hot Springs. Last year, he exhibited paintings to spotlight the ethnic and cultural diversity of Arkansans via his own perspective. “The Soul of Arkansas,” his exhibit featuring 40 paintings, included our cover artwork, “Small Town Master Gardeners.” Says Xu of the painting, “The sale of flowers brings old and young of all sizes and shapes together. While the flowers are pretty, the people provide more beauty to the scene than anything else.”
He said he wants to capture and reflect the loving environment through his artworks. That includes sculptures and paintings of children and animals, mothers and children and Arkansans celebrating together.
In this fourth decade of his professional career he has found a new home and a new life. “I discovered a simpler life and the beauty of a small town, a beauty in it that I hope shines through in my works.”
Those who know Longhua, truly believe this gentle man who has come halfway around the world to make his home here, is certainly an Arkansas Living Treasure! For more information on Xu, visit his website at www.xu-longhua.com.
