HELLO CHINA
Hello Everyone! So many of you have been asking me for a blog series about my adventures in China. Here it is! Today’s blog is the first one, with many more already scheduled to come. ENJOY!
Today’s blog is about who I am and why I am preparing for a 3-month painting and writing stay in Shanghai.
As promised, in these blogs, my focus will be on fabulous China, evidence-based design, smart city technology, sustainability, and art.
HELLO SWATCH ART PEACE HOTEL
In 2025, I was awarded one of the world’s most prestigious artist residencies. For three months, from mid-February 2026 to mid-May, I will have the great honor of staying at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai, China. In my application, I wrote that I wanted to paint and write about evidence-based design, beautiful Shanghai, and its remarkable smart-city technology and sustainability achievements.
My core motivation for going was to learn and exchange. I am an internationally minded person with a keen interest in Shanghai and the exciting developments in China.
As an artist, I thought it would be super fun and happy to capture Shanghai’s beauty through floral impressionism using modern evidence-based design techniques. Evidence-based design uses credible medical and scientific research study results to inform design.
I am evidence-based design trained and certified through The Center For Health Design. In 2024, I was interviewed by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine for my art and book 100 Days Of Happy Happy Art, Evidence-Based Design, and in 2024 and 2025, my art appeared in and on the cover of Healthcare Design Magazine.
Here are two photos of the evidence-based design paintings I submitted as part of my application for the Swatch Art Peace Hotel Artist Residency. This first painting is called Abundant Happiness. I was so pleased and honored when the art curators used it as the Spring 2025 digital shopping entrance photo to Condé Nast’s lovely United Kingdom-based magazine, House & Garden.
I was also delighted in 2025 when it got included in the Art Of Feeling Good Curation by Galeria Zunino in Sevilla, Spain.
Abundant Happiness, 36”x36”, is an acrylic painting on gallery-wrapped canvas, which recently sold to a buyer in Hong Kong.
Healing Abundance
Healing Abundance is another evidence-based design painting I submitted as part of my application. Not long after I finished painting it, it got sold through a gallery in Paris, France and then shipped to a television/film company in Hong Kong with channels in mainland China, Macau, and other parts of Asia.
In both paintings, I did something unusual.
I presented them like a bouquet, but then rooted them in soil.
I had my research-based/evidence-based design reasons for doing this.
Flowers rooted in soil represent life and its continuation. Cut flowers, which are typical in a bouquet, will eventually wither and die.
In evidence-based design, the viewer’s state of health and happiness should always be kept in mind. The psychological impact between a cut bouquet of flowers and flowers rooted in soil is the difference between life and death.
In this work of art, I chose life.
I am what is called a polymath painter; in addition to evidence-based design florals, I am also the creator of an abstract art series called Smart City Art. This series was created to reflect and promote smart city technology and sustainability thinking.
In 2025, I was the featured artist at the 2025 SRI Sustainability Research and Innovation International Congress in Chicago, USA. These abstract paintings were part of the exhibit.
Here are visuals of some of the other paintings I submitted as part of my residency application to receive this AMAZING, FABULOUS, and ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL opportunity in Shanghai.
Old City Bravely Transitioning To Smart City
In this vibrant acrylic painting, I immersed myself in the transformative energy of a city evolving into a smarter, more dynamic space. Using abstract and expressionist styles, I captured the chaos and excitement of urban renewal. My brushstrokes intertwine old architectural forms with new digital symbols, suggesting a seamless blend of tradition and innovation. This piece aims to evoke hope and the pulsing rhythm of progress.
Pretty City Art
In this vibrant swirl of emotion and color, I've channeled my deepest joy and curiosity about the urban landscape into each stroke. Utilizing acrylics, I created an abstract, expressionistic celebration of city life, capturing its rhythmic chaos and vibrant diversity. This painting bursts with energy and colors that dance together. It’s perfect to invigorate any space with a spirit of creativity and inspiration.
Smart City Green
In creating this piece, I aimed to express the vibrant dynamism of urban life, intertwined with the pulse of nature. The abstract swirls and explosive color use depict a thriving metropolis alive with energy and movement, while symbols suggest technology's interplay with a green, sustainable future. This painting captures the essence of chaos and harmony, urging viewers to reflect on our complex relationship with the environment and technology.
To learn more about me and my art, click here: DOROTHEA SANDRA ART
What is the title of my next blog? It’s appropriately called HELLO FAMOUS SHANGHAI!
When I see a location as awesome and beautiful as this one, I often think of all the people, today and throughout the ages, who helped create such abundant wonders.
