Under the paintbrush of Sun Ying, characters appear sad in an idealistic world.

However, the characters appear sad because the painter regrets that such a world doesn't exist in reality.

Time is money

Hand-delivered individuality

As the exhibition planner Luo Ying says: "The contrast of sorrowful eyes and clean colors conveys Sun's ideas to the outside world."

In March 2011, Sun's solo exhibition, Talk to Her, was shown at Line Gallery. A year later, she held the exhibition, Garden of Dreaming.

The protagonist in Sun's paintings has changed little over the years and the sad, stubborn and sensitive girl remains.

"It's through my paintings that I can memorize specific moments in my life. Through my paintings, I become peaceful and innocent," she says.

Sun's compositions are simple and direct because she believes this gives them power and a subconscious element.

The 30-year-old Sun, from Hebei province, graduated from the fine arts department of Beijing Film Academy. She worked as an editor and filmmaker, notably in director Chen Kaige's film The Promise.

Sun says she likes returning to her dusty old attic and getting out childhood toys so she can reinterpret them, such as in her painting, No Signposts in the Sea.

The success of Diary of a Little Bear made her determined to be an independent artist.

"My dream is to portray my life and the world I see. The protagonists that appear in my works convey my personality and tell my stories," she says.