Her name is Lin Yu, an oil painter who weaves imagination and tenderness into every brushstroke.
Raised in a home filled with books, ink, and art, Lin grew up with an intuitive connection to form, color, and emotion. Her mother, a traditional Gongbi (meticulous brushwork) artist; her father, a lover of architecture and philosophy. Between sketchbooks and classic poetry, Lin’s artistic journey began at age six. At twelve, she was admitted to the prestigious High School Affiliated to the Central Academy of Fine Arts. By twenty, she had crossed continents to pursue a Master of Fine Arts at the University of the Arts London.
It was in London that her visual voice matured.
Fusing classical oil techniques with conceptual sensibility, her graduate collection received recognition from Saatchi Gallery and was acquired by collectors across Europe.
At the heart of Lin’s work lies a singular pursuit:
to capture the shape of emotion.
The dancing dog, the hedgehog in a crown, the cat staring into the sink—these are not just whimsical characters. They are poetic containers for intimacy, nostalgia, and quiet laughter. She doesn't paint what the eye sees, but what the heart feels.
As she says:
“Painting isn’t reproduction. It’s translation. You translate someone’s presence into a moment that lasts.”
Upon returning to China, Lin founded her own studio—a slow, intentional space devoted to custom paintings. She uses only linen canvas, hand-mixed oil pigments, and often skips sketch paper, preferring to draw directly onto the surface so the lines “breathe.”
Each piece begins with listening. She asks questions, views hundreds of photos, and learns the story behind the face she’ll paint. More than one client has cried at first drafts—not from sadness, but from recognition. Her goal is simple: to create paintings that don't just resemble, but remember.
Today, her portraits have found homes in over 20 countries. She continues to participate in international artist residencies, curatorial collaborations, and cross-disciplinary projects that bring together fine art, narrative, and emotional storytelling.
She doesn’t just paint pets. She paints presence.
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