Though known for horses, painter has broader range

Qi said painters needed to develop their own styles instead of simply sticking on the old rules.

"Take horse painting as an example. People today won't accept it if it is too old-school," said he. "Therefore my painting is a mixture of modern and traditional elements as well as independent thinking."

In addition to horse painting, Qi is also a master of mural and oil painting.

In 1996, he started to compose a classic mural painting Daoism: Pilgrimage of the Celestials, which is 4.26 meters high and 14.5 meters long.

The painting includes 286 deities and is viewed as a world-class work of art, Chen said.

In order to complete this massive project, Qi researched in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and worked with scholars of literature and history from Shanxi province.

This piece of work contributed to an even larger-scale project Yongle Temple Mural Painting, which is now collected by a Japanese collector.

Besides, he also contributed to the composition of another mural pianting project Water, Moon and Guanyin, which is owned by an institution in Singapore.

Qi's oil paintings have also won a number of honors and awards nationwide. Some of them are exhibited and collected by museums.

He is bold and innovative. "No matter what types of art he tries, he can always turn it into a unique and special one," said Chen.

East meets West in vibrant paintings

Gunpowder drawing created for auction