Chinese painter Eric Forlee was born in Kowing Ton, China. Eric’s paintings of African wildlife continue to express his zeal for life and independence, and he will always relish the challenge of depicting the “Symphony” he calls Africa.
From an early age, he loved art, teaching himself to draw the objects and scenes around him. Eric also was attracted to picture books about the African continent, where his father, whom he had never met, lived.
Unfortunately, at age 14, Eric was no longer permitted draw and paint: artistic activities were now reserved exclusively for the children of privileged, upper-ranking communist party members.
Additionally, the Chinese government listed Eric as an “enemy of the state”, because his parents lived in South Africa.
At age 19, Eric’s situation worsened- because his family had once owned land in China, he was condemned to a labor camp during Mao Tse-tung’s Cultural Revolution.