In different stages of life, everyone could encounter difficult moments that leave scars.

What would you do to get through them?

For me, being with dogs and painting provide me with love and healing.

Do you remember the sweetness of meeting your dog for the first time, the courage and commitment to take care of them for a lifetime, the frustration when they destroy the house, the tears when they first fell ill. Time flies, and slowly the dogs grow old and get ill, changing your daily routine to care for them day and night, praying every day for more time to be with them.

I am grateful to have encountered my dogs, who taught me how to feel loved.

In the early days of painting, I once painted a picture of my friend’s deceased dog. The transformation of her expression when she received the painting left a deep impression on me. From smiling to deep thought, to tears, and eventually thanked me as if I had brought her little dog back to her, healing her pain of loss. I was overwhelmed by her emotions and this gave a new meaning to my animal paintings, which is also the strength that keeps me going.

I hope my paintings allow everyone to feel loved and healing.

About the artist

Susanne Leong (Xiao Xin), has been painting animals with pastel for charity since 2019, helping to raise funds for stray animals in Macau. For five consecutive years, she self-funded and printed desk calendars featuring her animal artwork, raising approximately 40,000 patacas for eight organizations in 2023.

Her works were realistic in style, but thanks to Creative Macau, for giving her the opportunity to create conceptual illustrations for the first time for a themed exhibition.