Ed Zhao Arts

“Art has been a part of my soul from a young age,” smiles Ed Zhao

“My grandparents were all keen artists, and my upbringing in Beijing was one surrounded by art. Everyone seemed to be an amateur painter and did a lot of calligraphy.”

While Ed loved the arts when he was younger, the corporate world of economics and consulting took over.

“I joined the office working brigade and didn't pursue my artistic passion immediately. Now having worked in that environment for nearly twenty years, it feels like a time to venture out to explore my artistic practice.”

Ed describes his typical art form as ‘anything that’s digitally produced’, created with a style that ranges from cartoon-style line illustrations to Chinese-influenced watercolours incorporating calligraphy.

“I generally prefer to do bespoke commissions, made to order. Someone has an idea and asks if I can produce their vision. We have a few iterations to get it the way the client wants,” explains Ed.

“I have also drawn maps for some of my writer friends' books, and I’m a regular contributor to the North & West Melbourne News Community Newspaper as an illustrator and cartoonist.”

Ed came to Melbourne with his family and fifteen pieces of luggage in 2018, having never been to the city before.

“We moved from England, where I had lived for twenty-five years. We wanted to start something new after I was offered a job here. It was daunting but also a great adventure.

“It’s been fantastic ever since we arrived. I feel like North and West Melbourne kind of found us. We were applying for various places to live and only happened to move into the area because of what rentals were available at the time.

“Over time, it has really grown on me because of the tight-knit community here, especially thanks to the work of the West Melbourne Baptist Church and Neighbourhood Connect. There’s lots of good fun and connection to be found here.”

Ed had a bubbling idea of developing his art while in London, but it wasn’t until he migrated to Melbourne that his hobby started to take off as a business.

In future, he is hoping that he will have the ability to take on more private commissions from businesses, whether it's menus or shop displays, brochures, graphic design, or blackboard art.

Ed is also working on expanding his art practice to writing and music. He has self-published a fiction novel with illustrations, which Ed describes as a ‘farewell to London, with a reverse-migration story’. He also performs ethnic songs with his family, introducing audiences to Chinese, Turkish, Uighur, Indian, and Bosnian music at community events and local spaces.

“What I love about the creative process is getting ideas from people and translating that idea from people's heads into reality - and having some fun along the way.”

Words by Joyce Watts & Photography by Anna Encio