Story behind the stones: An artist's endeavor

Passionate Uzbek artist Gulnur Arkin has pioneered her own signature style of handmade color stone paintings through years of experimentation and refining various artistic techniques. By seamlessly blending oil painting, gouache, sculpture, and traditional handicrafts, she has developed her own distinctive genre characterized by its striking depth and intricate layering, subtle color variations, and the precise application of materials found in and around Xinjiang's Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.

Every year, as autumn transitions into winter, Gulnur embarks on a journey to explore the riverbeds near mining sites, scouring for stones of diverse colors, textures, and sizes. She then meticulously grinds these stones into powder, which serves as the raw material for her creations. For Gulnur, the true sense of fulfillment comes from transforming these seemingly ordinary stones into extraordinary works of art, with exquisite craftsmanship that keeps inspiring other artists.