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The Art Philosophy was formed when Fan Lu began building her own brand, FanLuArt, in 2018. "Art to inspire. Art for healing" was what she formulated to represent the first period in her art career; meanwhile, how Art played a role in her life before, not only as a hobby but also as a way to gradually heal the complex adversities she endured and carried the burdens with since she was a child/teenager with the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Music, nature, books, and art help Fan Lu heal during her ongoing spiritual and mental-health recovery from childhood trauma, aiding her in rediscovering herself through the depth and weight of unspoken words. While "Paint to Celebrate!" was what she envisioned since 2023, it represents Fan's second stage in her art career as a professional Artist Educator, as she develops her life in God.
The Teaching Philosophy was developed when she began working as an independent teaching artist-educator in 2020. "Sow good seeds to the souls," she defined it as a core value in all the art exhibitions, community or cross-cultural events, online or onsite workshops, bilingual art courses, that Fan has initiated, designed, taught, and launched in various formats across different settings, including churches, cafes, museums, and institutions, for all ages.
The Family Creative Arts Ministry has evolved from her family music art ministry since 2022 and now serves all ages. Her family with God is a forever team. It has been a mission with a calling, a responsibility, and a vision that has evolved over the years of the marriage, which began in 2017. Learn More & Visit F.G.MusicArt the Family Website.
More About Fan Lu
• Traveling Artist • Landscape Painter • Book Illustrator • Art Educator
• Event & Exhibition Organizer • Homeschooling Mother
• Cross-cultural & Interdisciplinary Program Curator • Creative Arts Ministry Leader
陆帆 Fan Lu was born in 1990 in Shanghai, China. Her name "帆" in Chinese is pronounced /fān/ in pinyin, meaning "All is well" and "Sailing." Her academic pursuits have led her to study and live in China, Australia, the UK, Italy, and the United States. Fan Lu holds a BA in Advertising Science (Journalism and Mass Communication Studies) from Shanghai Normal University, and in 2013, she was honored with the Shanghai Outstanding Graduate Award. In 2014, Fan achieved an MSc in Management and Organisational Innovation (with Merit) from Queen Mary University of London. In 2019, she completed an MA in Fine Art (Emphasis in Drawing and Painting) at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
After resigning from a stable, full-time position under the Public Institution BianZhi system at one of the largest Natural History Museums in China (the municipally funded, nonprofit public institution), Fan, again to study abroad all by herself, came alone with two suitcases to the USA in 2016 to study painting in response to God's calling. Learning art was always Fan's unfulfilled childhood desire. After twists and turns, Fan was still very fortunate to be back on herself, have art as a form of self-healing, and to hold the heart of exploration on her artistic path, for God made a way.
Since 2016, Fan's artwork has been exhibited in eight group and three solo shows in Florence and in several U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Palo Alto, Alameda, and more. Her artistic practice explores themes such as nature, travel memories, music, Faith, education, literature, and daily life, using a wide range of mixed-media materials. Fan is mostly comfortable with abstract in music and landscape, but also skilled in various styles. In addition, Fan's artwork has been featured and sold in local galleries and shared creative spaces since 2018, and in 2024, her artwork and a new sideline in merchandise began being featured and sold in local art cafés, boutiques, and antique shops, as well as online. In 2025, she participated three times in the local pop-up craft and artisan market, which provided her with new experiences. Since 2018, Fan has taken on art commissions in both fine art and illustration for clients, accepting requests of varying sizes and across various themes and media.
As an aspiring educator, Fan has devoted much time to education, designing and teaching bilingual art courses for children and adults since 2020, both online and in person, and to curating community events that integrate art, Faith, and culture. From 2020 to 2024, Fan started her own Chinese blog, sharing her art and Faith in everyday life, as well as educational insights and practices, which inspired many people and families. Students of all ages and skill levels learned with Fan and were nurtured along the way through abundant art course content, inquiry-based teaching and learning, and many other teaching methods. She was invited to an art commission to illustrate an entire first-grade educational textbook for the Chinese Christian homeschooling curriculum, benefiting Chinese homeschooling families both in China and abroad. She also contributed a monthly column for a whole year, by invitation, to a widely known Chinese Christian newspaper in the U.S., sharing her original artwork along with the stories behind it. Fan has collaborated with dedicated gospel organizations and has been invited to deliver lectures at cross-cultural education forums and professional art education institutions, sharing her educational content as an insightful teaching artist. In addition, Fan designs art products and gospel-themed gifts based on her original artwork. She donates them to her family ministry outreach to local communities, mainly in Alameda, where her family currently resides. During the pandemic, she organized over 45 free online events, including bilingual storytimes, and, as the individual curator, also initiated organizing group art exhibitions for peer-fellow emerging artists at the beginning of their careers, invited many guest speakers to give thematic talks, and generously donated to the community.
Fans' early professional practices in many nonprofit organizations, public education at museums, higher education at international business schools, primary and secondary schools, and the media shape her interdisciplinary approach to art and teaching. Since 2018, after giving birth to her son, Bamboo, while Fan was still pursuing her second master's degree, she and her husband (who at that tough time was also switching from scientist to musician) have been homeschooling their son. They designed their own style of faith-based, arts- and science-integrated model that focuses on nurturing creativity, spiritual growth, and lifelong learning. In 2022, they also began co-leading their Family Music Art Ministry (now the Family Creative Arts Ministry), which serves Christian communities locally and globally, and collaborated with various cross-cultural churches in different locations in the USA.
The spiritual exploration and journey of the Christian Faith began in 2002, while Fan was studying and living at the boarding school in Shanghai. Fan was later baptized in 2015 in Shanghai, China. Kindly to mentioned that, in 2025, Fan also courageously initiated the another new Art and Faith fellowship group (Art and Faith Ministry) during the final stage of the two local churches' merger and in the early days of the newly merged church in Alameda, California, in response to God's calling in a special, transformative season, and also a give back to the place where supported her in 2018 and 2019.
Walking along the journey to last year of 2025, Fan had completed well on her five-year online art teaching with her own designed bilingual art courses for all ages, and had another two new solo art shows of her original artwork, and, while working on the large-format custom artwork, and prayers on the continuity for homeschooling, Fan also initiated many more local community events in the cross-cultural and multidiciplinary context, in the setting of local museum, church, cafe, receiving much positive feedback in both Christian and non-Christian environment, which, however, really reflects God's mercy and grace, all glory to God. The year 2025 was another fruitful one, with a clearer spiritual discernment bestowed from above. Fan was grateful that the Holy Spirit's refreshing presence in her life was with Healing Art and in living out with new Hope.
Thankfully, Faith, nature, books, music, and art still ultimately provide beauty as a reminder of truth and comfort, to see the good in any circumstances. Now, as in 2026, even more amazing, beautiful, wonderful, and joyful things are unfolding.
Homeschooling Mother Experience
- 2018-2026 | Walk by faith and on developing a faith-inspired bilingual model integrating arts and sciences to foster creativity and lifelong learning, personalized home education
Art Teaching Experience
- 2020-2025 | Online - Independently designed bilingual art courses, recruited students, and managed full-cycle enrollment, from monthly to yearly course planning and evaluation, as well as overall program development for ages five to adults (students mainly from the US and China)
- 2017-2019, 2021, 2023, 2025 | Onsite - Churches, local communities, Schools, and museums in the San Francisco Bay Area (Redwood, San Mateo, Alameda, San Leandro, Oakland)
Ministry Leadership Experience
- 2022-2025 | Family Art Ministry and Creative Arts Ministry (incl. programs initiation, design, teaching, launching, and team collaboration)
Art Freelancer Work Experience
- 2020-2026 | Commission and Custom Fine Art and Illustration (Music, Biblical, Landscape, Book, Education, etc.)
- 2024-2025 | Design Art Products & Gospel Art Gifts
Event Organizer & Exhibition Curator Experience
- 2025 | Ongoing events and workshops for the local communities | Alameda
- 2020-2022 | Online Art Events Series
- 2019 | SailingBoat Art and Music Salon | Oakland
- 2019 | Parenting With Art | Alameda
- 2019 | Spark Joy | Alameda
Solo Art Exhibition & Art Show
- 2025 | Journey: Landscape and Memory | Alameda
- 2025 | A Blooming Joy: Walking Through Music, Travels, and Faith | Alameda
- 2019 | Landscape and Memory: The Traveling Series of Landscape Paintings | Alameda
Selected Group Exhibitions
- 2018 | Art Contest Exhibition | Pleasanton
- 2018 | Stories on Canvas | San Leandro
- 2018 | Simple Pleasures | Alameda
- 2018 | 100 UNDER 100 | Alameda
- 2018 | Group show | Palo Alto
- 2017 | “What is not to love” | Palo Alto
- 2016 | Summer in Italy | San Francisco
- 2016 | Group show | Florence
Other Full-time Work & Internship Experience
- 2015 | Full-time Museum Educator and Exhibition Area Management at Shanghai Natural History Museum (Branch of Shanghai Science & Technology Museum)
- 2013 | Intern at Harvard Center Shanghai
- 2012 | Intern at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS)
- 2010-2011 | Translator for the China Chief Representative of the New York Festivals Advertising Awards
Education
- 2016-2019 | MA Fine Art (Emphasis in Drawing and Painting) | Academy of Art University, San Francisco, USA (2016 Study Abroad in Florence, Italy)
- 2013-2014 | MSc Management and Organisational Innovation | Queen Mary University of London, UK (Degree Classification: Merit)
- 2009-2013 | BA Advertising Science (Journalism and Communication) | Shanghai Normal University, China (Received Academic Scholarships three times in consecutive years, and was awarded "Shanghai Outstanding Graduate" in 2013 graduation)
- 2006-2009 | Shanghai Chuansha High School, China (2007 Study Abroad in Brisbane, Australia, and was awarded "Three-Good Student" in senior year in 2009)
Born
- October 1990 | Shanghai, China