Article | Zodiac Painting Organizing Committee - January 7, 2026, 05:04
Hello everyone, I am Ran Mou, Principal of Ottawa Tiancai Fine Arts School, and an art teacher who has remained dedicated to front-line teaching for nearly two decades. I graduated from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and founded Tian Cai Art School after immigrating to Canada in 2005.
Over the years, my teaching team and I have consistently focused on visual arts education for youth aged 4 to 18 and above, as well as early childhood art enlightenment. Working within the North American education system and a multicultural environment, we have not simply adopted traditional teaching models. Instead, based on Canadian local educational philosophies, classroom structures, and the developmental characteristics of young people, we have gradually established a systematic teaching system that integrates Chinese and Western art concepts and aligns with North American learning styles and cognitive structures.
About the Teaching System｜A Path of Progressive, Long-Term Development
Tiancai's teaching always emphasizes the gradual construction of abilities and a path of long-term, stable development. While respecting individual differences and creativity in children, we place great importance on the systematic cultivation of professional foundations, visual thinking, and artistic literacy.
Our curriculum design, teaching pace, and assessment methods are all based on the learning habits of North American students. At the same time, we also consider the needs of Chinese Canadian families regarding educational continuity, standardization, and predictable outcomes. We strive to establish a clear and stable balance between free expression and professional training.
After students complete this systematic learning phase by phase and enter higher grade levels, the school provides portfolio preparation courses, either as long-term planning or phased intensive training, based on their individual development needs. The core of these courses is to assist students with clear artistic aspirations in gradually building a mature and stable system of personal artistic expression, providing comprehensive support for their applications to Canadian and American art institutions. Over the years, students cultivated within this system have all been admitted to relevant institutions in Canada and the United States.
Our curriculum design, teaching pace, and assessment methods are all based on the learning habits of North American students. At the same time, we also consider the needs of Chinese Canadian families regarding educational continuity, standardization, and predictable outcomes. We strive to establish a clear and stable balance between free expression and professional training.
After students complete this systematic learning phase by phase and enter higher grade levels, the school provides portfolio preparation courses, either as long-term planning or phased intensive training, based on their individual development needs. The core of these courses is to assist students with clear artistic aspirations in gradually building a mature and stable system of personal artistic expression, providing comprehensive support for their applications to Canadian and American art institutions. Over the years, students cultivated within this system have all been admitted to relevant institutions in Canada and the United States.
About the School｜The Power of Teamwork Makes Art Education More Complete
Tiancai Fine Arts is a professional art school centered on "team collaboration" and "systematic teaching". The school boasts a professional and diverse teaching team. Our teachers each have their own expertise in professional fields, teaching experience, and artistic styles, while maintaining close collaboration and a shared teaching philosophy.
This team structure allows students, throughout their long-term learning process, to not only build a solid and comprehensive professional foundation but also to be exposed to diverse artistic languages and creative perspectives. It prevents them from being confined to a single style, thereby achieving a true form of individualized instruction and progressive growth.
This team structure allows students, throughout their long-term learning process, to not only build a solid and comprehensive professional foundation but also to be exposed to diverse artistic languages and creative perspectives. It prevents them from being confined to a single style, thereby achieving a true form of individualized instruction and progressive growth.
About the Students｜Their Artworks are the Language to Reach a Larger Stage
In our teaching practice, we continuously guide students to dialogue with the world through their artwork. Over the years, the school has organized and led students to participate in various international, national, and local community art competitions and cultural events, achieving excellent results and widespread recognition and affirmation.
Simultaneously, through ongoing student art exhibitions and professional display platforms, we help children build a complete body of work and broaden their horizons, ensuring that art learning extends beyond the classroom.
In terms of further education pathways, Tiancai students have been successfully admitted to institutions such as Emily Carr University, OCAD University, Sheridan College, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Toronto, Algonquin College for art or related majors, as well as Canterbury High School (Visual Arts). Their works fully demonstrate the creativity, independent thinking skills, and personal expression consciousness that North American art institutions value and appreciate.
Simultaneously, through ongoing student art exhibitions and professional display platforms, we help children build a complete body of work and broaden their horizons, ensuring that art learning extends beyond the classroom.
In terms of further education pathways, Tiancai students have been successfully admitted to institutions such as Emily Carr University, OCAD University, Sheridan College, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Toronto, Algonquin College for art or related majors, as well as Canterbury High School (Visual Arts). Their works fully demonstrate the creativity, independent thinking skills, and personal expression consciousness that North American art institutions value and appreciate.
About the Teaching Philosophy｜Accompanying Children as They Draw, and Accompanying Them as They Grow
Over these years, I have been in the studio almost every day, greeting and bidding farewell to countless children as they draw, think, and grow. We have always believed that every child possesses unique and genuine creative potential. The significance of art education does not lie in a unified standard, but in protecting their passion, respecting their expression, and stimulating their imagination.
At Tiancai, through professional and personalized courses, we guide students to build the ability to observe the world, develop ways of thinking about problems, and gain the confidence to dare to create and express themselves boldly. Whether or not they choose art as a career in the future, we hope they will possess aesthetic abilities and spiritual strength that will benefit them for a lifetime.
During the creative process, what we value most is originality. Often, I focus not on whether a drawing "looks like" the object, but on how the child observes the world, how they understand culture, and how they transform their inner feelings into a visual picture. I have always believed that art is not a simple accumulation of skills, but an expressive ability that needs to be respected and nurtured. Every teacher at Tiancai, starting from the goal of helping children succeed, uses their professionalism and patience to assist them in completing creations that are truly their own.
At Tiancai, through professional and personalized courses, we guide students to build the ability to observe the world, develop ways of thinking about problems, and gain the confidence to dare to create and express themselves boldly. Whether or not they choose art as a career in the future, we hope they will possess aesthetic abilities and spiritual strength that will benefit them for a lifetime.
During the creative process, what we value most is originality. Often, I focus not on whether a drawing "looks like" the object, but on how the child observes the world, how they understand culture, and how they transform their inner feelings into a visual picture. I have always believed that art is not a simple accumulation of skills, but an expressive ability that needs to be respected and nurtured. Every teacher at Tiancai, starting from the goal of helping children succeed, uses their professionalism and patience to assist them in completing creations that are truly their own.
About the Year of the Horse Zodiac Painting Competition｜A Creative Experience Worthy of Serious Commitment
The Year of the Horse "Paint the Horse" Zodiac Painting Competition is not just a thematic exercise; it is a highly valuable learning process. For children of Chinese descent growing up overseas, this kind of creation is especially important. Through painting, they are not passively "learning about traditional culture"; instead, through hands-on work, thinking, and expression, they forge a genuine connection with their culture. The zodiac animal is no longer an abstract concept, but an experience that can be understood, transformed, and painted.
From a pedagogical perspective, this is an excellent theme that balances professional training and cultural depth, suitable for students of different ages and stages. We actively encourage students of all age groups to immerse themselves in creation, allowing them to see their own growth in their artwork and gradually understand cultural roots and significance through the creative process.
In last year's Year of the Snake Zodiac Painting Competition alone, Tiancai Fine Arts organized over a hundred student entries from various age groups and levels, achieving outstanding results in multiple categories. This is not only an affirmation of the children's efforts but also a natural outcome of the long-term accumulation in art education.
We sincerely thank the organizing committee of the 3rd Annual Zodiac Painting Competition for their dedicated efforts and wish this year's competition great success. May this platform, where "art connects friends," continue to nurture the cultural identity of overseas Chinese descendants. May the Chinese zodiac culture, through the imaginative and creative perspectives of our children, radiate new vitality and connect to the wider world.
We hope that through drawing, children learn to see the world and also learn to see themselves, and possess the ability to express their inner world through art for a lifetime.
From a pedagogical perspective, this is an excellent theme that balances professional training and cultural depth, suitable for students of different ages and stages. We actively encourage students of all age groups to immerse themselves in creation, allowing them to see their own growth in their artwork and gradually understand cultural roots and significance through the creative process.
In last year's Year of the Snake Zodiac Painting Competition alone, Tiancai Fine Arts organized over a hundred student entries from various age groups and levels, achieving outstanding results in multiple categories. This is not only an affirmation of the children's efforts but also a natural outcome of the long-term accumulation in art education.
We sincerely thank the organizing committee of the 3rd Annual Zodiac Painting Competition for their dedicated efforts and wish this year's competition great success. May this platform, where "art connects friends," continue to nurture the cultural identity of overseas Chinese descendants. May the Chinese zodiac culture, through the imaginative and creative perspectives of our children, radiate new vitality and connect to the wider world.
We hope that through drawing, children learn to see the world and also learn to see themselves, and possess the ability to express their inner world through art for a lifetime.
