Wildlife in Jackson Hole in the United States are captured in Steven Clark Rockefeller Jr's photographs and Liu Zhong's ink paintings. (Photo provided to China Daily)
Chinese painter Liu Zhong and the fifth-generation Rockefeller family member Steven Clark Rockefeller Jr have jointly published A Warm Winter.
The book was launched in Beijing in June, and it focuses on the animals and landscape of Jackson Hole along the border of Wyoming and Idaho in the United States, where Liu and Rockefeller stayed together for a week in February.
This is what happens when an ink artist meets a photographer and both are interested in wildlife.
On the book's cover is a bald eagle standing on a rock painted in ink by Liu. On an inside page, the same bird is seen in real life in a photo taken by Rockefeller.
The book gives its readers many more eagles, deers, wolves, mountain goats and red foxes - all in photos and ink sketches by its two creators.
Liu is known for his paintings of animals, especially the giant panda. He is labeled "panda painter", and his panda paintings have toured the world.
"I was impressed by the landscapes and Rockefeller's deep love for his country and family," says Liu, adding that in the sleepy Western American town, the famous Rockefellers are treated as regular people.
Rockefeller has been collecting Liu's works for a while now.
They met at a gallery exhibition several years ago, when Rockefeller bought one of Liu's ink paintings on the spot. He also collected two of Liu's other works this year.
As a nature lover, Rockefeller is passionate about taking photos of animals and landscapes, and has learned Chinese calligraphy.
Collin Eckles, a nephew of Rockefeller, says his uncle's love for both art and nature led him to invite Liu to work with him on the book.
It would also increase public awareness of environmental issues and the need to protection nature, Eckles says.
The Rockefellers are known for their large collections of art and for establishing museums such as MOMA in New York.
In recent years, the Rockefellers have actively participated in China's art world.
According to Eckles, the family took shows of well-known Chinese artists to New York and to the Palace of Versailles for the first time in 2013. They also established a culture club in Beijing.
In 2013, it was announced that an art museum will be built in Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong province, under the name of Rose Rock. Eckles says the project has yet to be finished.
