Through the years, no matter how detail-oriented a figurine was, Wang was always able to portray it through his ink art.

Other than the mainland and Hong Kong, his shows have toured Japan, the United States, Canada and Australia.

Liu Kaiqu, a former director of the National Art Museum of China, says one can see how well the techniques of Chinese calligraphy and ink paintings have mixed in Wang's works.

Wang's creativity goes beyond painting. He sings, plays several musical instruments and writes poetry. During the two decades that he worked in Guantao in North China's Hebei province, he helped set up a theater troupe there.

"I love singing and dancing. It also helps me shape an artistic melody in my paintings," says Wang.

Born in Xiamen in eastern China's Fujian province, Wang started to paint at age 5. He loved painting so much that he made paintings on any surface he could lay his hands on - the walls of his parents' home or the cobblestones of the streets.

He studied art at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts from masters Liu Haisu, Huang Binhong and Pan Tianshou. After graduation, he worked for newspapers as an illustrator and drew comics and posters in his spare time.

Wang's paintings reflect the artist's inner mind, says Guan Shandi, a researcher at Chinese National Academy of Arts in Beijing.

He recently donated more than 60 of his works to a Guantao museum.