1 . Cayce Zavaglia is an artist with a unique transformation to her work.    1    Painting with tiny needles is not as fast as painting with a brush.    2    It takes two months-nearly 200 hours to complete a portrait.

    3    Once she decides, she invites that person to her studio and takes hundreds of photographs. She studies the way the light falls across the person's face. After many hours of studying the photos, she chooses the perfect one for her portrait. Next, she enlarges the photo on a canvas(画布). Then, she matches the colors in the photo and the stitching begins.

Cayce starts with the hair and forehead, then moves on to the shoulders and clothing, and finally the face. The human face is what she most enjoys creating in her art.    4    In a portrait of her baby daughter, the skin appears soft and smooth. In a portrait of her dad, the stitches show a wrinkled and aging face.

Cayce believes her success depends on three things: her choice of colors, the length and direction of the stitches, and her ability to make the portrait look true. She loves the surprise when people view her art. From a distance, people believe the portraits are painted.    5    

2 . Hungarian artist Zoltan Viczan has revealed his love and memories of his homeland in a series of new glass artworks at the exhibition, Layers of Hungary, which is taking place at Picnic Gallery in downtown Shanghai from Oct 13 to Nov 15.

Born in Hungary in 1979, Viczan began his studies in glass art at an early age in Budapest.     1    He is known for having developed his own style and techniques for glass engraving(雕刻).

Traditional glassmaking in the West originated in Italy, where the royal court forced master crafts people to live on an island and create fine goods, Viczan says.     2    Then they took the technique to other parts of Europe, such as Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

Viczan came to Asia 10 years ago, spending four years in Japan and two years in Hong Kong before moving to Shanghai in 2016. Generally many expatriates socialized with people from their countries to overcome homesickness.     3    

In the exhibition, visitors will see a map of Hungary sculpted in cast glass and decorated with traditional Hungarian glass patterns, and works describing the city of Budapest and Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe.

    4    For example, he removed the protective and reflective layers of the mirror to create a window on the surface that reveals the layer underneath. He even placed multiple layers of these windows in front of each other, creating a 3D effect that changes when viewed from different angles.

    5     “We live in an infinitely complex world that we have no way to fully understand,” he says. “Through our experiences, we form a worldview that becomes our reality, which will be challenged when we are exposed to new ideas. These layers of realizations are the signs of our personal development.”

3 . It's hard to say goodbye to your favorite pair of jeans, even when they're way beyond wearable.     1    

Netherton-born artist Ian Berry has made quite a name for himself after his unique art took the art world by storm. It's hard to believe the idea of using old denim (牛仔布) as medium for his art came after a call from his mother, Christine, asking him to clean out his room. “It was about six or seven years ago, my mum was clearing out my old room and she wanted me to go through my things. I found loads of old jeans and denims and I noticed the different colors and shades. I kept hold of them but it was only about 18 months later that I began to do something with them.”     2    

Ian Berry quit his full-time job in advertising to focus all his attention on art.     3     And he remembers his girlfriend's parents asking if artists could make a living in this day and age. But his gamble(冒险) paid off and soon his denim artworks were the stars of sell-out shows in Sweden and the US, and his pieces were sold to private and public collections all over the world.

Iain Barratt, director of the Catto Gallery, told the Examiner, “what Ian Berry does is extraordinary.     4     And what absolute treasures they are. Ian makes remarkably detailed portraits and urban landscapes using nothing more than discarded (丢弃的) jeans – the effect is extraordinary.”

    5     Ian Berry uses old jeans, a pair of scissors and some glue to create all his incredible detailed works of art. After 12 years of working with denim, the English artist has managed to fill seven closets with old pairs of jeans, so it's safe to say he has plenty of material for his future works.

4 . With smiling eyes, a quick wit and a good sense of humor, Jia Ling has long been a well-known female comedian.     1    

Jia, 39, starred in and directed the film, Hi, Mom, which by Feb 23^rd has earned more than 4 billion yuan. Jia became the top box office grossing female director in China and is on the path to becoming an international name in the filmmaking industry.     2    

One factor may be her passion for comedy. Jia graduated from Beijing's Central Academy of Drama in 2003. In the last 18 years she has performed crosstalk in various competitions and shows. She has also played comedic roles in many comedies on the big screen,     3     Showing her keen sense of comedy, Jia ensured that Hi, Mom hit home for those who needed a laugh. For example, when Shen Guanglin goes on a date with Li Huanying, Shen suffers from a case of diarrhea （腹泻）,leading to an awkward and humorous scene.

    4     Apart from funny scenes, Hi, Mom focuses on the pure and sincere relationship between mother and daughter. It was regarded as a "heartwanning comedy"   by Hollywood Reporter. China's New Year box office tends to reward titles with broad family fun - and sentimentality （多愁善感）rarely hurts.     5    

5 . Young Taylor Swift

For a certain 11­year­old, a spring break trip to Nashville, Tennessee, was life­changing. Nashville was the center of the country music industry.

While her mom waited in the car, the girl walked into all the big record companies in town.    1    None of the people there took her seriously then—but they should have.                      

Because that girl was Taylor Swift.     2     She listened to country music albums until she knew all the lyrics. She performed at county fairs near her hometown of Wyomissing，Pennsylvania. At age 12, she taught herself to play guitar and wrote her first song.

Making music came easily to Taylor, but making friends did not.     3    “They all thought I was strange,”Taylor remembers. “I spent a lot of time alone.” So she focused on her music.

    4    So they moved their family to Nashville. By age 14, Taylor was working part­time as a songwriter and performing new songs. That’s how she got her big chance. She was offered a record contract (合同) before she was old enough to drive a car!

You probably know how this turned out. Since her first album came out in 2006, Taylor has won 10 Grammy Awards. Her album, 1989, has sold more than 9 million copies.     5    Her fans say her songs are honest. They feel as though she understands them—and could even be their friend. Taylor’s fans like how her music makes them feel.