French artist Natalie Miel has frequently traveled to China over the past 14 years.

Miel said she feels a natural emotional attachment to China, and the country's architecture, ceramics and silk craft inspire her greatly, and she always wants to blend the styles and patterns of these art forms into her works.

Now her audience can appreciate how Miel has incorporated the artistic traditions of her home country with those elegant, intricate elements of Chinese culture that have impressed her throughout the years and gone into her creations at her solo exhibition now in Beijing.

The exhibition, The Joy of Living, is at the Ici Labas Gallery through Oct 27, shows dozens of Miel's vivid paintings, which provide local viewers a novel perspective to viewing the landscapes the artist has seen across China.

Zhu Chunlin, a senior researcher at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, says the feeling of happiness embodied in Miel's paintings reminds one of Henri Matisse's works, and her great attention to details, colors and composition show a woman's sensitive and emotional sides.