The ongoing exhibition at Beijing's Poly Art Museum showcases 80 works by Russian contemporary artist Lavrenty Bruni. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"I suddenly realized that what I really want is drawing. I want to spend the maximum amount of time on it. It was hard. I drew for four hours on weekdays, eight hours on weekends," he says.

The hard work paid off. Not only is Bruni well-known in his home country, but in recent years his works have also been exhibited around the world. Before coming to China, Bruni had hosted successful exhibitions in Australia and Japan.

He admits that exhibiting overseas is stressful, especially in a city where he is perceived in a different way than he is in Moscow.

"Each country has its own amazing environment and culture that influence perception. And this is an invaluable experience," he says.

"Doing an exhibition in China is very interesting, as it is a country with long history and with a culture different from Russia. I love to see my works viewed by audiences from a variety of cultural backgrounds."

Flowers and ballerinas are two of the main subjects displayed at Bruni's exhibition in Beijing.

"As a poet composes letters into words, for me flowers are the basis of paintings," he writes in his biography. "Flowers are the handwriting that allow me to write well. I can use flowers to draw everything－landscapes, still lifes, portraits. Flowers for me are like people."

Bruni says he loves to challenge himself with large-scale canvases and by using unconventional colors when painting flowers.