A Camel's Portrait, A Painter's Memory
Weiming Zhao, a well-known Brandon-based artist recognized for his plein air paintings of iconic scenes throughout Brandon and Western Manitoba, recently felt an emotional pull toward Glenboro’s beloved mascot, Sara the Camel.
Zhao shared that while he has always been captivated by Sara’s majestic presence – and what a fitting local landmark she is, being so close to Spruce Woods Provincial Park – the deeper connection was a personal one.
“It reminds me of my birthplace in far northwestern China, where camels are a common sight,” he explained, his voice tinged with emotion. He elaborated that camels roaming the wilderness, as well as wandering through residential streets, were part of his everyday childhood experience.
“I remember frequent sightings of caravans of massive Bactrian camels moving down our road, with entire families of nomadic Kazakhs riding on their backs during their seasonal transit from summer pastures,” he reminisced.
Close your eyes, and it’s easy to conjure up the sounds he describes: the gentle tingling of camel bells mixed with the deep rumble of their feet pounding and crunching the gravel, kicking up plumes of dust and dirt.
“The caravan,” Zhao said softly, “is a grand and enchanting staging of a way of life that has probably long vanished.”
Growing up in the 1960s in a remote part of China during the Cultural Revolution, Zhao found solace in drawing and painting. He taught himself English using a book on pronunciation, and eventually, he and his family made their way to Brandon. His original plan was to leave Brandon after attaining his degree, however, due to the support and connections he has made Brandon his permanent home.
Nearly three decades passed before he picked up a paintbrush again – this time while vacationing at Lake of the Woods, Ontario, in 2003. He hasn’t put it down since.
What began as a hobby has become a lifelong quest. Since 2003, Zhao has committed to completing a painting a day, resulting in more than 8,000 works capturing the spirit and scenery of Brandon and Western Manitoba.
One of those works – a painting of Clark Hall in 2020 – became the start of a new tradition at Brandon University: presenting each graduate with an art print alongside their degree.
Today, most of Zhao’s recent works are commissioned portraits of private homes in Brandon, though he continues to paint local scenes daily. When asked if finding new subjects is ever difficult, his answer was quick and emphatic: “No, it is not difficult at all!”
If owning a Zhao original is on your wish list but out of your price range, Carberry Signs has a solution. They’ve recently produced 2026 calendars featuring 26 of Zhao’s paintings – each representing a different community in Westman. And among them, of course, is Glenboro’s iconic Sara the Camel.
While Zhao’s artwork can be found in collections throughout Canada, the United States, Russia, and China, the 12×16 canvas of Glenboro’s iconic Sara still rests in the artist’s studio.
Perhaps he’s not quite ready to part with it. After all, sometimes a painting is more than a picture – it’s a bridge to a memory, a place, and a feeling that never truly fades.
PHOTO CAPTION: Weiming Zhao, a well-known Brandon-based artist, has a 12×16 canvas of Glenboro’s iconic Sara in his artist’s studio, which reminds him of his birthplace in China.
