Duan Jiying paints on a stone at her studio in Niangziguan village of Yangquan, Shanxi province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Over the past six years, rural painter Duan Jiying has created a large number of colorful paintings on the most natural of canvases – stones in various shapes.

Duan, 43, a farmer from Niangziguan village in Yangquan, Shanxi province, began painting stones in 2017.

Duan Jiying teaches students how to paint on the stone. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"It doesn't need special rules or techniques to paint on the stones," she said. "The most important thing is to give full play to the imagination."

Duan painted different patterns on her exquisite works, such as figures, flowers, birds, fish and natural landscapes. She also published short videos of her process and finished works on social media platforms, attracting many followers.

"Painting makes my life more wonderful," she said. "I also hope to teach more people about the art."

Art created by Duan Jiying on stones [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]