1952年，周和平生于江苏启东市，幼年随父母来到新疆生活，从此和天山结缘。自小拜师学习绘画，奠定了扎实的绘画基本功，1969年特招参军，1973年毕业于全军首届美术干部集训班，1990年深造于中央美院高研班。后来又转业新疆伊犁市，一直从事专业的美术创作。
周和平在新疆生活了几十年，他深爱着这片广袤的土地，更确切地讲，他迷恋上了这儿瑰丽多变的色彩。有一次，他在天山写生，那是个红霞满天的傍晚，整个山上像撒下一层璀璨的金子，在空旷静谧的山野里，远处的云、近处的山、身边的小树，都披上一层神秘的色彩。周和平欣喜异常，赶紧支起画架迅速涂抹开来，谁知道，刚画了不到20分钟时间，满山的彩霞被一团黑云遮蔽得严严实实，周和平呆呆地望着自己没有画完的画稿。新疆的天空美丽多变可见一斑。周和平喜欢新疆，喜欢这个像梦幻一样的色彩之乡，他立志用手中的画笔把新疆流动的瑰丽世界描绘出来。
怎么去实现自己的理想呢？他想到国画，国画的线条很美，但是色彩单调，如果用油画去反映，有了色彩，但是失去了中国画的美感，他后来决定用国画的线条和西方油画的色彩结合在一起，反映新疆那个像梦幻的世界，他给自己的画叫作“幻彩”。想法很好，但是要做到真正的中西合璧没有那么容易。著名画家林风眠认为张大千和吴冠中都努力过，但都不能算成功。把中西画法结合得最好的只有林风眠，经过一生的努力，到了晚年才算成功。周和平能成功么？
1994年，周和平辞职来到北京，一边为各大宾馆画壁画为生，一边潜心研究自己的“幻彩”画。当然，一开始，他的画不被人接受，有人说，他画的什么东西？国画不是国画，油画不是油画，肯定没有市场。周和平不管这些，他根据自己所学的技法和思想，去用心勾勒心中的新疆。
周和平有一幅作品，以天山为背景，一匹孤独的骏马在空旷的山野里背对人群长啸嘶鸣，马的对面是或黄或红或蓝或绿的绚烂天空。很多人看了这幅画，都读懂了这匹马的内心世界：希望有一个伯乐能够赏识自己、发现自己，去施展自己的才华。
10多年前，著名导演李胜利用纪实的手法拍摄《九一八》大案纪实，引起全国轰动，当时有人就说他的这部片子，不像电影也不像电视，就是一个四不像。笔者采访他的时候，他说：“我不管别人怎么说，这部片子出来了，大家总要给他起个名字。”后来这部片子就叫纪实片，李胜利也因此在影视界成了一个里程碑的人物。
周和平所谓的幻彩画也出来了，它不是单纯的油画，也不是单纯的国画，这么一幅画，用周和平的话说有很多人看懂了他，那么他就是一件艺术品。如今，周和平的幻彩画已经引起很多人的喜爱，作品多次入选国内外大展并获奖，并多次在各地举办个人画展。很多作品被驻华使馆、博物馆、国际友人、企事业单位收藏。一个画廊要他全身心投入，每月收购他20幅画，一下子签了一年的合同。这说明，已经有人接受了他的幻彩画，他的幻彩画将逐步走进大众的视野。

1952, week and all one's life are opened at Jiangsu east city, childhood lives along with parents, mix from now on day hill become attached to. From brushwork of the small study that do obeisance to division, established sound painterly basic training, enrolled especially 1969 join the army, was graduated from horse and foot 1973 class of assemble for training of first art cadre, took advanced courses to grind high at central beautiful courtyard 1990 class. Later Yi of Xinjiang of be transferred to civilian work plows city, be engaged in professional art creative work all the time.
Zhou Heping lived a few years in Xinjiang, he is loving the village god of this length and breadth of land greatly, tell exactly, he went up madly here the colour with changeful magnificent. Once, he is in day hill is sketchy, that is a dusk that Gong Xia is all over the sky, resemble scattering the gold of a bright on whole hill, in the Shan Ye with quiet hollowness, the hill of the cloud of far, vicinity, sapling beside, drape a mysterious colour. Zhou Heping is glad and unusual, raise an easel rapidly swift smear leaves come, who knows, just drew be less than 20 minutes of time, the rosy clouds of full hill is obstructed Yan Yan is solidly by posse nebula, zhou Heping stays to looking at the rough sketch that he is over without the picture slow-wittedly. The celestial beauty of Xinjiang is changeful and visible one spot. Zhou Heping likes Xinjiang, like the rural area of this colour like dream, his aspire uses the magnificent world that the paintbrush in the hand flows Xinjiang to depict.
How to go realizing oneself ideal? He thinks of traditional Chinese painting, the line of traditional Chinese painting is very beautiful, but colour is drab, if use canvas to mirror, had color, but the aesthetic feeling of the traditional Chinese painting in was being lost, the colour of the line that he decides to use traditional Chinese painting later and western canvas is united in wedlock together, reflective Xinjiang resembles dreamy world that, he cries to his picture " unreal colour " . Idea is very good, but it is so easy to should accomplish match well of true Chinese and Western to do not have. Mian of famous artist Lin Feng thinks magnify 1000 had tried hard with Wu Guanzhong, but cannot calculate a success. Have what brushwork of Chinese and Western is united in wedlock best only Lin Feng Mian, through the effort of lifetime, arrived old age just calculates a success. Is Zhou Heping successful?
1994, week peace abdication comes to Beijing, make a living for mural of each old hotel drawing at the same time, at the same time with great concentration studies oneself " unreal colour " picture. Of course, at the beginning, his picture is not accepted, someone says, the what thing that he draws? Traditional Chinese painting is not traditional Chinese painting, canvas is not canvas, do not have the market for certain. Zhou Heping no matter these, the ability way that he learns according to oneself and thought, go drawing the outline of the Xinjiang in the heart attentively.
Zhou Heping has a work, it is setting with day hill, an alone courser carries hoarse of long to the crowd howl on the back to cry in the Shan Ye of hollowness, it is on the horse or Huang Huogong or blue or green gorgeous sky. A lot of people saw this picture, understood the inner world of this horse: The hope has enough him appreciate of a Bai Leneng, him discovery, go him put to good use talent.
10 old before, the technique that celebrated director Li Sheng uses on-the-spot report films " 918 " big case on-the-spot record, cause countrywide sensation, someone says this his gramophone record at that time, unlike film also unlike TV, it is a 4 unlike. When the author interviews him, he says: "I no matter how does people say, this film came out, everybody always should have a name to him. " this film makes on-the-spot report later piece, li Sheng benefit also became the person of a milepost in bound of movie and TV accordingly.
Colour of so called unreal drew Zhou Heping to also come out, it is not pure canvas, also not be pure traditional Chinese painting, so a picture, the word that uses Zhou Heping says to a lot of people understood him, so he is an artwork. Nowadays, unreal color picture of Zhou Heping has caused the loving of a lot of people, work for many times selected be exhibited domestic and internationally greatly and bear the palm, hold individual art exhibition in each district for many times. A lot of work are stationed in China friend of diplomatic mission, museum, international, enterprise or business the unit is collected. A gallery wants heart of his whole body to throw, buy 20 his paintings every months, signed contract of a year at a draught. This explains, already the unreal color picture that somebody accepted him, his unreal color picture will walk into popular eye shot stage by stage.