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Hi,Dear Friends
How are you?
Have you had a wonderful week? I do hope you have.
I am still on my 12th American trip and had a challenging but meaningful exploration.
Besides offering lessons for 14 hours in my three ＾Cross-cultural and Comprehensive Art Workshops￣ on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, attending 10 hours of English lessons, I also painted 21 pieces of Chinese Baimiao paintings (line-drawing paintings, which is one of the steps of creating a Chinese Gongbi painting and also an independent form of Chinese painting since the Song Dynasty) for my adult students who wanted to learn Chinese Gongbi (traditional Chinese realistic painting) in the first two workshops.
I mean that in my previous 11 trips to America, what I taught was mainly Chinese Baimiao paintings and Xieyi (Freehand brush) paintings because almost every class lasted for a short time, such as 50 minutes. Teaching Chinese Gongbi painting (realistic painting, which requires much more time) was not feasible.
However, on this, my 12th trip to America, I have much more time for each class. Therefore, I would like to try to deliver some techniques of Chinese Gongbi Painting (Traditional Chinese Realistic Painting) by helping my American students learn some of the most classical works at the peak of Chinese painting history, such as those from the Song Dynasty (960-1276).
Therefore, on Saturday, January 18, 2025, during the 7th lesson at the Springfield Chinese Church, I showed my adult students how to make the background of a Chinese Gongbi painting (traditional Chinese realistic painting) with tea for the first time and prepared to guide them to attempt Baimiao painting (which is also one of the steps in creating a Chinese Gongbi painting) on this background. However, after reviewing some of the best students' Baimiao works, my concerns were confirmed: almost none of the Baimiao paintings met the standard required for a Chinese Gongbi painting.
That put me in a dilemma:
On one hand, the fact was that if I continued teaching my American students Gongbi painting, it would be impossible for them to work based on a solid foundation of Baimiao Painting within their 3-month workshops, as I had done for over 11 years at my two art colleges, plus the previous 9 years of learning before entering college. However, Baimiao Painting is crucial for creating Chinese Gongbi Paintings. Without a proper Baimiao foundation, the subsequent Gongbi paintings would be built on a weak base, akin to constructing a house on a crooked foundation. No matter how much we decorate it, it wouldn¨t result in a durable and commendable piece. On the other hand, if I stopped teaching this essential form of Chinese paintings, it would be a significant loss for students eager to learn Chinese painting, especially since many students love Chinese Gongbi Paintings and have a strong desire to learn.
So, after accounting for my time, I decided to paint the Baimiao part for my students myself and then let them learn to color it based on my work. This way, even though I will soon leave the US, the techniques will remain on this land. Students can continue to practice drawing their own lines by painting Baimiao independently and then coloring their Baimiao works to transform them into Chinese Gongbi Paintings.
Therefore, I worked day and night. Finally, on Friday, January 24, 2025, during the fifth lesson of my second ＾Cross-cultural and Comprehensive Art Workshop,￣ which was assisted by a former chemistry professor, two current doctors, an Asian arts and Chinese language instructor, a former art instructor, and others, they tried to color their first Chinese Gongbi painting based on the Baimiao painting that I had prepared for them from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Then on Saturday, during the 8th lesson at the Springfield Chinese Church, while the group of children was attempting lovely bird paintings in the traditional Chinese Baimiao style from the Song Dynasty (960-1276), the adult group engaged in their second Chinese Gongbi Painting session for 5 hours, from 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Although they couldn¨t dedicate the approximately 80 hours that I had spent on a similar painting at the China National Academy of Arts, we have already begun our explorations.
Besides the two art workshops held earlier, the first lesson of my third Art Workshop began at OTC on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. After providing a brief introduction to Chinese painting, students learned to paint their first Chinese Baimiao paintings. When the last student completed her first Chinese painting at 4:10 PM, the lesson had been ongoing since 1:00 PM.
I was so tired, not from the jobs themselves, but from the tight schedule. I had to work until 3:30 or 4:30 AM every night and get up before 7:00 AM. I wouldn¨t stop working until I felt like things were doubling before my eyes. Every time I left the classroom, my legs felt stiff and difficult to bend. However, I was delighted to see my students' much-improved work.
Although we do not yet have the necessary conditions to attempt a Chinese Gongbi painting, we have started working on it and will continue to try.
I am sure that any path is created by people. When we do not have a ready-made path to follow, we should explore and strive through continuous efforts and hard work, and we will certainly carve out our own path.
This process is precisely the journey of pursuing dreams.
Do you agree with me?
Do you have anything special to share?
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Sincerely, I am just a lifelong learner in the arts of painting, music, English, management and Chinese art teaching, and work on the website in my free time. I would really like to do something with what I have learned and make this website a little electronic bridge for cross-cultural and integrated/comprehensive art and Chinese language studying. This way, I can help others while improving myself.
Thank you always for your understanding, guidance and assistance and if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to write to info@ebridge.cn .
Shirley Yiping Zhang
Jan 28, 2025
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