ONE in 20 Million

Tucson Airport

2012-01-20T10:07:00.000-08:00

Some beautiful tile work in front of the Men's and Women's bathrooms in the Tucson Airport. I love it when local artists are involved!

Another Quilt

2012-01-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

A quilt about tai chi breathing and return to blogging

2012-01-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

I'm going to blog this year about the art quilt and paper pieces I'm working on. I just finished this quilt - a commission for Dr. Kesho Scott, professor at Grinnell College in Iowa. Dr. Scott visited us in China the last 2 summers when she was teaching at east China Normal University.
I wanted to make something about the technique of 吸气 [xīqì] and 呼气 [hūqì]. In tai chi your breathing technique is very important - filling your lungs completely in the xiqi and emptying in the huqi completely.

Here is the development of the quilt:

First I draw my hands several times

Then I choose the best drawings - right hand

left hand

I used both hands to draw and a magnifying mirror to see close up

then i pin the pictures to see how it looks with the figure

Then I pin the pictures on to dyed fabric quilt sandwiches

then I do my first outline sewing through the picture and pull off the paper so the drawing is eventually destroyed. Almost a "Lost drawing" technique!

Now you can see the figure with hands

I use peltec as the backing of the miniquilt sandwich for each hand. I also used peltec for the face with batting and fabric -- but I just drew the face freehand with the sewing machine - no paper and no drawing on fabric first.

Addded in a lot of detail. I use my own hands as models because I don't have to pay them, and I can keep them still! Unfortunately they are aging as fast as I am.

The background I first dyed with thickened fiber reactive dye onto soda ash soaked/dried fabric with several light greens. I then printed the lotus leaves using leaves from our tai chi park Minhang Sports Park in QiBao

This man gave me the leaves as he was thinning the beds.

Lotus and lilies are similar but different species. I like them both.

Lily

Lotus

Closeup of the face pinned on background

The finished piece - "Exhale (huqi)" meditation on the African in China. I also made the chinese buttons on his shirt.

Dr. Kesho Scott and me when I turned the piece over to her in Phoenix,AZ where we were both visiting relatives.

Close up of face finished - small yellow seed beads around the head

Close up of the lotus flower

The flower part made me very happy.

On to the next piece.

Latest Quilt

2011-06-16T02:05:00.000-07:00

This is a commissioned piece for Sarah and Tim Chaney, neighbors and friends in Beilun, now headed to Buenos Aires Argentina to an American International School there.

The piece is called "GuanYin Listens." Sarah and I went to many temples in Beilun and Zhejiang province together. I have always loved Guan Yin because she is the One who hears the world's sorrows. Women are drawn to her altars, always in the back of the temple away from the crowds.

The Lotus Flower is from a paper lotus pattern I learned here. I used fusible web to make the petals stiff. Each petal and leaf is quilted and beaded.

Enjoy!

Trip to Guizhou Province

2011-06-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

I spent 6 days with Emma Chen in Guizhou Province, in the Southwest part of China. This area is home to the terrace rice farms seen so often in pictures of China. We travelled to Guizhou for research work Emma is completing on her next book - about education in rural areas and what children are doing, thinking and feeling in an environment far removed from that of the children we have worked with in Beilun and Ningbo.

We flew to Guiyang, Guizhou's capital and were met by the people hosting us in the mountain village___. We drove for an hour, and stopped at a hotel for the night.

In the morning we met up with the mayor of the village, who took us for special Guizhou breakfast - spicy noodles!

In the tiny shop a few doors down from the hotel, this young woman made delicious soup with meat balls, sausage, spices, veggies and hand made rice noodles.

She used extra long chopsticks - 筷子 (kuai zi) to add and stir without getting burned by the flames

These are the 3 soup portions for Emma, Mr. Mayor and I

This is the caldron of spicy soup made each day - since we were late, the breakfast crowd had already eaten most of it!


This is Mr. Mayor of the village we worked in - He is mixing the different greens and peppers for our dipping sauce. In Ningbo, we dip food into soy and vineagar - but in Guizhou - HOT PEPPER Sauce!

Mr. Mayor explained that everyone makes their own blend of spices and greens for dipping sauce. He was happy that I liked his 'blend!"

Emma, however, doesn't like spicy food. She had to say "不辛辣" Bu xinla - or "not spicy!"

Here the cook is adding sausage and meatballs

Now the noodles

Now getting it all in the serving bowl, with a sprinkle of chives and cilantro on top

Mr. Mayor worried that I won't like local food!


Oh it was sooooo good! Thank you, Mr. Mayor, Emma and all the Guizhou cooks who patiently allowed me to photograph them!

More tomorrow!

New Piece

2011-05-09T00:21:00.000-07:00

Here are photos of my latest piece - a small (12" x 8") thank you to a friend. I painted the Chinese calligraphy with ink on fabric, then stiched around the edges. I had to fuse the white fabric to another piece before painting on it. With one layer of fabric the ink ran too much.

The Chinese is : 为人生之艺术 wéi rén shēng zhī yì shù
It means "Art is for Life" My calligraphy teacher showed me how to write it and I have been practicing for a few months. I try to write characters over and over until it feels right or my hand falls asleep!

"Art for Life," 12" x 18", 2011

"Art for Life,"detail

"Art for Life," detail with signature and chop

Wei Ren Sheng Zhi

Shu

Signature and Chops

A Walk through Beilun on May Day

2011-05-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Balloon and flower seller - Xinda Lu market

The traffic during market - watch out!

Pineapple is in season

Peeled and cut expertly - no extra charge

Bunny or hamster?

I think these are the famous flying Wallenda hamsters

Did he eventually buy one for his girl? Don't know - we moved on...

May Day holiday brought out lots of people in beautiful spring weather. Brian and I wandered along Xinda Lu past Mingzhou Lu into a sprawling market selling everything - toys, bunnies, plants, food and clothes. I like the Chinese market - you can walk through and look without hassle. I took a lot of pictures - people are proud of their work and willing to explain what they do.

Traditional Chinese Herbs and Tea

Another view

Pu-er Tea

Kendall Square Subway Chime machine

2011-04-27T01:35:00.000-07:00

Kendall Square is the stop on the MTA closest to M.I.T. I saw this Chime machine on a trip with Jacob to the Boston Anime Festival.

First you pull on a handle:

Note the engraving "Kendall Band - Pythagoras" - Math is everywhere!

View onto the tracks - the Chimes sit between the outbound and inbound trains

As you pull/push the handle, the hammers swing back and forth and hit the chime pipes - making a calming pleasant sound. People look up and smile. Sometimes someone goes to the handle on the other side of the tracks and begins a duet with you!

Little boys ran over to pull the handle when they saw how much fun we were having!

Pulling hard doesn't hurt the chimes or make it sound bad! Great design!

Jacob told me the MTA had put out an e-mail appeal to MIT for help fixing the Chimes. Students fixed it! (see also http://kendallband.wordpress.com/about/the-kendall-band/) I also only saw the Pythagoras part of the installation - there is also a Kepler part and a Galileo part. I guess I'll have to see them when I return.

Here is a movie of the Chimes taken with my camera. Enjoy!
There are also videos on the Wiki page for the Kendall Band - originally designed and constructed by Paul Matisse, son of Henri Matisse. Excellent work Paul - glad the students could take over care and repair.

There is so much public art in the US, and so little in China. I wish for more public art in China - and more appreciation of public art in the US.

Drawing - why

2011-04-22T06:06:00.000-07:00

I spend time drawing. I like to draw in restaurants - especially the Muslim noodle shop near my home.

Little boy at Noodle shop looking at my sketchbook

Noodle maker

I also enjoy drawing people sitting at the table while they are doing something else.

Cousin Beverly at Pop Pop's table(detail)

Cousin Beverly at Pop Pop's table

These are older pictures - when I look at them I see things I would do differently - things I've worked on - like getting hands and head proportionally better.


Hand over Greenland

Then I see where I took the time to develop a life drawing - usually of my hand (free model) and I remember that time is critical for drawing. Long, transatlantic flights are a great place to attend to detailed drawings.

I know I need to divide my time between fast gesture and gesture like drawing and taking time to develop a drawing with more detail.

Girl in Spicy Restaurant

Bahamian Altarboy

Life is about balance. I tell myself with each picture - 'what do I LIKE about this picture?" I note that feature and then turn the page.

Temple Ash

2011-04-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

Long Eared Buddha, 2007

Zhang Huang is a Chinese visual and performance artist who uses temple incense ash to make giant sculptures.

I hope to see these in real life sometime soon. Zhang Huan's work is in the Shanghai Art Museum. Zhang does make political art and he also has great visibility in the West. Given Ai WeiWei's recent experience of being detained abd virtually disappeared in China, I hope Zhang Huan remains able to continue making art.

You can see his work HERE and a wonderful essay written buy Zhang about temple ash HERE

Temple and Shrine Offerings

2011-04-19T15:24:00.000-07:00

I enjoy religious offerings in China. In contrast, the western practice of collection plates in church have little beauty compared with the candles, incense and food offerings in Buddhist and Daoist temples.

A Candle inside an Incense Burner at Putoshan Island temple

The incense burners outside the altars are big, with a pile of fragrant ashes from all the prior burnings. There is either a oil lamp outside the incense burner or a candle inside the burner to help people light their offerings for prayer.

People light their incense or joss sticks, and then bow a prayer in all 4 directions, then put the sticks in the incense burner.

I saw Once I monks carefully shoveling out the ashes into a wheelbarrow. I wondered what use the ash has - compost? Even after burning it is still fragrant.


Baskets at Putuoshan holding the paper coverings of incense sticks

Things like the baskets of incense wrapping papers or a pile of used candles in a shed on the grounds of the temple show me the scale of use - the hundreds of people who come to the temple to pray and to petition. Our friend Li, who traveled with us to Putoshan Island said that you pray to be relieved of your desire for things and actions.


Unusual offering of money at Guanyin shrine in Ayuang Temple, Ningbo


closer look - why set the coins on end?

Transportation carries some beauty

2011-04-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

In a Taxicab, a tea jar with flower tea

Outside a hotel window I watch people waiting for the morning bus

The baozi vendor sets up in the morning and vanishes a few hours later

Sometimes it is easier and less obtrusive to draw the scene instead of snapping a photo. Sometimes I just want the peace drawing gives me.

Seen in the Cleveland Airport

2011-04-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

In the C terminal of the Cleveland Airport - as you descend the escalator - this is what you see:

Giant Paper Airplanes!

One of faux yellow legal paper

I miss yellow legal pads

I spent so much time looking up - I forgot to watch the time and had to run for my plane

There are so many places to see public art in the US. The problem with airport art is no one is looking at it. Just my stopping and looking, and then taking pictures caused other people to look at these pieces. I also was disappointed that the artist's name was nowhere to be found in the area.

When I looked in Wikipedia I found the name of the piece is Home, School, and Office (1999). The artist is Andy Yoder. Here is his web site:ANDY YODER I hope he knows there ARE people who look up and see his beautiful work.

Bahama Nature Pictures - Close ups

2011-04-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

All cropped from the viewfinder - un-doctored, close view

My Art in the Bahamas

2011-04-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

In 2008 I began a project with the Grand Bahama Heritage Museum to teach quilt making to a community in Freetown, GBI. We dyed and printed fabric, took photographs and memorabilia from their lives, and made memory quilts. I also photographed plants, animals and landscapes. Eventually I produced a large art quilt for the Museum, Journey to Freetown.

These are photos of the final Commissioned quilt:

This panel (to the right in installation) is of the young people of the Freetown community. It includes a rust dyed piece that was dyed using an antique iron .

This panel is of the elders of the community

Close up detail from panel

This is the Boatman panel of Journey to Freetown. I wanted to honor the people who go to sea each morning in these little shallow boats with poles to fish or ferry all day. Difficult, dangerous work. To not be too somber - I included the shot with a lovely little girl who attended the opening in Freeport GBI.

Details from the Boatman panel

I still think about the Bahama Project, the people of Freetown and how art can connect people and give them a common history.Next time I will show more about the project with the community.

Latest Quilt

2011-04-11T05:45:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to show the finished piece - "Harold's window to the sky." This is a commission for Rose Hoskins, to celebrate her husband, Harold Hoskins, a Tuskegee Airman.

Art as a voice and a place

2011-04-08T18:32:00.000-07:00

I love the art of AI Weiwei.

This piece, "Forever" Bicycles, 2003 seems to me to celebrate the hundreds of bicycles that everyone uses (though less now) in China and all over the parts of the world where gas prices are beyond most people. I loved Ai WeiWei's work before I moved to China; before he became the 'next' dissident to capture the short Western Attention span, and before he was arrested. WeiWei's concern for the materialization of Chinese Culture is thoughtful and does not blame so much as seek to understand and to incite CARE.

Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo, 1994

see also Philips ART expert from a show last Spring

While I fear for his safety - I know he does not. His fear is for the people - what will happen when consumerism and love of money are no longer enough to dull emotional pain of dislocation, disempowerment and de-culturalization. This is also my fear for China, and for the United States, and for all countries.

My art changed in China. I should say first, my art changes when I change location - I pick up new palettes, objects, fabric that are particular to the place. For example, when I moved to Florida, I began to use green:

Buffy's Forest, 2005 - using the palette of Central Florida scrubland

Buffy's Forest, detail

I did a year long project in the Bahamas making art and learning about their incredible history of Africans emancipated from Slave ships directly to Grand Bahama Island. The palette there is clear blue skies and water, grey/white sand and deep jewel tone plants and animals.

Journey to Water Cay, 2009

My China Palette seems to use red and brown with the face changing to reflect the people I see.

Ancient Gaze, 2009

Ancient Gaze, detail

She carries her own heart, 2009

She carries her own heart, detail

Next time I will think about how travelling between places is also changing my work.

What do you think? Artists like to know - and I especially want to know which piece above do you like the best?

Quietly Contemplate

2011-04-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

I enjoy observing the Buddhist edict of "Quiet Contemplation." I learn to do this through observing Chinese people in its practice, slowing down to actually see things and to notice the tension between those that try to be still and quiet and those who do not. As China becomes more industrialized and 'modern,' it becomes harder to quiet oneself and contemplate nature and others. Even so, there are contemplation spots all over - temples, parks and tiny courtyards that work to close off modernity's noise.

This is a roof piece from the Daoist Temple in Wuhan

and a perfect 花 hua from the same temple garden.

Sometimes on our walks we will see people standing still, observing a plant, the canals or a bird. Tai Chi and Qi Gong seem to me practices to develop quiet contemplation. Notice how your hands and feet work with your breathing, etc.

This is our friend Jane practicing Tai Chi in Xiaoshan Park in Beilun. Jane introduced us to Tai Chi as practiced in China, and translated our lessons with our Tai Chi Master He.

While in the park of the Summer Palace in Beijing, we came upon a man writing calligraphy on the sidewalk using water:

His brush is a sponge on a tube attached to an old plastic water bottle and another tube. I imagine this set up is so he doesn't have to bend down so much.

The writing rapidly drieThes in the sun. Many people stood nearby watching the man write, and then watching the writing evaporate.

I think this says ke shui - hard water(?)

莲花 Lian Hua Lotus Flower

Lotus Flowers are great objects for quiet contemplation. They are in temple ponds everywhere. The roots are also good to eat! The Buddhist Chant - 唵嘛呢叭咪吽 Om Mani Padme Hum - describes - the jewel within the lotus. Now that I've seen the lotus and its gold yellow center I understand why it would be useful for contemplation.

These days I am quietly contemplating my new granddaughter - my first grandchild. She is a Jewel. All my practice of quiet contemplation has lead me to Alisa Maria Robles Breneman!

Baby Coming

2011-03-29T06:43:00.001-07:00

My grandbaby is working on being born so I will write tomorrow. I am working hard to keep busy and not check my email and skype more than 40 times a minute. I will try to go to bed and wake up a grandma.

How I look

I know everything will be fine. My son and his lovely wife, Silvia are the best people on earth to be parents. I'm a mess!

Funny Windows

2011-03-28T05:09:00.000-07:00

For my birthday - the 29th - I dedicate this entry to silly window photos and silly window thoughts. Sometimes we have to be silly. Turning 52 is one of those times.

Here are a few funny photographs of windows in China - beginning with my apartment window here in Beilun. One morning while sewing I looked up and there were LEGS. I think they were attached to men fixing windows. They disappeared a few minutes later. They looked especially funny with my Pleasant Goat( 喜羊羊与灰太狼 - xǐ yáng yáng yǔ huī tài láng - Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf cartoon) doll attached to the inside of the window. Many Chinese stuffed animals come with a suction cup to stick to the window. Not sure why.

I like toys, stuffed animals and Pokemon action figures. China is my kind of place when it comes to these important issues. These Pokemon - Igglypuff (宝宝丁- BaoBao Ding or Baby Ding), Jiggly Puff (胖丁 - Pang Ding or Fat Ding), and Wiggly Tuff (Pang ke Ding - Very Fat Ding) come from Jacob and sit in the Kitchen Window. I LOVE their Chinese names! For a while Wiggly Tuff was lost, but he reappeared in the aloe plant. I can make friends with Chinese and 'foreigner' children by sharing play time with pokemon. Thank you, Jacob!

Store windows in China are often comical - especially with all the stuffed animals. Stuffed animals are an important part of Chinese life. Many people, children and adults, carry stuffed animals around - attached to their phones, purses and backpacks. I sat next to a woman at a lecture the other day who had a small toy afghan hound clipped IN HER HAIR. I'm not kidding! Didn't have my camera that day :(

Window watching is also a popular pasttime. This stuffed animal Ferris wheel was in Shanghai. It was especially mesmerizing at night. It MOVED and made music! I had to wait a bit for others to move out of the way to get these shots. I was not the only one enthralled. Some children had to be dragged away.

I believe the tune was "Its a Small World after all."

I took these pictures for Kristina, but I like them, too. I have learned to take pictures of everything that looks interesting, because you could return tomorrow only to find the store GONE.

I am very glad I had the camera for this shot: Manikins in anguish

I laughed so hard when I first saw this. Sometimes the fact that people are so often staring at me makes me less inhibited! Scary thought. Some would argue the impossibility of that statement.

This one, here in Beilun, looks like a strange stuffed animal zoo or jail cells for bad toys
Many stiffed animals have closed eyes, small eyes, small noses and mouthes. Hello Kitty has no mouth at all. I understand from my research that this makes her less marketable because you can't have a cartoon without a mouth to move while talking. See NYTIMESHELLO KITTY

Some stuffed animal creations are beyond my understanding...a panda neck pillow?

Future projects will include the many plastic and stuffed animals seen in cabs. I plan to photograph them next. Cab photos are difficult - the key is to not watch the traffic.

Thank you for bearing with my silly pictures - serious work will return next time.

Doors and Windows

2011-03-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

Emma noticed last week that I like to photograph doors and windows. She thought I must have quite a collection of door/window photos. I went through my computer files to see - over 7000 pictures in iPhoto! I am posting a few of them here:

A favorite place for door and window contemplation is Ayuwang Temple 阿育王寺, on the outskirts of Beilun - a short taxi ride away from our home. This temple was first constructed in AD 300 and has been destroyed and rebuilt several times since. It is a large, working temple. One time we went and it seemed like the monks (men and women) were having 'family day' with relatives arriving with food, taking pictures and looking proud of their family's monk. All monks shave their heads and wear special clothes made with no animal products.

The Doors

I think on the left hand side it says 逍客止步 Traveler Stop - forbidden entry. I spend time deciphering characters on nciku.com or asking my Chinese friends "what does it say?" I am illiterate here and I do not like the feeling! I now have a clue as to the pain of illiteracy at home or anywhere.

Some doors are more elaborate than others.

I enjoy the simple old doors the most.

Doors are sometimes carved, always massive. I always try to open them or peek through the key holes. Often there is a shrine or garden hidden inside. Haven't been caught - yet! :)

This isn't really a door, more of a passageway. They are all over the temple - beautiful and mysterious. Sometimes the monks run down the passageways when they appear to be late for temple service. There is a particular slap slap sound to their shoes on the stone walkways.

Windows

Windows sometimes have bars, lattice work or both. This window had piles of unburned incense on the sill. I wondered what happened to the piles and piles of incense given in offering. Some people burn their offerings and pray, others leave their offering on a table in front of the Buddha. Lovely colors.

This is a window-to-be in a new wing to the temple.

Here is a close up view of the tools and tangerines.

I like watching new construction in China's temples, because they use many of the same old tools, but are also putting in wiring and plumbing so the monks can have some comforts of present day life. I believe the tool on the right is a planer. Perhaps my cousin Aaron the cool tool guy can enlighten me! :)

More doors and windows from other sites next time!

Fishing at East Lake Park and Questions

2011-03-25T00:27:00.000-07:00

My friend Emma is wonderfully patient with me - asking people questions for me - even when she isn't sure WHY I want to know something. Like with FISHING.

Fishing does not seem to happen in boats - though there were lots of boats ferrying people to all the sights.

On East Lake in Wuhan, (4 times bigger than West Lake in Hangzhou) we observed many people fishing with seriously long poles. The poles are attached to pulley systems that raise and lower the pole or swing it around to the fisherman.

I insisted we ask one man WHY he used this kind of pole. He explained it best to be farther away from the fish, and the 40 ft pole was worth the extra effort.

This is the same rationale for fly fishing, except you have a very long line that you cast far away from you instead of a long pole. The man also said he fished for relaxation - and began his hobby as a 13 year old, to relax after school work. He told us that catching fish was not his priority, just to be on the lake with peace and quiet.

The lake is a peaceful place. Wuhan citizens are very proud of their park, pointing out its beauty and the special 'Wuhan blue' tiles on the roofs of buildings and pagodas.

And the little blue birds and animals on top of the roofs.

People told us in the fall West Lake is spectacular with the fall foliage - but very very crowded. I liked this early spring time because it was not crowded and there were no mosquitos!

This lady sat playing her 二胡 erhu (ancient instrument) quietly while people wandered around photographing the plum trees in bloom or having picnics. I think part of enjoyment in Chinese parks is acting like you are the only one there - people seem to respect each others solitude - especially if they are making music.

We also met this man and his granddaughter. He explained he brought her to the park EVERY DAY! How wonderful!
I want to be that kind of a grandparent - maybe I will be!

I did my best not to scare the child and hurried off before she started to cry!

Birds are also present at East Lake. They seem to take to me better than little children. After three tries I got this shot of the Azure winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyana) - found the name on line - hoping my birder brother could help me out with the ID! Dave - this one's for YOU!

Sometimes I feel really good about a photo - this is one of those times!

Kites

2011-03-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

While walking around Wuhan University we saw two men flying kites. The machines they used for reels were impressive - and the kites were up really high in the air.

I imagined them to be retired engineering professors trying out new inventions.

This reel made a nice whirring sound when letting out line - reminded me of fly fishing reels.

By the amount of line I had trouble imagining how high it could go.

Because it was already up really high

With the telephoto I could just make out that there are characters on kite, but I don't know what they say...

This man's reel made a clicking sound as line played out - also pleasing - more like a ratchety sound. I liked the man's special kite flying gloves.

His bat kite was also up high

Maybe he is the Chinese Commissioner Gordon calling Batman. Maybe he just likes bats. Batman would not have a lot to do here - people were very pleasant and helpful.

Sorry I missed yesterday -- I will post two today. Keep those comments and emails coming!

Chu culture at the Hubei Provincial Museum

2011-03-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

Ancient Chu Culture produced beautiful, simple art and architecture. The museum in Wuhan is designed in the Chu style, with roof covered pathways to each building. We had a wonderful time exploring and asking questions. There is a wonderful life size diorama of an emperor's tomb with horse skeletons and chariots buried in formation. Because I was with Emma - I could ask questions through her excellent translation skills. I am very lucky to go places like this with someone so passionate about China and all the cultures within this country.

Here are a few of the pieces I really enjoyed. The gold symbol was translated as "Water" in ancient Chu script - very different than Mandarin. The Chu art had lost wax technique cast bronze vessels, reiku like pottery, brocade textiles and lacquer over wood. All simple, nature inspired geometric designs. Would love to find a tea set like the one in the museum -- maybe someday.

This one means Chu if I remember correctly

This one means water. I love that a contemporary artist created these pieces with such love of the ancient work - and that the museum displayed the work so prominently. American Museums - take note - contemporary art and history can compliment each other!

This is a lost wax technique cast bronze urn

This is a detail from another bronze urn.

Here is the tea set I mentioned.

This is its lid.

This is a detail of the lid.

Two ancient figures from a tomb.

These figures reminded me of Akan Acua'abas from West Africa. No explanation for how these were used.

Close-ups of each.

My camera allows me to take pictures without flash, and then "processes" the picture for a few sections, making the image look like you used a flash. This is a great feature in a museum where flash photography is not allowed. My lucky day!

Wuhan Music

2011-03-22T04:40:00.000-07:00

Wuhan had many opportunities for us to listen to traditional music. We heard music in the Daoist Temple mentioned in a previous post -- and we saw and heard two performances of traditional instruments from the Chu period/people, once at the Hubei Provincial Museum near East Lake park and at the 7 cranes park.

This image of the two headed Chu Phoenix sitting on tiger feet with a drum is repeated throughout the museum and the parks in Wuhan. This piece is in the 7 cranes park

And this one is in the Hubei Museum

The pictures were nice but the real drums were better.

We saw a performance at the museum that startled eyes and ears. Drums and bells, pipes, flutes and something that looked like an oboe.

This man played the big drum

And an oboe/bassoon kind of thing

And a tiny ancient pipe like an ocarina

He played a solo and a duet with the young lady in the next picture

This is the 'ancient instrument' kind of a zither-like instrument - very beautiful sound

Two other ladies played bamboo pipes

The hairstyles and costumes were also impressive

These are brass bells - they played several beautiful Chinese pieces and then "The Bells of St. Clemens" as a finale.

The bell players always seemed to be hiding behind the bells.

These are STONE bells. Several examples were in the Museum from ancient tombs around the state.
This example is really really old

The stone bells have a clear high sound

The bronze bells sound like church bells

This is a different ancient instrument (I think)

I love the designs on this instrument.

Keep the comments coming!

Lao Tse's temple in Wuhan

2011-03-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

Lao Tse, the famous Chinese philosopher and author of "The Way," was from Wuhan. There are Daoist temples and shrines all over town. Emma and I visited this one in downtown Wuhan. It had a lovely statue of Lao Tse in an inner courtyard/parking lot, and a vegetarian restaurant that wasn't open when we were there.

Temple Entrance

I enjoyed the temple's bustling activity. Many people lived there, and they were walking around, working on renovations, playing music or doing chores. Everyone, men and women, has very long hair tied in a top knot. Some people wore an interesting hat that the topknot showed through like a cake with a round candle on top!

Man playing flute wearing the hat with top knot on top!

Another man with topknot playing a really long bamboo flute like instrument. People followed us through the shrine part of the temple while playing instruments. It was lovely. Maybe Daoists need music to pray.

This was the prayer wheel/pyramid we are used to seeing in Buddhist temples with a thousand tiny Buddhas behind little glass or plastic windows. This one had pictures of people, tiny sanskrit prayers written on strips of paper in with the pictures, and it spun around as we watched and made music, a giant music box of prayers.

In front of the musical prayer pyramid I noticed this pieced prayer stool cover. Quilting is world wide. Everyone started it and no one can claim to be first... Here that American Quilt world???

Mural

This is a mural of Lao Tse and his disciples. I believe his "first" disciple, Zhong Tse, is also in this picture. I am most curious about the one woman in the picture. I have not yet found a reference to her on line. I will ask the next time I am at a Daoist temple.

I like that the disciples are all holding books similar to the calligraphy books I buy here in Beilun, a simple paper book with red lines to guide your writing characters. Several of the men in the mural are squeezing their books, but the woman holds hers with her sleeves. A nice detail.

Lao Tse also rode around on a cow, not a horse like other people. An in this carving he also has a really big forehead (as do many pictures of philosophers) I don't know why, and Emma didn't know either. We didn't ask but I will be sure to next time.

More on the temple later. Leave messages!

Ok - this is the LAST Wuhan Food post!

2011-03-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

These meat pastries were incredible. Flash seared in the wok - not oily but crunchy on the outside and savory in the middle.

The vendors explained to me, translated by Emma, how they made them with beef or tofu inside - using only the freshest ingredients!

Here you can see a man making the pastries to go in the wok. There are so many because many people buy them in the morning to take and eat on the way to work. The vendor lady is laughing at my exclamations about the wonderful food of Wuhan. I enjoyed myself immensely.

Its an assembly line of sorts - with one person making the dough, one getting the dough and meat together and one person frying. Everything is visible and people often stop to watch.

When I took the vendor ladies picture - they said -- take a picture of our food! So i did:

Makes me want one RIGHT NOW!

Wuhan Food Continued...

2011-03-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Steaming Baozi in many colors and flavors plus lotus leaf wrapped sticky rice things. This young lady graciously let me take her picture. Most people urged me to take pictures of the food but not them! I always ask permission.

A bit closer

And a bit closer

Everything was absolutely delicious!! Fresh - Wholesome and colorful. A Foodie's delight! Thank you Hubei Market Street Vendors. I appreciate your patience, samples, answers to crazy foreigner questions and especially your delight and pride in your work! Inspirational!

More food adventures

2011-03-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

Remember - in Hubei you have to eat standing UP or walking

Remember I said I saw a child slurping soup from a paper bowl while on the back of an e-bike winding through traffic. Well - Anything is POSSIBLE

Then I turn away from waffles and see GARLIC and STUFF artfully arranged in glass bowls to lure you over.

I get closer

And closer

and find - GARLIC PICKLES

White ones (made with sugar) and Purple ones - made with soy sauce and spices - kind of sour

I never imagined a Garlic Pickle and NOW I've seen one :)
and so have you

They are crunchy and sour/sweet - delicious in a strange and new sort of way.
Yes those are chicken feet pickles
they are good too!

Hubei Street Market

2011-03-19T00:18:00.001-07:00

The Hubei Street Market is a humming, crowded amazing place - famous in China and especially in Chinese literature as the home of food dreams :) I had a delightful time trying different foods, talking with vendors and being the center of attention ("The foreigner LIKES our food!")

The Market Street

Wuhan people like to walk and eat at the same time. There are few places to sit and eat, so you either stand around or walk. I watched a small child (maybe 5 or 6) spoon soup from a paper bowl while riding sidesaddle on her mom's scooter winding through traffic - never spilled a thing and didn't look worried either!

Empress of Rice filled Pastry

This amazing food magician makes these delicious pastries with a spicy rice/tofu filling.

A Closer Look

Oh My were these GOOD!! Hot and Fresh! If I didn't like the weather and air quality of Shanghai/Beilun/Ningbo i would MOVE TO WUHAN AND GROW VERY FAT!

Hubei Noodles

They also had these fabulous Hubei breakfast noodles. These noodles are sooo good my husband would rather I quit talking about them because he didn't have any. Well let us just say Peanut and chili and tofu sauce with chopped scallions on fresh noodles. Stir it up well so all the noodles are coated and EAT QUICK while they are still HOT. I loved them so much I asked for them at lunch time (not knowing they were only for breakfast). The 老板娘 lǎobǎnniáng (boss-lady or restaurant owner) felt sorry for my crestfallen look - so she made these noodles for me even though it was lunch time.

Emma and I agree that in general Wuhan people are very nice and warm hearted. Everyone wanted to help us find places, try the best foods, etc. And EVERYONE made sure we knew that Chairman Mao wrote a poem waaay back in the day about Wuhan spicy fish!

Speaking of FISH

Most of the Hubei street vendors want you to SEE them making food. Although I was too full of rice pastry to try the chocolate filled fish shaped waffle I was facinated by the contraption that cooked the waffles while you wait. The vendor was very proud of his machine and rightly so. Next time, more days in Wuhan, more food, and we will eat the waffles FIRST!
So the smell is amazing - draws you over to see what could possibly smell so mouth watering and then the performance BEGINS.

First he pours in the batter

Then he adds chocolate and other goodies

Then adds more batter

Then closes the fish mold thingie

And flips it to cook evenly

And then turns the wheel to the next mold to take OUT the finished fish waffle and start another!
I could have watched this all day but there were other food delights...

Further along we found:

Tofu CANDY
There was a little machine whirring in the back - looked like a mini electric guillatine pounding on a piece of white tofu
In front are samples of the cross section of the block - with different kinds of sweets inside - jellied fruit, sesame paste
All the vendors give samples - these were also delicious!

Wuhan Visit with Emma Chen

2011-03-19T00:08:00.000-07:00

My best friend in China is Emma Chen.

Emma is a writer, calligraphy artist, and teacher. She wrote a book about education in China and is planning lectures and a book tour. Emma often invites me on trips to places in China I might not ever see. Last week we travelled to Wuhan in Hubei Provence where she had meetings with TV and academic people. We visited Wuhan University, a Daoist temple and the famous Hubei Market street - home of a million different delicious foods! I will report on each part in different posts. Emma - thank you for all the opportunities and all the patient answers to my crazy questions!

Wordie!

2011-02-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

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The Change in Our view II

2011-02-18T21:59:00.001-08:00

Now we look out on the construction site. The farms and the people who worked to grow food are gone. I now have postcards on the window to shield my gaze from the digging and building. Mountains are still there - but for how long? And how different is this than what the US did to truck farming during my childhood? Urban Sprawl - we are all culprits!

The Change in our View

2011-02-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

Development means many things in China. Better jobs for ordinary people. More technology and education are now available to more people. It also means the old ways are disappearing.
Check out these views out our window from two years ago. I will next post the 'new view'. Change happens sometimes right before our eyes.

New China view

2011-02-15T22:31:00.000-08:00

Not the country scene any more

What I like about family

2011-02-14T22:51:00.000-08:00

My brother David, nephew Julian and I went to the Pink Cadillac Diner before Julian's road trip for basketball. Great food, interesting people! EVERYONE knows Dave...Everyone!

Sending Maddi off to college - early early whole family in Grinnell sweats -- SOLIDARITY!

I like that siblings never change - that my brother is still my 'little' brother! I had a wonderful visit in Portland, OR - just a little bit like the show "Portlandia." My niece, nephew and sister-in-law welcomed me in their home and patiently put up with all my art stuff and fascination with moss. Hoping to go back soon!

Zora Festival

2011-02-14T00:42:00.000-08:00

The Zora Festival gave me a welcome shot of African American Culture and life - just the tonic I needed for the long flight back to Shanghai. Met Pat Broussard and her daughter, and NY Nathiri - the force behind the Festival. I miss you all - and the Africana Village ambiance of the Festival. Thanks to Charon for taking the pictures :)

Spent January 30th in Eatonville and Winter Park the day before returning to China. Charon Luebbers and I visited the Hanibal Square Heritage Center and the beautiful award winning Quilt!!! Mary and Barbara made us very welcome - we're scheming for a return!!

Fabulous Flat Bread

2011-02-13T23:38:00.001-08:00

Met this couple in the Market - baking spicy flat bread - 1 yuan each. They used a tin drum oven with hot coals inside. The bread sticks to the side of the oven and is pulled out with a pair of tongs - hot, fresh and delicious!

The Market

2011-02-13T23:17:00.001-08:00

The Market continues to draw me in - the fresh fruit and vegetables artistically arranged, the kind people.
This trip was on Sunday afternoon - everything almost closed - people subdued, quiet - ready to go home yet still patient and helpful.

Spring will come

2011-02-13T16:14:00.000-08:00

When the plum blossom opens, spring is on its way. My Caligraphy teacher, Cue Laoshi (Teacher Cue) says the plum blossom is important to China because its beauty appears in severe weather. An apt metaphor for China!

2010-11-25T15:55:00.001-08:00

Here are the tiger shoes I made :)

Quilt for TJ's baby

2010-11-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

T.J. works at the school. He does all the government liason stuff like visas, helps when the washer doesn't work or if your stove doesn't light. He is always kind and patient. T.J.'s wife had a baby last month, so I took the opportunity to use some fabric squares with Chinese characters I've been carrying around for 20 years! I had never used them because I didn't know what they said. Our Chinese language teacher, Susan, translated and taught me the phrases and I was able to make this quilt as a result!

The quilt says:

爱地球 ai di qiu - "love the earth"

自然美 ziran mei – "beautiful nature"

人间福 ren jian fu – "people’s blessing"

Lauren's Studio

2010-10-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

A slide show of my studio!
Make Art! Make lots of art! Then make some more art!

art video, design video - ArtBistro.com

2010-09-21T23:19:00.000-07:00

art video, design video - ArtBistro.com

Pictures from our trip to the Great Wall

2010-08-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

Here I am with "Bread Mommy" - one of the parents in the Zenith Education group who went on a field trip to Beijing this summer. She gets her name from the DELICIOUS foods she makes and shares with us. We were very tired at this point but we climbed and climbed some more!
The wall is more of a road that goes over the mountains - not through them! When I saw all the tourists (very few foreigners) walking and walking I could imagine how the Wall helped China's commerce in ancient times.
This is an ancient drain pipe to keep the Wall dry for travelers.
Our first view of the Great Wall.
And, you know, you can see it from SPACE! Its that big. I want to go again and spend more time. No rush -- it will be there forever.

Red Tiger Shoes

2010-08-15T17:29:00.000-07:00

Our friend "Smiling Jane" takes us into the community to learn about Chinese culture and everyday life. Jane runs a community group called "English Corner" in Hill Park every Friday for Chinese to practice speaking English together. We have made many friends at these events. People sing, tell jokes and stories and have fun for a few hours out of the busy Chinese work day.

Jane's mother knows how to make the traditional good luck tiger baby shoes. She has generously offered to teach me how to make them and gave me the pair pictured here. At the time I did not know I was already a GRANDMA TO BE!!! Yes, our son Jesse and his wife Silvia will have a baby in April! I hope to make a hundred baby shoes and other baby things before then!

Chinese Writing and Art

2010-08-11T19:19:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we gathered with new teachers from Brian's school for dinner and to introduce some of our Chinese friends. Emma and Robert and others came back home with us to see how Chinese calligraphy is accomplished. Robert did a beautiful poem from Buddhist literature over my hand dyed and printed paper. Both Emma and Robert have amazing writing styles that express beauty and individual expression. We plan to make more things together in the future.

Here are the pictures

Nana Reflection

2010-07-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

This is my father's mother - Jesse Collins Austin. I love her expression - lost in thought - maybe a slight smile. I plan to use this photo in a small quilt piece.

2010-06-29T05:49:00.000-07:00

My trip to Sichuan Provence

My memory of Hong Qi village contains a bright green carpet of new winter wheat, bobbing yellow rape seed flowers and circular rice haystacks. I hear the oxen, cats, pigs and pekingese guard dogs. All animals talk, and people talk back to them. I’m the only one that doesn’t understand the conversation. I wait in this pasture of want and plenty for understanding to unfold.

I went to Sichuan Provence with a service-learning project for high school students organized by Beilun High School teachers and my friend, Emma Chen. Emma owns Zenith Education, a skills school that teaches English to Chinese students evenings and weekends. Parents enroll their children in skills courses enhance instruction in regular school. Emma is fluent in English and a skilled translator. She is also an education reformer, carrying the conviction that learning should be more than rote memorization and grade chasing.

Conversations with Beilun H.S.’s Vice Principal, Mr. Li, told us he shared Emma’s vision. He wanted students to experience how the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquakes affected the province’s inhabitants. Together Emma and Mr. Li developed a service-learning project that would have students observe conditions, interview the villagers of Hang Qi and synthesize their findings into a report to the Teachers, the Village and to their fellow students.

We flew from Ningbo to Chengdu on a Thursday, a 3 hour flight. The students are from wealthy families, with a lot of international travel, money and electronic gear. Every student seemed to have an ipod, a cell phone, computer and a handheld translator and a brand new rollaway suitcase.

WE arrive at Chengdu airport and board a bus for Hangqi Village – another 3 hours driving through fields and fields of wheat, rice and rapeseed (canola oil plant). The atmosphere goes silent as we reach our destination. Everyone is tense and worried. We leave the bus, get our suitcases and walk for another ½ mile or so. The young people drag their brand new suitcases through the town on a brand new cement road. Then the road ends abruptly and we must carry our bags over dirt to a group of one-story cement buildings in the middle of farmland. This will be our base for the rest of the journey.

We stay with a group of volunteers from Ningbo and Beilun. This group has been in Hangqi since the earthquake – helping first with relief, rebuilding homes and now working with the villagers on development of jobs and education. The problems are complex and politically charged.

The volunteers are all quiet, thoughtful people, in it for the long haul. They have built living space for about 8 people, and the resident crew rotates every month. They give up work, salaries, family life and physical amenities like hot showers and soft beds to be here. The area is bleak, the Sichuan villagers from a different ethnic background. They eat extreme spicy food - not a favorite of Ningbo people. Sichuan Province suffers from poverty, earthquake PTSD and complex China politics. And if that were not enough, Sichuan dialect is as hard for the volunteers to understand as English.

I admire the brave optimism and grim realism of the volunteers. They remind me of the Kenyan Quaker women of Kakamega – taking on hard work that must be done because no one else will do it. I enjoy hearing people laugh and talk even though I can’t understand what they say. I catch words every so often – and can tell when someone is asking a question. Mostly I just watch the faces and expressions, especially with children and old people. Having to watch people so intently helps my drawing. I spend hours drawing the villagers, students and myself.

I experience visual fatigue after a day of watching faces and an aural fatigue from straining to make sense of Chinese words. I listen to short stories on my iPod at night just to rest my eyes and ears. At this time of night, even reading in English is too difficult, plus I don’t want to bother the other women sleeping around me. Some of the teens also listen to music at night under the heavy cotton quilts as well. Some text messages to family and friends back in Ningbo. They are still at it when I turn off my iPod and go to sleep.

Chinese young people adore electronics – computers, mp3 players, downloaded movies, and chatting. The Ningbo teens had every gadget available and talked about the items left at home with longing. I think some of the young men are serious gamers suffering withdrawl. I wonder about the future when I see how divorced from outside life they appear to be – as much as kids in the US. There is a difference with the village children - - they don’t have the resources of the Ningbo/Beilun students. The village boys had new ripsticks – they may have been New Year’s presents. They showed off how much better they were than the Ningbo guys. For skate boarding, being little is an asset.

Fava Beans in Beilun

2010-06-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

Fava Beans grown in Gaojia Town. Our Friend Emma Chen gave them to me from her father's farm outside of Beilun - one of the 'disappearing villages' slowly/rapidly being consumed by development and progress. Young people move to the city and give up farming. Will we have such delicious, fresh food in the future? No one knows. When I think of the tasteless vegetables and fruit in the US, the lack of variety or seasonal food - I think I have an idea...

Foggy Day in Beilun

2010-06-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

Recent weather here made me pull these pictures from February. Rain and Fog on the walk - Baozi at the end of the walk.

Baozi are delicious dumpling thingies cooked by steam. Our baozi place is across the street from the Noodle place. Good food close by! The Baozi Labanyan is always with a smile and time to ask us "Enough?"

Ezra

2010-06-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

My nephew Ezra J. Austin spent the last semester with us in Beilun. He went to school at AIAN every morning at 8 with Brian. He was a joy to have with us. It was hard for him, giving up the comforts of home to live in China with us. Of course, comforts exist in China (tv, video games, computers, etc.) just not in his auntie's house! He had his aunt and uncle reviewing homework and making him go out in the community - Chinese and International - to make friends and deal! He did it all and then some. Ezra made straight A's, lots of friends and learned a lot of Chinese. WTG EZZIE!! We LOVE YOU, MAN!

Art and Pictures

2010-06-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

My nephew Ezra and I spent the day wandering around art installation construction work in our neighborhood. There are huge water pipes marring the view of the river and mountains. Someone, somewhere, had the idea to make art incorporating the pipes. We decided to see it up close.

We walked out to the site, paying respects to the babies along the way, found irises blooming and a pile of take-out boxes from construction workers lunch time. A few minutes on a bench to admire yellow irises and the welding crew. Learning to observe with art-heart!

Ok it was a mistake

2010-06-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

Well I thought I could access my blog in China without help. A snafu! A mistake! Now I receive the usual "Page has been reset" notice to let you know this page is not allowed. *Sigh*

Well my BRILLIANT son and his BRILLIANT girlfriend hooked me up with a VPN through university magic and now I can get to the blog, you tube and Facebook, too! I am so happy.

Pictures today from community day at the Yulan Community Center near our apartment. Wonderful people. Beautiful dancers!Our school did a dragon dance first - then the *real* dancers danced. Then we had a tug of war and everyone got presents!

A close up of Kelly's Collage

2010-06-10T21:15:00.001-07:00

--
Lauren Austin
"The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions which have been hidden by answers." -- James Baldwin

http://www.thatblackgirlart.com
http://blackgirlart.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackgirlart

Gift for Kelly

2010-06-10T21:07:00.001-07:00

Here is the collage I created for Kelly Fu using silk photo prints of her baby picture, drawings and my own (!) calligraphy of her name in Chinese characters. I was able to have the piece framed. I originally wanted a scroll but the scroll maker said the frame would protect the work better. I was very happy she enjoyed the piece. I hope to make more of this kind of work.

Lots to do and not enough time to do it all.

Strange Happenings

2010-06-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

Seems I can now update my blog without a proxy! Thank you China! I appreciate the convenience.

Here is a picture from a celebration we attended at the Yulan Community Celebration. Fan dancing is a great way to exercise and look cool at the same time.

Interesting English language practice tool

2010-03-16T01:42:00.001-07:00

Noticed these cookies in RT Mart last week. They are a vanilla wafer with icing on the bottom, similar to the cameo cookies I used to make for our children at Christmas time. Each Kittlyland cookie has a saying on it in English, perhaps because EVERYONE is working on learning English. Practice Practice Practice! A delicious and fattening way to learn a language!

Ningbo Outing

2009-11-07T20:11:00.001-08:00

The Noodle Shop

2009-10-31T17:55:00.001-07:00