Generosity

I continue to be impressed by the thoughtfulness and generosity of the Chinese people we have met. Today, we were painting in a large outdoor market. As I was setting up my easel, a woman vendor sitting nearby noticed that I had set my bag on the ground. She came over with a sheet of newspaper and proceeded to smooth it out on the ground and set my pack on it. A simple, thoughtful gesture. A few minutes later I was ready to paint. Since I was standing in the sun, I put up my umbrella, which I planned to hold in my left hand while I painted with my right. Immediately, another woman came over and gently tried to take the umbrella from me. She pantomimed that she would hold the umbrella for me. Unbelievable.

This evening we had a wonderful surprise. At the end of this trip we are having a show in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. We had been told that a brochure was being produced for it. Tonight we each received copies of the "brochure." It is an 8 1/2" x 11" BOOK, printed in full color, one page for each artist. It's beautiful.

Everything about this trip has been beyond expectations, including the long-range possibilities for exhibiting and selling work here that we are being offered. My horizons are definitely expanding!