Six Years

Read no further! You must go read the post from my last trip titled "An Amazing Day" that was posted on April 12, 2008.

Finished? Good. Let's pick up where that story left off.

I did a small painting of Mr. Yang, which the Lindens delivered to him in the fall of 2008.

Fast forward to today (Saturday). Some of us were walking in town when I saw my calligrapher. I recognized him instantly; I have painted him several times so I know that face. He was carrying a stack of photos in one hand and his camera in the other. Upon seeing this group of Americans, he started taking pictures of us. (I thought that was ironic given his adamance about not having his picture taken on the street). We gestured that we wanted to take his picture and he let us, even posing a little. He seemed to be in a good mood.

I must insert a little information here about Mr. Yang. He is a character and, um, given to a bit of the drink. One can't be sure what to expect with him, nor how clearly he might be thinking at any given moment.

He started talking very animatedly. Fortunately, Jeanee was with us to translate. We didn't say anything about who I was (still trying to gauge his state of mind) and there was no reason he would recognize me after 6 years. Besides, I was wearing a hat, so I would have looked different.

He insisted we come to his home. We did, and after we had been there for a minute or two, Jeanee asked him if he remembered an artist that he had met and who had done a painting of him. He didn't answer. He immediately got a little agitated and reached into his breast pocket, from which he pulled out a packet of business cards. He began to hurriedly thumb through them, muttering as he did so. I finally picked up what he was saying: " Pu Suzan, Pu Suzan." (The Chinese version of Susan Ploughe). I took off my hat and said, "Yes! Pu Suzan!" He looked me hard in the face and then he switched his attention to the stack of photos he had been carrying when we met him on the street. He started going through them, clearly desperate to find something. Suddenly, he cried out with glee and held up a photo of the two of us together. "Pu Suzan!" Joyous mayhem ensued.

I am astonished that he remembered my name, and can hardly fathom that he has been carrying my picture for 6 years.

Mr. Yang seems to carry the stack of pictures as evidence that he is important and that he has friends. I think people dismiss him and even avoid him because he can be a handful at times. My suspicions were confirmed when he told Jeanee that I was special to him because "the others were all too busy; Pu Suzan spent time with me." Back in 2008 I thought that I was the one who had experienced an amazing day; I am thrilled to know that it was special for Mr. Yang as well.

The Art of Photography

Our group spends some time each evening sharing our work and talking about picture making. These discussions are not particularly technical; Doug is more concerned with finding and expressing your vision, whatever that takes. The concepts are ones my painter friends and I discuss, but they don't translate to what I am doing here with my camera. The photographers are actually producing their art here and now. My photography has a completely different purpose: I am hunting and gathering information in order to make my art when I return home to my studio.

In the end, though, we face the same decisions:

• The selection of our subject matter. What moves us to choose something?
• Composition - how the elements that make up the picture are placed in the frame in relationship to each other and to the edge of the frame
• What is in focus and detailed vs. out of focus
• Color - strong or delicate, saturated or greyed, or maybe none at all
• Point of view; looking up or down or straight at our subject
• Close up vs. panoramic view
• The size and shape of the photo or painting

I have great respect for what the photographers must do to get a good image. They must make decisions quickly and they must work with what is in front of them. They can't move trees or increase the height of a doorway. Though editing tools are available, it seems that most of the photographers in our group would not use them in this way; rather these tools are used to enhance or tweak an already solid image. Several of them are shooting film, which almost forces a slower, more thoughtful approach; in the time that they have set up a good shot, I might have fired off 20 shots with the expectation that only a few of them might be good. Digital is cheap, and my photos don't have to be perfect. I will have the luxury of time to design and complete my artwork.

A good photographer understands what his camera can do and knows how to make it do what he wants. He knows the limits and possibilities when it comes to developing and editing and printing. A good painter knows what her paints can do and how to use them to accomplish her vision. Without a sure grasp of the basics of a medium, there is a greater struggle to achieve the desired image. I don't have the know-how to take a good photo, so I must rely on the accidental success. I do know how to make a good painting, so my successes are more frequent. (Great paintings, unfortunately, are more elusive; my best works are a combination of clear vision, confident know-how and a liberal dash of some much-appreciated accidental magic)!

As we share our images each night, I can see how far beyond me the photographers are. They are making art.

Why I Am Here

I just realized that many of you have no idea what I am doing in China. I came here in 2008 with a group of painters. We spent three weeks painting and photographing in small villages all over southern China. At the time, I was primarily a landscape painter. When we returned home, we had four months to produce up to six paintings to be included in an exhibition at two galleries in Door County, WI: Linden Gallery in Ellison Bay and Barnsite Gallery in Kewaunee. To my own surprise, every piece I painted was of the people I had encountered! This was the beginning of a distinct shift in my focus, and while I still enjoy landscapes and other subjects, my sweet spot is painting people.

I have painted and sold many China-inspired works in the last six years (you can see them on my website). In the spring of 2013 I was preparing new works to send to Linden Gallery and I realized that I was running out of reference material that excited me; this "landscape painter" had not taken nearly enough photos of people on her first trip! I simply came back for more.

I am on a photo tour sponsored by the Linden Centre and led by photographer Doug Beasley. I did not bring my oils with me, just some tubes of gouache and some small boards to paint on. There is a chance that I may not paint at all while I am here, and that's okay.

(Pssst, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. When I learned about this trip, I did not publicize it to other artists. I loved the artists I went with in 2008 and made some good friends, BUT we were all in the same places, taking essentially the same photos and, therefore, painting many of the same paintings - each in our own unique style, but still... I realized this was a problem when another artist and I each placed disturbingly similar images in the same issue of a national art magazine. Hence, I am the only painter on this trip)!

We Finally Arrive!

Today we left the city and headed to our final destination. The 6 hour drive took us through beautiful mountainous areas, dotted with small towns and villages. I continue to be amazed at how they farm all but the steepest mountains. If a piece of land can be terraced and planted, it is. One of the most abundant and noticeable crops in this area is rapeseed, from which canola oil is made. The fields are covered with masses of vibrant yellow flowers.

We stopped at a small village along the way and wandered a few of its streets. We came to a small town square where some men were playing cards and women were working on some food preparation. One of the men had his small child with him, and he was pleased when we started taking her picture. (The child was a little less pleased). I have noted before in my travels that parents are always proud when you notice their children. This becomes a great tool for getting pictures of the parent or grandparent. They think I am photographing their little one, when often it is they who have peaked my interest and my shots are mostly about them! (sneaky photo tip #1)

There was beautiful music being broadcast in the square. As several of us walked up one of the side streets, we realized that it was being played by a man on his front porch. He had a small amplifier attached to his erhu, a two stringed musical instrument that is played with a bow. We applauded and began to take photos. At that point he gestured for us to come up on the porch with him and he gathered little stools for us to sit on. As he began to play for us, his wife came out with a pitcher and cups to offer us a drink. Beautiful hospitality towards strangers. I have found this to be common Chinese behavior.

We arrived at the Linden Centre in the small town of Xizhou (See-joe) by mid afternoon and had the thrill of being finished with traveling for a while. Unpacking was incredibly satisfying! Here are a couple of pictures of the centre. You can see that we are roughing it. The second  photo is my view as I am writing this. The entrance to my room is on the left:

Blocked

Our first stop in China was a very large city, Kunming. Millions of people, cars, motorcycles, cell phones, billboards, lots of new construction, skyscrapers, wi-fi, endless stores, high fashion. Very modern and, in many ways, familiar. In the midst of their modernization and greater openness, though, the government retains tight control. I experienced it personally when I tried to update this blog. In China, online access to Facebook and Blogspot are blocked. As a result, I am emailing these posts to my husband (and all-round terrific guy), Steve, who is putting them on the blog. I'm a little behind, so there will probably be multiple posts as I get caught up.

The Late Show

At 4:30 am Chicago time, I really should be asleep in my seat in the upper level of one of those huge new planes that are an engineering marvel... except when it comes to designing for any degree of comfort. Instead, I am watching the movie "Gravity." I am utterly transfixed. After all, they have clearly based the screenplay on my current situation: Sandra Bullock's character, Dr. Stone, is from Lake Zurich; I'm from Lake Zurich. She is traveling far above the surface of the earth; I'm traveling far above the surface of the earth. Dr. Stone is convinced that she will spend the rest of her life in space; I'm convinced that I will spend the rest of my life on this plane. She is risking catastrophe and death at every moment; I'm tired and uncomfortable and my neck hurts and my seat won't recline properly. Oh well, they always get something wrong in these screenplays.

2014 Trip

I won't write much tonight because it would consist mainly of... whining! I left my house 12 and a half hours ago and I have only gotten as far as L.A. I have another 25 hours of travel before we arrive in Kunming, but I am going to say nothing more on the matter because a person who gets to travel to China has no right to complain! Let me just say that I am glad to have left this behind: