Miao Dancer with Inverted Umbrella #colorpencil #art #artistsoninstagram #artwork #artworks #artcollective #portraitpainting #portraiture #portraitdrawing #originalart #originalartwork #chinagram #dancer

via Instagram

Tweet

Wanming Pagoda Illuminated at dusk #through_the_travel_lens #igworld_global #UNESCO #chinatravel #chinagram #hunan #architecture #miracleglobe #simplybeautiful #sunrise_and_sunsets #pagoda #sunrise_sunsets_aroundworld #sunset #sunset_madness #amazingly_sunsets #madisonphotographymeetup

via Instagram

Tweet

Old pit loom weaver, Rajasthan

This old man demonstrated weaving in a pit loom, which was located in his home in a village outside of Jodhpur, Rajasthan (India). In addition to demonstrating the weaving process, he also showed me a tree where he got his brilliant pink dye. A couple of years later when I revisited his village, I heard he had passed away. 

Tweet

Temple building at Daxingshan with round windows. Autuaumn 2018. Xi'an, China #through_the_travel_lens #igworld_global #buddhism #xian #chinatravel #chinagram #autumn #architecture #visit_shaanxi #miracleglobe #Daxingshan #temple #simplybeautiful #autumn #autumn🍁

via Instagram

Tweet

Dragon column with Chinese calligraphy at Daxingshan Temple. #calligraphy #china #chinagram #visit_shaanxi #chinatravel #dragon #buddhism #xian #igworld

via Instagram

Tweet

Di Shu, Water Calligraphy in the Park

In several spots within Xingqing Park, I spotted some people, mostly elderly gentlemen, doing a curious form of painting. At the end of a metal rod was a flexible piece of foam shaped to a point, just like a paintbrush. With a dip of the foam brush into water from a cutoff bottle, the man begins his temporary art form. Known as Di Shu, which means writing on the ground/Earth, this art form has gained in popularity since the 1990's, spreading to parks all over China.

The process seemed to be several things at once –meditation, exercise, art, literature, and conversation.  For some, it is a way to celebrate brush calligraphy in an era where most writing occurs on a keyboard. At times, the man was in his own little world. At other times, he engaged with onlookers. After a short discussion, he went back to adding more characters. After a short while, the once glistening characters would have faded, evaporating to invisibility. This reminds me of another beautiful temporary art form of south India - the kolam. Interestingly enough, I didn't see any of the Di Shu calligraphy artists photographing their writing. This further contrasts it with ink calligraphy, which prides itself with long-life. 

Would you expend energy making such impermanent art?

For more information on Di Shu water calligraphy, check out this and this article.

Tweet

Yellow Gingkoes and Relief Dragons, Daxingshan Temple #through_the_travel_lens #igworld_global #autumn #buddhism #xian #chinatravel #chinagram #dragon #gingkobilboa #visit_shaanxi

via Instagram

Tweet

Xingqing Park - with a swoop of a brush

A plethora of activities occurred in all parts of Xingqing park. Two of my favorites included the use of a brush.

In one part of the park, people gathered around a man doing traditional Chinese brush painting. The man worked with confidence as he laid down broad brushstrokes without the aid of an initial drawing. It was quite obvious that he had painted many such horses before.

After his energetic horse was painted, he wrote vertical columns of calligraphy in the space above, also with black ink. Folowing that, he pressed several signature chops into red ink pads.

The artist with his completed horse ink brush painting. Notice the ink, brushes, and stamp pads in the lower portion of the photo. 

Tweet