Oct 16, 3015. Oil on canvas. Plein air painting at 貴卅貴陽花溪濕地公園. 50 x 60″

I always said I was the lucky few.

Nine months before, I went to group portrait painting and met a renowned portrait artist, Chan Chiu Lung, in Hong Kong. His mother town was Yuiyang. I had joined him in one of his trip to his old town to visit his old artists’ friend. Those friends were all now the leading artists in that province. 

In these trips I learnt so much from these experienced masters. And opened my eyes how the counterparts in China treated the art discipline. Most of them are great artists. Seeing their real work was very beneficial to my learning.

 Last October, I had visited the opening of the permanent art gallery of the 80 years old artist 尚光. His work was marvellous! And had inspired me!

  
 

I had visited the studio of Professor Lee 李昂 and witnessed how a commissioned work of 3M x 5M was done. Professor Lee hired 3 Art College graduates and 2 PhD students to do the ground work and he was giving direction to the $1.5M 人民幣 big painting.  

  

 The hired “art workers” were very good in skill and sense. They climbed up ladders to work and were able to coordinate with each others. They were much much better than our leading artistsin Hong Kong. Yet they were earning a few dollars per hour with their artist work for a nice decoration going to be hanging in a wealthy man’s house or office. But at least art had a market in China and artists got a job for living.

 The professor and his art workers showed us their work and I had to show them mine. This painting was done during my spare time in Guiyang when teacher was engaged in some private gatherings. There was not much nice suburb in that crowded city. Weather was not usually good. But just enough for a nice painting. I was so happy completing this piece and the host gave me positive comment considering my less than 3 years learning.

   
 
In my April 2016 trip to Guiyang again I had visited the home studio of Professor Chang 張潤生. He had a classy home with a lot of books and antiques. The studio had a speculat view, and was facing a double deck roof garden with beautiful flowers. It must be very enjoyable to paint here.
   
    
    
Three storey apartment. Professor Chang was the best Chinese painting artist in Guiyang.

 Mrs Chang and her dog
   
 Together with other artists friends in Guiyang

   
 Our guide of the rural Yuizhou area was a mid age Chinese painting artist楊光黔, who lived in that town and therefore familiar with those primitive villages. He brought us to his modern home studio to show us his work. The masters commented his work and I felt that the art circle in China was very academic. They can talk hours on a painting. But unfortunately I were unable to understand their dialect.