How are you? Are you enjoying your weekend? I do hope you are. :-)

On my side, except the normal study in CNAA, I still keep painting with pen from the nature in the morning and at dusk, since April 5, I have painted more than 10 kinds of plants; since I came back Beijing April 15, I have painted from the nature about 30 times and over 70 hours.

This week, except painting 2 Chinese Xiyi Paintings, I have completed 10 pen drawings out of the door.

During the process, I had a strong feeling that Knowledge Is Infinite. The more I learn from the nature, the more I love it, the more I did not feel my knowledge enough. Therefore, every time I go to the nature, I observe the structure of the flowers, branches, leaves, colors, stamen, pistil carefully, try to record them into my camera, mind and a pen. I have been to see and painted the peach blossoms 12 times, I am now following iris, rose and some nameless flowers, from their blossoming, flourishing until their withering…

Except I have gotten so much help from my tutors, I have also gotten a lot of support from my schoolfellows. My classmates who are the last year's graduates Mr. Liu Guangyu, Mr. Wang Chunyu and Mr. Li Zhongsheng have taught me so much on how to found the structures, how to paint a right line and how to resolve the problems in my painting from the nature.

Day and day, I do have felt the meaning of a Chinese phrase: Tao Li Bu Yan, Xia Zi Cheng Xi -- The peach and the plum do not speak, yet a path is born beneath them:

-- My classmate of 70 years old Mr. Xu Maowang who is a last year's graduate and a famous artist from Shanxi said: “ I have never seen anyone else who can endure hardship so specially and works so hard as Shirley, so that I think since a lady can do that, why a man cannot work hard as same as her? ”Specially, he found the only peony tree in the garden and taught me to see the structure of the tree and taught me how this flower grows its wood part. Several times, saw me was painting in the hot sunshine, he told me that in case I want to drink, go to his home since the place I painted near his home and his wife has made Jiaozi and invited me to have a lunch with them together.

-- Mr. Liu Tieping who works in the next classroom and a member of Chinese National Artists' Association said: “I am so touched by you, and I saw you really want to learn, therefore, I would like to tell you and show you something that you have to pay more attention to correct and improve.”

-- Just this week, I have gotten three offers: One of my former classmates from Shenyang invited me to be the vice executive president of a college; another former classmate from Zhuhai invited me to be the general manager of one of his company; a gentleman from the garden I paint from the nature invited me to teach in the local kindergarten by cooperating with him to founding a children painting class there.

-- A woman parent wanted her child to follow me to learn paint and a retired lady has followed me to paint in the garden already. :-)

Anyway, I have refused the invitations with thanks. I would really like to focus my precious time on the study and on improving my health level.

Maybe for I am close the Mother Earth and the Sunshine, maybe for I have used some Chinese traditional medicine; or maybe for I am doing my best to correct my bad life habit, try to eat breakfasts and have more sleep, the stomachache has gone for about 10 days, the edema on my fingers have gone from 2 of my 10 fingers, the ache on my low back has reduced a lot. Since Friday, I have recovered to work for 12 hours each day already.

I would really like to thank all of the friends who cared for me and helped me, especially, I would like to thank the good prescription -- to find a pine forest to work by it from Mr. Earth Smith from USA and the Chinese traditional medicine from Amy Xiaohua Li from Shenzhen have helped me so much.

How about you? Do you have anything special to share?

I am just a student on Art of Painting, Music, English and Management, to work on the web site in my free time. I would really like to do a few things with what I have learned to make this little web site to be an Electronic Bridge of Inter-Art & Cross - Culture Exchange, Chinese Language Learning & Friendship Making. To help the others while to improve myself.

I would like to appreciate you for your understanding, directions, supports and help.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, you are welcome to write to shirley@ebridge.cn or leave your message on Message Board.

Shirley Yiping Zhang
May 6, 2012(Chinese Time)