How are you? Before I start this letter, I would like to say Happy Thanksgiving to you and all of the friends who have helped or supported me. I will always remember and appreciate what you have done for me and my little cross-culture and comprehensive art project; at the special time, I do wish you and your family happy, lucky and healthy now and in the new year.

I drafted this letter on Nov 18, 2014. I have not continued it until today for I have been working hard on my art study in Beijing while I have to face a new test and to deal with something relates to it.

Nov 12, 2014, a piece of sad news almost hit me down.

-- For a healthy problem, one of my best American friends and the credible work partners who has worked with me since 2010 would like to retire ahead for about 10 years suddenly, in March, 2015. But in Oct, 2014, I had put off my original travel schedule to her school and Springfield, MO, USA from Feb, 2015 to August or September, 2015. And just at the time I discussed my travel schedule with her in August, 2014, she was still healthy (now I knew she was working with her serious sickness then) and would like to work with me at any time I go to her school. And she had planned to work another 10 years when I was in the USA Sept, 2013 to Feb, 2014.

When I read her letter, tears flowed down my face automatically, then no matter I was in the classroom, on the road or at home, for about whole of the day and night, I could not hold back my tears. Since then, a continuous stomachache has come back and it has been often accompanying me.

I was so sad and pity for her indeed. She is so kind and she had done so much for me already, with so much sincerity, kindness and friendship, she gave me a hand at any time I needed help, if there were no her help, there would not be the progress of my little project 2010 to 2014.

With so much gratitude, there was no any hesitation, on the same day I got her letter, I invited her and her husband to come to my 4th hometown -- Shenzhen City by the South Ocean and Wuxi City by the Tai Lake to spend a warm winter. I am going to offer a hotel room and my car freely to them, while I would like to help them to see some Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctors if they want. Even though I myself is a " Poor Student "for I have retired from the company, I do wish to do a little thing to return a good friend who had helped me.

Meanwhile, with a sad but steadfast and positive heart, I have written about 10 long letters to my the other American friends, tried to consolidate or re-build some new and stable connections. I am thinking, if it is really necessary, maybe I should go to the USA once in my winter vacation? Then I do not know how I can face the library in the downtown of Springfield, which was so considerate and so nice to help me to change my original travel plane twice according to my opinions? I do not know whether my current health can support the long distance travel in the cold winter or not? Also my study in Beijing is at a very important point, if I keep staying in the school, I will reach the freedom of the painting soon; if I leave for a travel, maybe I will backslide to the original level quickly, I mean to go back to the level before I came back the School in Sept, 2014.

I am not sure about it yet, but, I have prepared to face the new test with a bright and an unalterable heart. I will never give up and I must go forward no matter what has happened and what will happen on the road of my dream seeking, because, it is something helpful and meaningful, it has and will help many people in the world.

So, since Nov 15, I have re-involved myself into my art study in Chinese National Academy of Arts. You can not imagine what I have done since last time I wrote to you. Here are a simple list on what I have worked Nov 10 to Nov 23, 2014:

-- I attended 4 professors and 1 tutor’s lessons;
-- Visited an art exhibition of a Professor;
-- Painted /created 17 new pictures, include 2 Mogu paintings, 13 Xieyi Paintings and 2 drafts for Chinese ancient fables.
-- Organized a Daily Chinese Painting / Sketch Party 9 times;
-- Organized a weekly Musical English Corner twice;

Nov 13, 2014, Professor Li Naizhou (he is on the 3rd and 4th photos)from the Communication University of China made a demonstration on Chinese Figure Painting for us. Nov 15, Professor Man Weiqi (he is on the 5th and 6th photos), the Deputy Dean of Chinese Painting School at Chinese National Academy of Arts checked our assignments and gave each student a direction. He praised me for my hard work and progress in the class while he asked me to develop my create ability mainly now.On the same day, Mr. Lu Wenqing (He is on the 9th photo) made a demonstration how to make Chinese color and showed us some skills of Chinese Gongbi Paintings. Nov 17, Professor Miao Chongan (he is on the 1st and 2nd photos) from Xian Academy of Fine Arts gave us a lecture about Chinese Traditional Blue and Green Landscape. Nov 20, Professor Liu Wanming(he is on the 7th photo) - Associate Dean of Chinese School at Chinese National Academy of Arts gave us a lecture on how to improve our Comprehensive and Artistic Accomplishment.

On Nov 22, I visited an art exhibition of Professor Yao Runxi(he is on the 8th and the last photos) who had taught me face to face in China Central Academy of Fine Arts.

I feel lucky enough for I am a student of Chinese National Academy of Arts, because of its special position in China, most of the best Chinese art professors are its researchers, so, here, I have attended the lessons not only by the famous professors from CNAA, but also the professors from the best Academies of Fine Arts or Art Colleges, such as China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and got the good directions from about 30 professors and scholars. Plus the studied in China Central Academy of Fine Arts, 2010 to 2014, 53 Chinese art professors and scholars of the first rank taught me face to face in Beijing.

I had the idea to found a Daily Chinese Painting Party on Nov 15, 2014, because Professor Man Weiqi told us in his lesson on the day: the best method to improve our painting level is to take part in a Chinese Painting Party -- A group of artists paint on the public occasion together within a limited time. I mentioned the idea to a classmate Mr. Man Xinjian (he is on the 10th photo) who often works in the classroom and he quite admired my idea. At once, both of us started the job first time in our classroom at 8:30p.m.

Since then, every evening, at 8:40p.m. - 9:40p.m. a group of students come to my classroom to paint, then we hung up our pictures on the wall, all of them were commented by us at 9:45p.m. - 10:15p.m.

For making the Chinese Painting Party to be alive for a long time, we made some rules for it:

1) Any schoolmates can take part in it freely.
2) Every one must paint a picture on a piece of paper that is not less than 68cm x 68cm (26.77inches x 26.77inches ) or 36.00cm x 138.00cm ( 14.17 inches x 54.33 inches)within a limited time; if anyone does not finish it at the end time, must stop. If anyone completes it ahead, paints another one.
2) Do not allow draft with pencil;
3) Do not allow to see any data as soon as we start to account the time;
4) Every one should comment the others' pictures, to point out of the good or bad places.

The purpose of us is: To improve our quickly creating capacity; to be able to create a good picture as soon as we take up a brush at any place and at time within a limited time; to make preparation for the upcoming creating, teaching and research.

Since Nov 15 to Nov 23, 17 schoolmates from 3 classes and 45 person-times, includes the 3 monitors have joined us at different times.

In my 17 pictures, 9 of them were done at the Daily Chinese Painting Party and my paper size has been enlarged to be 68cm x 138 cm ( 26.77 inches x 54.33inches ). A strong feeling is: the serious training in the past 4 years in Beijing has laid a good foundation for me. Right now, as long as I see something or a picture for a while, I can remember it and paint it out with Chinese Xieyi painting style quickly; also, I can create a new picture in my mind quickly and to paint it out soon. Last night, when I walked back home, I did often find a bird or a flower on the road, of course, it was the imagination and the first reflection in my mind when I saw the shapes of some water or something else.:-)

I have really heard the footstep of the freedom of the painting going to me nearer and nearer.

I will have another 280 days before this class-year is finished, I will organize another 280 Daily Chinese Painting Parties. Even though in the winter vacation some day, I will keep doing it alone. My near-by target is to be able to create a picture 97cm x 180cm (38.18inches x 70.86inches) at a Chinese Painting Party in 100 days.

I am sure, I will certainly become a good artist and a good teacher / instructor, to be able to make a demonstration with a professional level for my future students after I leave from my Alma Mater -- Chinese National Academy of Arts.

Except keeping my own study, in the past 13 days, I have bought another 3 movable hard disks, copied much data for my classmates and I have been holding the English Corner as a volunteer.

According to the actual situation of my classmates, our Bible English Corner has been changed to be a Musical English Corner. Even though they themselves chose the Bible, the 36 to 41 new words in about half pages ( another half are Chinese Translation) for them were really too hard to continue the study. Since they have showed me the strong interesting when I played an English Song as an assistant for them. I changed the Bible English Corner to be a Musical English Corner.

Now, we have learned two American songs, the first one is Time by Glen Campbell and be copied and sent to me from one of my best friend and tutor in Missouri State University Mrs. Anna L Brashers Datema. The second song is the theme song of the Musical Drama Cat -- Memory .

Can you imagine? The Musical English has attracted someone else from the other places. On Nov 21, 3 new students from an art gallery, a company and the other class joined us.

For insuring what I wanted to share with them were the exact English, I used a software to lead them to read the new words and each line of the lyrics in English English and in American English, to play the original songs by some American Singers. I do some jobs to help the participants to understand the meaning of the songs, to open their mouth to read, to recite and to sing, to understand the English grammar and the rules of the pronunciation.

Before each Musical English Corner, I did many jobs to translate the lyrics, to check the dictionary and to explain each possible new works, to listen to the songs carefully, and to make sure the lyrics in my hands right and exact. Then I wrote and typed some data in English and in Chinese for them. I have written, edited data for the participants 14 pages and offered them 61 pages, 9 people and 16 person-times took part in the English study.

For improving the study result, I have bought two sound boxes and the Theme Song of the Music Drama Cat for them. Now I suddenly thought, during the process to help the others, I have helped myself. That is: I have created a new series for my cross-culture and comprehensive art project already, that is:

Together with Me, Enjoy Foreign Songs, to Learn World Culture and English.

It is in fact also a comprehensive art form with poetry (lyrics), music and maybe pistures someday, to become a new and an opposite series with my current Chinese Poetry, Painting and Music series. Do you think so? :-)

You are welcome to see the photos and their notes by click the link

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


Shirley Yiping Zhang
Nov 23, 2014 (Beijing Time)