How are you? Have you had a good week? Are you enjoying your weekend now? I do hope you have and you are. :-)

This is a quite tight week, every student was requested to hand in 6 assignments while the school encouraged us to hand in more works, then to choose 3 from them to take part in the graduate exhibition. Anyway, the size should be 97cm x 180cm.

Therefore, I handed in 8 paintings. But I did not satisfy the quality of them and I wished to have more time to improve them. So, when I found that the tutor did not take them away from the classroom on June 6, caught the last time, I repainted 1 of them and I re-painted another painting that had been sent to a friend. I did want to re-paint the Wu Lun Painting for I did not think the lines were good yet and I should be able to improve it. However, I was too tired, and I did not think that I would have any more physical power to complete it within the two days on the weekend since I used 7 days to complete it first time.

Do you know? In these paintings that I handed in, 4 of them were the paintings that I had done for my apprehensive arts.

Two years ago, I applied to enter China Center Academy of Fine Arts before having my third surgery in the hospital - I would like to realize a long-term dream to be a student in the best art school, to have the ability to complete my comprehensive art project. There, I got a systemic professional education first time by 22 of the best art professors or instructors in China. The good foundation that CAFA gave me, helped me become a graduated student in Chinese National Academy of Arts - the highest art research institute of China.

Now, one class year will pass in CNAA, compare with the time I just came here last Oct (I was later because of my travel in USA), I do find that my idea on comprehensive art has been accepted by more and more tutors and classrooms or schoolfellows.

-- Mr Lu Wenjing who is the tutor on flower and bird paining specially came to the classroom when he heard my singing out of the door, of course in the rest time in the noon. After listening to my singing the poem on the painting Early Plum Blossoms, knowing how I would like to introduce the culture behind the painting and the poem, explaining the meaning and every words in the poem to the non-Chinese speakers with my own music, painting and language... He said, you should just go on your own comprehensive road, it is quite meaningful.

Also, he said, "You can play your music instrument and make your music practice in the classroom if it is too crowded at home" ?my little room in the business hotel that is attached the building of the classroom is just about 15 square meters (includes a washroom), for having a place to fix my music instrument, I had even given back the TV to the hotel, except a simple wardrobe, a bookcase and a table, the room I could act is less than 4 square meters. I chose here and keep living in the narrow place with some wet air, because it is nearest the classroom, 3 minutes by walk, and offers me the best condition to work until midnight in the classroom and save so much time on the road. Meanwhile, it is a single room that allows me to work on the music and does not affect the others ... :- )

-- Instead of requesting me to remove my English from the paintings as I just came to CNAA, with so much patience, Mr. Wu Tong who is the vice dean of the teaching department of the Chinese Painting School & Graduate School, and gave me the most help in the pass class year, directed me how to improve my painting of Farewell and Chile Song via Chinese style. Also, he gave me a good comment on my painting of Moonlight.

-- Mr. Sun Qi, who is the tutor on figure painting, directed me how to improve the flowers on my painting of farewell and he told me if my purpose is to work on my comprehensive art, then the flower and bird painting is not enough. If I would like to learn landscape, I should start from learning the four greatest artists in Yuan Dynasty (1279 - 1368). Also, he advised me to paint some small size paintings and to publish a little booklet with these big size paintings together.

-- Several classmates who are last year’s graduates of landscape and schoolfellows often gave me daily help.

Mr. Liu Guangyu said: You are the person who does not easily change your idea. Now, we have felt that your comprehensive art seems like good and meaningful. Since we cannot help you on language and music, we would like to offer you a hand on painting.

Mr. Pen Mingli who is the monitor of figure class and came back from Germany said “ I guess that your works perhaps can be accepted in the Western countries. ”

So, this weekend, when I started this letter to you at about 7:30am in the classroom Saturday morning and to correct it now on Sunday morning, after a sharp stomachache last night, I have gotten the title for this letter: Keep Holding On.

I am thinking:

-- Concentrate on studying, thinking and exploration on something creative, to make sure its meaning and work method is the precondition to make it work.

Just for I have worked on the project for about 10 year, I can just know what I am doing, why I do it, then I can keep doing it for a long time and do not change my ideas because of the others' comment. Then I can start to get the good understanding, help and support in the art circle.

-- Work hard continuously, is the insurance to make a creative project to work.

Since it is a creative job, there is no one tell us how to work it out, there is no a ready model to copy. Everything needs ourselves to think, imagine and to create. Therefore, it requests us make effort times more than the others. then we can just get understanding and support, at least to get respect because of the attitude of hard working... :-)

-- Keep working in a comparatively familiar environment for a long time, may be a way to save time and energy on breaking a new ground. Just because I had respectfully declined 19 invitations and kept working on my positions in the securities information field for about 20 years, then I can have today's condition to study in Beijing in my sick leave.

With these ideas , I have made a big decision this week:

I am going to keep my original plan and continue my study and exploration in Chinese National Academy of Arts for another 1 or 2 years, even though I had wavered so that I had filled the tables and called the tutors in the other school, for I was really a little bit afraid of the too hard life condition continuously and many times, when I opened my eyes in the bad air and noise, the first feeling is "I want to go back home and leave from here at once..." :-)

However, at the last moment, I gave up it. Then I could work so much with a peaceful heart to complete my assignments this week.

I am thinking, since I came CNAA for my comprehensive art project and I have really started it from flower and bird painting angle by the high level directions, and have started to get support; since my individual goal is becoming a comprehensive artist, instead of a pure painter. I should not change my original plan often, but to perform it one step by step, to study landscape in the coming class year, then to learn Chinese art history and theory for another 1 year, write papers on the project and than to apply a master degree in Chinese art field. Then I can just think of moving into the other field, maybe music or something else.

Via this way, maybe I can save more time and energy and to do most things in the limited time?

How do you think of my idea? Do you think I made a right decision?

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
June 10, 2012