How are you?


This is the 77th day of my second class year in Chinese National Academy of Arts and I have been in the new campus and new dormitory for 3 weeks.

In the past 15 business days, I attended 7 lessons by Prof. Man Weiqi who is the Deputy Dean of Chinese Painting School at CNAA, Prof. Xu Jun who is the Assistant Dean of the Graduate School at CNAA, Prof. Liu Wanming who is the Assistant Dean of Chinese Painting School at CNAA, Prof. Li Naizhou, Prof. He Yanjie, Prof. Pan Ying and Dr. Liu Bo, Five of them are the tutors of master students. ``

Even though the weather was -6 to 3 C degrees outside, the temperature in my classroom was about 12 C degrees, except painting every day; I attended all of the lessons for the different students who are major in landscape, figure painting, flower and bird painting. Except making records, videos and writing notes in English, very often, I raised my hand to ask questions while asked the professors and tutors comment my painting practices.

I was lucky enough that all of them answered my questions and commented my paintings seriously, I have gotten so many directions from these excellent professors and tutors directly.

For example,

-- Prof. Man Weiqi told me how to improve my flower and bird paintings via learning something from landscape field and combined both of them together…
-- Prof. He Yanjie remind me to pay more attention to something and somewhere before I started to paint the painting via learning from Mr. Fan Kuan in Song Dynasty…
-- Prof. Xu Yun commented my painting practice and told me where I should improve…
-- Prof. Liu Wanming taught me how to color the same painting...

-- Dr. Liu Bo pointed the problems in my paintings and gave me some new assignments...

The more I learned from the different professors and the greatest ancient artists in the different fields, the more I felt that a cross-field study is my favorite and it has really given me so much special help.

For example, after painting landscape for about 3 weeks, when I re- painted a flower and bird painting on the weekend, suddenly I found that I could use the dry brush and Chinese ink to paint my red-crowned crane, the speed of painting was changed slowly, because I started to pay attention to the details much more than I did before, almost everyone who saw the painting below thought that I had made a big progress. :- )

Even though I am not a teenager again, I do not want to work in a hurry. I wish to lay a wide foundation for my future study and creation; after all, art study will be the thing for whole of my life.

For this purpose, maybe, I am thinking of studying another 1 year in Beijing after I complete the first 3 years’ studying in China Central Academy of Fine Arts and Chinese National Academy of Arts in Beijing in July 2013. I am not sure about it at this time, but, my future art study and work will certainly be an interdisciplinary exploration. 

I am going to touch those best classical painting works in the Chinese art history continuously; no matter they are flower and bird paintings, landscape or figure paintings, via learning from the tradition, nature and schools, to improve my sensitivity to beauty and painting level.

How do you think of my thoughts? Is this a good or a foolish idea in your opinions?

The good news is: the central heating in the building that I am living started to work tonight. I am writing to you in my warm living room with a big smile now. In
case the classroom is too cold, I will be able to "escape back" to my home since tomorrow. :- )

Via this letter, I would really like to thank all of friends and my family members who responded my last letter or invited me to live into their homes in the cold season. What you wrote has really brought me so much warm and happiness. Thank you very 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
Dec 03, 2012(Beijing Time)