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

Since April 5, my study in Chinese National Academy of Arts has entered the phase of painting from the nature.

After the first lesson in the suburb of Beijing and the second lesson in the Taihang Mountain, we will have the third lesson of painting from the nature by the Grand Canyon of the Yellow River in Gansu province in May.

Thinking of my health situation and looked at my fingers in the edema, my tutor on flower and bird painting Mr. Lu Wenqing suggested me staying in the school because they will be in the mountains and countryside, the life condition will be quite hard, and the weather changes very often, sometimes, it rains several times one day, also, there, lacks necessary medicinal conditions...

With a little bit pity, but not too bad heart, instead of staying in the classroom always, every day, I paint from the nature -- in the orchard, garden by the school, Beijing Botanical Garden or just in the streets... Quickly, I have been a tan and often I feel the dust on my face and in my mouth and feel pain on my face and uncomfortable on my eyes because of the strong or dazzlingly sunshine or the cold wind and rain... sometimes, I have been in the Beijing Botanical Garden at about 7:00am, for avoiding the too many tourists and too strong sunshine... Even though the cost was that I had to take painkillers and I had to spend for about 15 hours to recover from the extremely tired trip out of the door for just about 7 hours. But, compare with what I have learned from the great nature, I do think it is worth to do.

-- Since April 17 to April 26, I spent most of my day time to paint the peach blossoms, from their flourishing features to their withered styles. On the last day I observed and painted the almost withered peach blossoms that had suffered a heavy rain and wind for whole of a day and night, I was very touched. The wind and the rain have blown their petals down and they were getting withering. There were almost no flowers, but only leaves if you looked them from far away, but, if you saw them near and carefully, you would find the left few petals were still standing up on the branches with their incomplete but still transparent, clean and beautiful colors and wonderful features...

The words -- something incomplete beautiful jumped into my mind at that time, so that I could not help thinking of those similar people and things after experiencing too many hard times, they are not incomplete and perfect on their bodies and outside, but, they are still living there with a quite positive attitude, to offer their last beautiful life and limited energy to the world and the others...

I would really like to learn from both of the little flowers and those strong people, to do my best to record my own health and to help this world with whole of my last half life.

-- On the road between the school and the garden of the beach blossoms, I have found some roses in the fence and I have been looking at them to grow up. With an excited heart, April 26, I did find few of red roses and 2 yellow roses have blossomed. Since I wanted to the Beijing Botanical Garden on April 27, I went to paint them next morning on April 28. However, I went through the fence three times, I could not find the roses any more. In case I had taken some photos for them at the first time I found them have opened. I did not have too much loss on painting. But, I did have been touched so much in my heart.

One hand, I felt sorry for someone who is no a public morality had taken the flowers away. The other hand, once more, I did realize that we should catch our limited life to enjoy, respect and to love something beautiful that we truly enjoy and love in time with the time when both of the beauty and ourselves are still alive. Because the time will not wait for us, something beautify in case be missed, they will not be found back forever.

Roses will be withered and be taken away if we do not enjoy it in time, opportunity in life and in business field is same.

-- The results of my health check has been sent to me, my current health situation is better than 2010 and worse than 2011, it maybe a balance result? Isn’t It? :-)

Anyway, I would really like to thank those friends who have invited me to treat my sicknesses in America by offering me the living places and take me to see doctors.

However, since my medicinal insurance is in Shenzhen, I have to see my doctors there. Also, I do not think there is any reason for me to accept the too kind help since I have not done anything helpful and meaningful for those friends yet. Anyway, I do appreciate these good friends and I do cherish our friendship forever.

Meanwhile, I will try to do my best to fight with the sicknesses continuously.

I am sure, with going nearer the sunshine, land and the great nature, with the good help of arts of painting and music, I will be ok someday certainly -- can you imagine? April 28, along with singing a high pitch in my music lesson, my headache suddenly went away. ;-) In case things are not ideal in the future, I will learn from the flowers that I am painting every day, to offer something beautiful to the world with my limited life and the little ability...

With a grateful heart, I have opened a new column of Pen Drawing on my little web site, to share you a part of my sketches from the nature and hope to hear your comments and bring you a big smile... :-)

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
April 29, 2012(Chinese Time)