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1.29.2009

New Years and New Members

Posted by dsgran

First of all, I want to give a warm welcome to Bethany- the newest member of the Carrot Revolution family.  By way of introduction, read her post below and check our her class blog here (especially worth watching is this video she made in which she explains her pedagogy). Welcome Bethany!


Second- Xin Nian Kuai Le (Happy New Year)! We're ringing in the year of the ox here in China, a celebration that lasts for weeks and involves so many fireworks you'd think you're living in a war zone.   We've had this week off- and in addition to getting caught up with some work- I've been trying my hardest to get caught up with some not-working.   That hasn't been going quite as well as expected, but we have had the opportunity to take a few days to relax.  

The other day Kim and I went with some friends to Jinshan- a little village not too far from Shanghai, which is famous for its peasant paintings.   Full disclosure- I'm not the biggest fan of this style, but the rich color, interesting compositions, and depiction of everyday life in the community does seem like its begging to be incorporated into a lesson. And although its not fully my cup of tea, it was indeed interesting to see these bright compositions on the sides of buildings in the village.  


 

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2 Comments:

  1. OlmanFeelyus said...
    1:36 PM  
    It surprises me that you don't like that style. It is reminiscent to me at least of some your own work, particularly the pieces you had on your wall on your old place in Queens: The icon-like repeated little characters, the clear lines. I quite like this kind of art myself. It reminds me of Inuit art, but with much livelier colours.
    dsgran said...
    6:10 PM  
    Interesting comparisons! I see what you're saying. I do quite like the iconic qualities of the work. I think to for me, its a little too flat- one thing I find myself really attracted to in paintings a sense of depth--well, not just paintings. These often have very interesting compositions, but a non-existent 'z axis'. I also tend to like things that aren't 'all over the color wheel'.

    However, I'm also talking in generalizations- as you notice- I've also done many paintings without attention to the z axis AND paintings that have been all over the color wheel.

    And hey- thanks for putting me in a group with the Inuit and Chinese folk arts- that's pretty good company to be in!

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