| |

Paint & Paper

ByLaraine Armenti, visual artist
ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — BEIJING, no. 1

Colors & Paper

The perennial question of what to pack for a month-long artist residency: how much paint and paper is enough, too much, or not enough. It is especially difficult with air travel and customs. Artist George Nick said, “Pack like Liz Taylor — bring everything.” Travel guru Rick Steves said, “Pack light — no one ever wishes their bags were heavier.” Seven days till departure, many choices. Don’t touch my bags if you please, Mister Customs Man.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

To see all blog posts in this topic, select tab above marked TRAVELS > CHINA.

Save

Similar Posts

  • | |

    Arrival Shanghai

    ByLaraine Armenti, visual artist

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — SHANGHAI, no. 27 There are few more evocative city names in the world than Shanghai. When Wang visited me in Beijing, he urged me not to leave China without seeing his city. The first day was a long one beginning at 4:30 a.m. Wang’s colleague Mr Li continued his generosity toward me by personally driving me the hour long ride to the airport. After a two-hour delay due to weather, the…

  • | |

    Tiāntán

    ByLaraine Armenti, visual artist

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — BEIJING, no. 12 Emperors and retinue of the Ming and Qing dynasties used Tiāntán — Temple of Heaven — annually to perform complex and lengthy ritual ceremonies for the worship of heaven to insure a year of good harvest. The circular wooden altar has been rebuilt many times. It was occupied, damaged, and looted by the Anglo-French Alliance in the 1850s, again by the Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900, and burnt to…

  • | |

    CAFA & Red Gate Open Studios

    ByLaraine Armenti, visual artist

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — BEIJING, no. 17 Central Academy of Fine Arts, CAFA is a world class university with many distinguished faculty and alumni. It is located in the northeast Chaoyang section of Beijing. In 2008, on the 90th anniversary, the school opened a major museum designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. There is a well-stocked art supply store on campus. Red Gate Gallery, mentioned in a previous post, also operates an international artist residency program….

  • | |

    Temple of Heaven Park

    ByLaraine Armenti, visual artist

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — BEIJING, no. 13 Tiāntán — Temple of Heaven — is a historic religious site within a 660 acre urban park. Especially in the early hours of the day people gather there to play games, dance, practice tai chi, and perform music. There are two large, well-tended flower gardens, one of roses, the other of peonies. Long wide walkways through manicured forests lead to scruffier cedar forests near the south gate. singing…

  • | |

    Confucius Temple & Guozijian

    ByLaraine Armenti, visual artist

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — BEIJING, no. 11 Confucius, first teacher and moralist, lived 551–479 BC without power or status. The temple compound built to venerate him in Beijing and its neighbor the Guozijian, Imperial Academy are a short walk from the Yonghegong, Tibetan Buddhist Lamasery. Begun in 1287, the Confucius Temple functioned officially until the end of feudal rule in 1911. The grueling civil service examination system at the Guozijian, gatekeeper of upward mobility, ended…

  • | |

    Somewhere in China

    ByLaraine Armenti, visual artist

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — ZHEJIANG, no. 31 Except for scant details, my courteous young interpreter Elena had limited knowledge of our location, destination, or itinerary. The adult professors spoke among themselves, merrily enjoying a family-style vacation in the country. They barely looked out the bus windows. Twenty-four hours after leaving Beijing for Shanghai, I was somewhere in China without a map, internet connection, or place name. The verdant scenery that whizzed by was spectacular. Later…