Also visited some of the Artists Open Houses, including Jing Wang‘s demonstration of CBP.    At Potters Bar I also indulged in some more ceramics, because they make perfect brush pots and water droppers!

A really intense session of bamboo practice – an online class with expert artist Qu Leilei, organised by the London CBP Group.

Spring                    Rain
Wind                 Summer

Another attempt at translating Chinese Poetry: Du Fu‘s melancholy “Spring Scene” written during the chaos and destruction  of the An Lushan rebellion.
There are many different translations, for example.
This is mine:
Mountains round the ruined city,
Spring-grown grass on walls and towers.
Weeping in the time of flowers,
Birdsong jars the parted heart.
Three long months the beacons burned,
No gold worth a loving letter.
White head thinned by fearful fretting,
Cannot hold a single pin.

I have had fun recently trying to translate a ci-poem by Wen Tingyun, poet of the late Tang dynasty.   Ci-poems have a “tune” that guides their rhythm and rhyme.  There are many such tunes.  This poem is based on the tune called “Deva-like Barbarian” or “Bodhisattva Savage”.

I mounted some paintings, including a field of poppies and these poison arrow frogs from 2016!

“Sui Chao” refers to the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, the Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year.   It is traditional to hang Spring Festival Paintings, as a wish for a safe and auspicious new year.

Spring Festival Paintings typically contain a range of items which would not occur together in reality, such as spring blossom and autumn fruit. The items depicted have significant auspicious meanings, with natural and man-made objects mixed together. For example vases mean peace, firecrackers and teapots signify the arrival of the new year.

More modern paintings by Wu Changshuo and Qi Baishi show the continuation of the tradition.

I had a delightful weekend at Missenden School of Creative Arts painting plum blossom under the expert tuition of Qu Leilei.  Plum blossom symbolises perseverance, and you certainly do need to practice a lot!

My Christmas cards this year use woodblock printing to create a winter atmosphere.

I was browsing a local antique fair when I spotted a familiar shape – a Chinese Jue!  A Jue is one of the many shapes of ancient ritual vessels made in bronze, eg this one in the Met.
The Chinese often copied the shapes in other materials – ceramic, cloisonne, jade.  So this one is a modern stone copy of the old shape.  As I am a lover of bronzes, I thought this would be a fun addition to my shelves.

Shining light through the stone shows its mossy green look.
the British Museum has collected some contemporary jade carvings, including a Jue, and Christies auctioned this one.
So good to know that I am following tradition!