Happy New Year of the Ox!
Let's all think outside of the box!
Marginalia and margins
Things outside that barge in
Because the frame itself is unlocked...
...unlocking the frames of a painting visually allows for a lot more freedom to decide what is placed inside the margin and what is outside, such as these floating islands straddling the margin....
…islands formed part of my early childhood understanding about the world. I used to go to school every day by ferry and we would regularly visit other islands in Hong Kong - 'island hopping' by wobbly boat…
… another early wobbly memory was riding in Hong Kong's rickshaws - which now no longer exist. "Memories form part of our identities" (discuss!) and possibly the first time I witnessed racism was with this Unknown Rickshaw Driver as a child - memories become memorable when they are so important. He was scrabbling for coins after his fare had unceremoniously thrown the money on the ground as if he were not human, so I remembered this vividly...
…on perhaps a happier note, another vivid memory was the general blur of red during my childhood. It's almost the national colour of Hong Kong (and indeed features in the Hong Kong and Chinese flags) and is just everywhere. Since I was definitely, inescapably overexposed to this colour as a child I became a bit allergic to it in my twenties, thinking it garish and annoying rather than celebratory and full of life, as it also is. Winter is a good time to reconsider my relationship to the colour red, and we'll read the 2nd chapter of Pamuk's My Name is Red during our monthly miniature meeting on 17 Feb, 6-7pm GMT (Zoom link is on the forum at www.miniaturepaintingforum.com if you'd like to join this free event)…
…for next month's miniature we'll paint this sweetly sighing Persian poetic romantic with delicate tendrils of hair falling gently to his shoulders as he gazes at his 'red letter'...
Paint a sweetly sighing poetic romantic
…and we should have a broad knowledge of all the facial and personality 'types' in painting. However if I left it only at that it would be a mite too saccharine for me. I need a bit of strength, a bit of power, a bit of spine/backbone/dramatic tail feathers/poisonous, fiery breath; in short, it's still cold outside and I need FIRE! https://www.vaishaliprazmariteaching.com…
Paint FIRE - the dragon and powerful phoenix-Simurgh
…and fire is gold (and probably red, too). Some wonderful friends (from the Deziremi bookshop at www.deziremi.co.uk) bought my Fire brush and used it for painting characters with gold - what a good idea, and one I hadn't thought of before! I love seeing how people use my brushes and the wonderful things they come up with. More brushes at www.theperfectbrush.co.uk - also experimenting with ox hair, upcoming, for the Year of the Ox...
…it was a strange feeling to celebrate Spring Festival, aka Chinese or Lunar New Year, with snow outside. Where is Spring?
Our bamboo leaves heavy with snow feel like a Chinese painting and I love to look at paintings of snow. (Did you know that Chinese gentleman-scholar-painters used to take long baths before painting, to relax enough to get into the flow?! I wish...!) Rare are the miniature paintings that feature snow, but it's a whole genre in Dutch painting. I love these Dutch winter scenes by Avercamp et al and spending ages and ages in front of these paintings in galleries on quiet weekday afternoons as I used to do. I love seeing how much fun they're having ice skating and busily going about their daily lives. This one is in London's National Gallery. I miss that, too! But enough of winter already... bring on Spring! I wish... I wish... I wish... it were spring, but then again, I don't wish the time away, as I love the wintry snow and I love really feeling and experiencing the different seasons. Taking it day by day and also night by night. It's also a privilege. I like poetry, I like poisonous breath too (emitted by a dragon!). I like Spring, I like snow too. Ahhhhh...
Sighingly yours,
Vaishali Prazmari