I saw great little sets of Windsor Newton oil paints manufactured in China and decided to try my hand at them after I purchased my own set for 18 yuan ($3). I wanted to
enjoy the soft blending and transitions that cannot be achieved using acrylics. After I got the paint I went to get some liquid dishsoap and some vegetable oil that I could use instead of toxic solvents. I painted a 12x16 underpainting of the little shop interior that I saw in one of the Unesco World Heritage designated villages near the Huangshan
Mountains last September. I was pleased with the paint texture and workability.
However I have one problem. Oils dry very slowly at the best of time but because I thinned my paint with oil instead of turpentine it is going to take even longer for the paint to dry because turpentine can evaporate while the oil has to oxidize. I guess I won't get to finish this one in China and am hoping that the oil paint will dry out enough that that I can roll up the canvas when I leave to travel on May 22nd.
After working on my painting of peach blossoms all afternoon we went back to Jinli Street in the Tibetan Quarter of Chengdu with some of the other nice young travellers at our hotel from Europe. It is just a mere 15 minute walk over there from our location by the Tourist Bus Depot along the river.
When Kelsey was a little girl she dreamt of having a pet monkey. On the way over to Jinli Street we encountered some Chinese men that had pet monkeys. As you were walking by they toss the monkey on you. At first we were delighted. However notice the monkey is grabbing Kelsey's ring. Either he is fascinated with the shiny stone or a professional thief.
Unfortunately the cuteness ended fairly quickly as the monkey started grabbing and pulling Kelsey's hair. Notice him eyeing Kelsey's ring again? His master was jumping up and down laughing saying "Monkey" or "Money"--or something.
Another fellow threw a monkey on my head as I was trying to take pictures and I was jumping and freaking as it grabbed my hair and jumped all over my head. Luckily mine didn't stick its fingers up my nose like he did one of the other fellows who was walking with us. I had had enough! Now I get it. They were saying "Money" and "Monkey" and you have to pay them to get the obnoxious monkeys off your head! I tossed him a few yuan and we high tailed it out of there. Noone was able to get a picture of the monkey on my head as we were all too busy fending them off.
Well, after months of preparation we finally arrived in Chengdu China on Tuesday April 5th, 2011. Construction of the Dujiangyan irrigation project on the Minjiang River by Li Bing, remarkably over 2200 years ago, has led the region to become one of the most fertile lands in China known as "heaven on earth". The first morning we left our hotel and walked to Tianfu Square in the centre of town. Tianfu means abundance. The climate is relatively mild and lush with greenery. There are palm trees growing around town.
Here Kelsey is standing in front of the Mao Statue. We saw the huge central square and the many large fountains which are lit up to music in the evening. They are quite the site. Kelsey and I loved to see the adorable little children.
Awfully cute heh?
We crossed the river and found the cheaper hotel we'll be moving to at the end of the week. We also found the school Kelsey will be teaching in while I paint.
We went to the Wenshu Buddhist Temple for dinner on our first night. The food was great, especially when the meal for two with two glasses of fresh vegetable and fruit juice was just a little over $10.
They even had cute little vegetable shaped cakes for dessert.
The street outside the temple was nicely lit up.
Here I am at one of the gates near Wenshu Temple area.
The end to a fantastic first day in China!