Yay China~

Arrived in my hometown, Guang Zhou, China 2 weeks ago. Finally got my studio up and running 2 days ago! Going to be here for 6 months and tackle oil painting. So far it's been as much fun as i had hoped for, which is g r e a t. Just experimenting since i know very little outside of the direct painting approach. I love the fluidity using pure linseed oil gives, but the slow drying might prove to be too much~

a study in contrast~

Budapest. How to describe it? Sumptuous, fanciful interiors that are unsurpassed by any buildings i have seen, coupled with the stripped bared, bullet ridden exteriors and memories. To lived here for two weeks is to experience World War II, the Cold War and the relentless nostalgia for glories passed while munching on the best cuisine of Europe(second or equal to that of Italy, imho). I can not recommend this city enough: for its beauty, for its tragedy,and for its heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I believe in fairies, I do, I do...

... and Pirates and Mermaids too! Well, i am in London, so why not believe in a little magic? Got here about a week ago, couldn't be a bigger change from Marrakesh! It was a little hard to find English books in Morac(Scratch that, VERY hard), so i got about 8 books to start with right off the plane... Over starved i guess. I know i say this about every city, but London is my favorite for now! it's full of beautiful buildings, hilarious plays, and bookstores practically as common as coffee houses! Interesting names for bars too. and let's not forget the Waterhouse Retrospective! Blame the Royal Academy for the lack of photos of the show, because they don't allow it. :( i also went on a Oscar Wilde walk and tried on Winston Churchill's hat~ Couldn't be happier... and couldn't be less productive! ha.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

new wip~

For "The Young Empress". the same dream as the piece with the wheel is for~ Thought i had another solution for it that may work better, so this is it:


Still in need of major amount of work. Hope you like it,
Shelly

Barron Storey Show at Society

http://societyillustrators.org/museum/storey.cms

http://barronstorey.blogspot.com/

Like all artists i love, Barron Storey is not as well known as he should be. His work, deeply personal and intense, draws on inspirations few of us dare to tap into. Go see it if you can, i am sure you would come away with a feeling that you have slip by something divine. :)

Best,
shell

small update~

...






i don't really have a clear idea what i want to do here~ which is kind of exciting. and here's a bit of nonsense i wrote today:

The Pool

I wondered the
metropolises that
faded into desert
came to a pool
long dried

look
bones of the earth
sticking out
impossibly delicate curves
against the darkening sky

at the bottom
discarded dreams and
wanton illusions
glitter like colored glass

in awe
i sat on the edge
waiting
to fall in
to break
and dream the dream
in a thousand tiny pieces


best,
Shelly

The Third Tale

...from Fisherman and his soul. Trying for the decadent undertone in this particular tale. Would love to play more with the textures and patterns, so still a wip:

Mermaid song

Haven't been producing good pieces lately for some reason... threw away a bunch of wips. hope to get out of this slump soon~

Morocco photos~

So my internet works now, yay. well here are some belated photos of Marrakech and the beautiful villages to the south, all the way to the great stretch of Sahara on the border with Algeria. i spent two nights in the Berber tent, amazing stars. great howling winds at night too. In Marrakech somehow all my restrain broke down and i bought way more things than i intended... lamps and boxes and bottles. i am planning to get a musket as a gift too, i wonder if it's shippable...? The handicraft is just too amazing to pass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

young empress wip

Remembering 6.4.1989

It pains me to post this, because the act would hurt people that i love the most, both alive and underground, because they believe in the Communist party that "rescued China from the Evil clutches of Foreign Powers". "You would not be alive if not for the Communists!" Mom said to me in our latest argument over the Country's politics.
it's quite strange, maybe beyond the western countryman's ability to recognize, how "Ungrateful" Chinese people feel towards their country in asking for Democracy. it brings to mind Oliver Twist, asking for more soup... Though i can see the problems and anger that lies just beneath the Economy boom, and the moral decline that follows so much ban on things that ARE worth talking about. It pains me because i want to be proud of my country always, like when i was watching the Olympics, but find it impossible at times, when so much of the truth is shrouded in darkness.
So i want to remember the "June Fourth Inciddent", because i saw most of these pictures only today, 20 years later. Knowing that the act would probably ban my blog in China soon, but knowing that nothing can stay banned forever.

Shelly Wan