This is my 4th sketch with pen from nature by the wall of my apartment in Springfield, MO, USA Oct 08, 2013.
Do you know? Since I came to Springfield, MO, 2008, I have been feeling the plants here are similar as Beijing. The most interesting thing is here, there are so many monthly roses by the buildings and streets and it is just the city flower of Beijing, and I painted a lot of them in Beijing Botanical Garden and by our campus of Chinese National Academy of Arts in 2011 and 2012.
I do not know because of the seasons or the different places, I feel the monthly rose in Beijing bigger than Springfield ‘s; but the yellow and white flowers in Springfield are fragrant more than Beijing’s
So, as soon as I came back from my teaching in Seymour and the work in Ava, I paid attention to some white and yellow monthly roses in the corner of a wall of my apartment and I painted them first time Oct 2. However, I did not satisfy it at all.
Then in the noon Oct 8, as soon as I came back from an English lesson, instead of going upstairs, I went to paint it outdoor.
That was a sunny day, but in the corner and the shadow of the walls, there was strong wind still, many times, the paper of the sketch book in my hands was blown opened and I did feel cold indeed. However, I too enjoy the beautiful of the flowers and the sweet smell of them, especially, I was worrying the mind would blow them down and the weather would wither them soon.
So, I kept standing by them on the stone, even though the wind blew the branches on my clothes and broke my new overcoat, and my arm were little bit numb, I did feel happiness when I had made the a little bit mass nature things to be painted on my paper with a new feature. I did feel much happy.
The funny thing was when I finished painting, I just felt the structure of the flowers could be able to see clear. And when I have finished the painting, the wind just stopped as well.
It seems like the process to paint was just the process to order my own thoughts and feelings about the nature things; meanwhile, it was also the process to test my volitional quality and to train my patiently. Right?
How do you think of this sketch? Do you enjoy it?
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, welcome to write to shirley@ebridge.cn,you can also publish your opinions on Message Board . :-)
--Shirley Yiping ZhangOct 13, 2013
