GJWP Challenge - Chinese New Year

"Chinese New Year" 

4x4 Ink and Watercolor
$125 click on link to buy

Our GJWP challenge is Chinese New Year.

2020 is the year of the Rat.

Chinese New Year Offering

I'm way late with the Chinese New Year theme but it's not really about that. This was supposed to be a "simple" drapery study using only ambient light ;) which turned out to be not about drapery at all. For those who paint from photos, take note here. Look how far you can push color in the shadows. It took me forever to learn that shadows aren't dark colorless holes.

Playboy Lighter

I love these parasols. They're the perfect compliment to the 'party' mood this lighter conjures up. A Chinese New Year party at the 'Mansion' maybe? This was painted in ambient light thus no strong shadows. It needs final highlights on the lighter and more color in the parasol and a touch of dark to make the parasol 'sit' down. Some of my blog paintings are featured in Holiday Small Works at Oceanside 17 Studio and Gallery in Hull which is a sweet little space just next to Saporito's restaurant on Rockland Circle. Franny Andahazy is the artist/gallery owner who also throws parties as a business. Stop by and visit her and check out the work of a number of the South Shore's finest painters. Thanks for the visits and the comments. I really enjoy reading them and again, it's more fun to paint if people are looking.

Gung Hay Fa Toy

That means Happy New Year in Chinese. I love everything Oriental and by no coincidence worked for many years, as a waitress at a Chinese restaurant. On Chinese New Year they closed the restaurant and had a big feast. All patrons and employees of the restaurant were invited to and attended a big party with many dishes of traditional Chinese food which is not chow mein or fried rice or batter fried shrimp and chicken. One year the owners took us all into Chinatown, in February, in Boston. Cold? Oh Yes. But we ate, with chopsticks because they really had no forks in 1982 in this little funky Chinatown hole in the wall. It was great. We never missed a beat either with those chopsticks. Honestly, for 10 courses. The next day we discovered that my friend's barefeet (yes she wore open toed shoes in cold winter Boston) were all red dye from the confetti lying in the streets. www.123chinesenewyear.com/

This tiny 2"x3" oil on board depicts the 3 Lucky Chinese Coins. The red ribbon symbolizes the lifeblood of money.