Finishing up Gazing 歲月人生

I've been looking at the half finished "Gazing out the window" project for over a week now and I am most tempted to leave it the way it is.  In a way, and not out of being lazy, I am not dissatisfied with that painting if I had to quit right now.  The painting as it stands definitely screams out for completion, but at the same time it provokes an investigative urge, and inquiring mind.  What is this painting about?  The viewer completes the story.  

But I do need to go through with my plot and see how congruent my painting is to my thoughts.  

I am going to attack the space where the graffiti lies.  My intention is to make the wall dark, obviously, since it is inside a room.  Yet I want to leave just enough ambient light to perhaps see the graffiti a bit.  The question I pose to myself is that why does it even matter.  Most viewers here ( in the States) can't read Chinese anyways so whether the graffiti is legible or not has no bearing to the painting. 

True, but I paint for myself.  My selfish and narcissistic self.  I have myself to answer to.

In order to lay down an even wash without too much streaking, I am using the biggest brush that I posses.  Theoretically I could wet the paper down first so the ink wash spreads out and diffuses more evenly, but then I run the risk of not having a concrete edge for my window, especially in this high contrast environment.  I am trying to use just the right amount of ink wash such that it spreads nicely and evenly without causing too much bleeding along the edges.  I also have my trusted hair dryer near by just in case things get out of hand.  I can spot dry the wash rather quickly with the hair dryer to arrest any unintended bleeding of the wash.

Knowing that I can be pretty sloppy with wash laden brushes, I am shielding the rest of the painting with a cover.  Any errant splashes or ink drops would stain the cover and not my work in progress.

I have the upper portion of wall washed in ink, with barely a degree of transparency to see the graffiti.

The challenge of painting on Xuan paper is to know how much lighter the painting will become once the ink is dried.  A wet paper assumes a much darker appearance.

The wall behind the woman is also washed with ink.  I am careful to leave a hint of her shadow, even on this dark wall.  I believe this understated detail adds to the overall presence of the figure, subliminally perhaps.  In the classical Chinese way of speaking, we acknowledge that ink has six colors, or attributes, however you want to call it.  In a way I am playing with my ink tones to see if I can make the painting interesting.  Leaving a shadow on a dark wall is one such game that I play.  Using the big void as the window is also one of the "color" of the ink.

So I am now at another one of those junctures where I ask myself, should I go on.  Just like the half finished work from the last blog, I find the painting has just asked me to think again.  I would not be displeased if this is a finished painting.  It does have pleasing composition geometry and that enigmatic quality that I am after.

I am reminding myself that the title is gazing out the window.  If I stop now, it would be gazing out the doorway.  Onward, soldier!

I am applying undiluted ink to the bottom part of the window because I want this part of the wall  to be darker than the rest.  It helps to provide an anchor for my visual reference.  I am not going to paint in the left hand side of the window enclosure.  I want to leave the void open.  I want her motivation to stand by the window and gaze out to be an open-ended question, symbolically at least.  

So she is standing by the window, perhaps enjoying some anonymity by being in a dark space.  Finding a little solace for being in the shadow.  Choosing to relinquish the weight of her torso by leaning against the wall, getting support.  She is holding her own arm with the opposite hand, as if looking for reassurance.  Her lips are half open and not sealed tight, as if breathing a sigh. Or was that a rueful smile?  She is neither smug nor tense.  I am curious as to what she is gazing at.  What is in her head. 

I showed this painting to my friends and one of them said "Ah, that's Rembrandt lighting."

Cool! 

And Thank You,  I learned something.  

Gazing out the window

I was learning about mental illness, being bipolar in particular, and creativity.  It was interesting to note that some of the renowned artists were afflicted with varying degrees of mental illness.  When I read about song writers, singers, entertainers dying from drug overdose or getting into trouble for dabbling with illicit drugs, my first reaction is the "chicken and egg" debate.  Which one comes first.  Is there any possibility that drugs actually free a person's constraint and enhance creativity?  Perhaps altered perceptions lead us to fresh plots?  Or are drugs just a way of life because it is fashionable. The state I am residing in has legitimized and legalized psilocybin, for medical use of course; as they put it.  Can "visions" be a valuable adjunct to creativity too?  Where is the line between a freak and a genius.  I know, these are harsh terms. 

In a way I believe those of us who paint are inherently dissatisfied with reality.  I mean why else would we paint a version that is different from the true, real object.  And then there are those of us who do abstract work.  Are we under the influence of colors and forms and lines and patterns, and not necessarily an identifiable and addressable object?  How do elephant trunk and chimpanzee hands produce works of art?  How does our gestalt work?  Can drugs or our mental state make a difference?

Before I get myself into too much trouble, I do want to stress that I am not suggesting mental illness is the same as drug use.  The only overlap perhaps is that somehow brain chemicals are involved, be it endogenous or exogenous.  It is a delicate task, just like mixing and obtaining a perfect color or hue, we need to find an auspicious balance of norepi, dopamine and serotonin.  There are so many feedback loops involved when it concerns our body and mind and we are understanding just a little more each day, certainly more than the days of lobotomy and electric shock therapy.  When your car engine is not getting the correct inputs, it can surge, sputter or simply quit on you.  And just like the internal combustion engine, some aren't happy unless they are run at 9,000 rpm, and some hum along merrily at just 100.  We are all different.

The names like Robert Schumann and Vincent van Gogh often come up as artists who have endured mental health problems.  I am not a great fan of Schumann's music but because of what I've learned about the person I have decided to look at his works with less myopia.  Ultimately I am still not quite a fan, but I do find his Piano Quartet very endearing, specially the Andante movement.

If we don't know about the lives of these great artists, we might think that everything is roses with them.  One might even say "I would do anything to be just like them," if one is an aspiring artist.  Atlas, only if we knew.  Are we really willing to pay that price knowing what they had endured?

I've heard a saying which basically states "We might find a Shangri-la when we look across a window, but once we stand right next to the window, what we see is life itself, with all its musings." 

     隔窗而望是世間桃源   臨窗而立是歲月人生 

Not everything is as what it seems, and the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side.

I have found the inspiration for my next painting.  A person standing by a window, gazing out.

I have in mind a high contrast, black and white brush painting.  I believe a stark black and white painting allows for more freedom of participation from the audience and evokes more empathy.  I also want to position my window strategically such that the proportion or the geometry will be pleasing to look at and helps to frame the protagonist.  I want my actor to ponder and see what is outside the window.

Life!

Just like paring food with wine, I am pairing my painting with the third movement ( Andante ) from Schumann's Piano Quartet, my newfound love.  I just love those long phrasings and conversations between the instruments, even from the viola, I might add.  I love it more than his Piano Quintet; such intimacy.  Listening to that music helps to give me context when I am doing this painting.

I am going to set the tone of the painting by writing the words of the above mentioned saying on the walls in the painting.  These words would be graffiti-like if you will, crass and territorial, but they serve as a dogma for my thought process.  I have a mental image of these writings obscured by the darkness inside the room eventually, either completely or partially, but metaphorically at least.  I haven't decided yet.  Just as they defaced the wall, they are in turn consumed by darkness. They shall resurface when light returns.  It is a cycle, as in life.  I'll cross the bridge when I get there.  For now they shall help to keep the mood playful.  This could be a dark painting, literally and figuratively.  I don't want to be too depressed; but pensive, for sure.  

Next comes my protagonist.

Years ago I did a painting "Going Home" and in that painting I tried to describe backlit tablecloth and sunlight filtering through drinking glasses.  I am trying to study my "light" again with this painting. Also, I am going to be using a female figure as my person of interest.

I am making corrections to the contrast to make her features more vivid.  More enigmatic perhaps. 

I am also dolling up the graffiti a bit by giving the words a shadow.  In the end these words might not be visible anymore but for now it is fun to play with the effects.  As graffiti should.

I am now beginning the process of placing her in this dark room by painting in the wall that she is standing against.  In the process, the negative space of the bridge of her nose and lips are defined by the dark wall.  Her hair too is now nicely fashioned.

The wet ink causes rippling in the fibrous Xuan, and the undulating paper actually adds another dimension to the painting.  Almost like a starburst coming in from outside the window.  Is this a sign?  I just wished that I could keep that effect in place after the paper is dried.

If I stop now and crop my paper properly, I might have a painting on my hands already? High contrast, interesting layout, half white, half black, framing my pensive actor.  Lots of blank spaces for the audience to fill in.  

Should I stop?

A life revealed in beautiful Chinese calligraphy

I picked up something rather unusual at a local donation center rummage sale.  Here is a snippet of that item.

The Chinese writings on this piece of paper caught my attention.  When one lives in a western society, anything that reminds one of home or one's culture is a sure bait.  It was not only the fact that it was written in Chinese, but then it was done with a Chinese brush and the calligraphy was exemplary.  

As I took it home and studied it more, the content of this manuscript piqued my interest.  I can read the words ( most of it anyways ) but I don't necessarily understand all their meanings.  I feel really inadequate, and perplexed.

It dawns on me that I am reading someone's life as told by an astrologer or fortune teller.

As I grew up in Hong Kong, fortune telling or seeking astrological advice was common practice.  For those of us who went to school and received modern education we often snub that with disdain and consider that superstition.  This is especially true for kids attending schools run by missionaries and dioceses because the indoctrination was that only ignorant pagans would seek such services.  

What I am most ashamed of is that because astrology and fortune telling often utilize parameters or nomenclatures that have to do with the Chinese way of looking at the universe, time, seasons and the Chinese philosophy of balance and harmony, I associate such beliefs (thanks to the schools) with superstition and hogwash; the intent of the educators notwithstanding.  I suppose this is one form of raping one's culture, especially when the target is young and impressionable.  One might also say that I threw the baby out with the water. 

I am determined to learn a little more about my own culture with a less biased mind now that I'm much older and hopefully wiser.

I know almost nothing about Chinese astrology or fortune telling.  All I know is that a person's birth year, month, day, time are assigned a value or classification.  This is called a person's Bazi (八字) and the person's life is further modulated by the person's Wuhang  (五行) meaning the Five Elements.  Bazi (八字), which literally means 8 words,  is derived from Ganzhi (干支), a Chinese convention of counting year, month, day and time.  The convention involves generating a pair of points based on the alignment of 10 Tiangan (天干) points against 12 Dizhi (地支) points.  We generate a 2-word time stamp from each of the person's birth year, month, day and hour; hence 8 words and 4 time stamps.  Each group of the 2-word time stamp is known as a Pillar and the Day Pillar represents the individual in question, and assumes prime importance.  It is said that if the day of birth (the Day Pillar) is not known, there's no way to proceed with the astrological calculations.  I shall explain how the 2-word time stamp is generated in the following paragraphs.

Ganzhi (干支) involves the combination of two cycles; one starts with 甲 (Jia) and the other cycle starts with 子 (Zi).   The cycle that starts with 甲 is called Tiangan (天干), meaning Heavenly Stem and the cycle that starts with 子 is called Dizhi (地支), meaning Earthly Branch.   A Jiazi (甲子) is a sixty year cycle.  Confused? Me too! I shall explain terminologies more fully with the following:

The Tiangan cycle has 10 segments and the Dizhi cycle has 12.  When these two cycles are run together, they match up every 60 years.  Regrettably this was part of my education, which I wrote off as being not practical and useless and ancient.  Thus to supplant my own prejudice regarding the ancient counting convention of Ganzhi (干支) I prepared something to teach myself.

I've created one strip representing the Tiangan cycle which starts with 甲 and  I've also named the individua points (10 ) in alphabets for ease of identification.  I'm embarrassed to say the Chinese words look foreign to me now.  I've created another strip representing the Dizhi cycle which starts with 子 and I am assigning numerals to the individual points (12), again for ease of recognizing.  

When these two cycles run together (placing one strip alongside the other), we see A is lined up with 1, and numbers 11 and 12 is not lined up with anything.  The time stamp for the beginning segment is made up of (A) from the top strip and (1) from the bottom, thus A1, or 甲子, the next time stamp or segment shall be B2, or 乙丑, so on and so forth.

After two cycles we have 4 numbers on the bottom that have no partners.

After 3 cycles the unmatched numbers grow to six.

So it takes 6 cycles of Heavenly Stem Tiangan (天干) to match with 5 cycles of  Earthly Branch Dizhi (地支)

Thus if each segment or time stamp represents one year, a complete cycle Jiazi (甲子) is 60 years (segments) and it starts with the (A甲)(1子) time stamp, hence the term 甲子.  The term Jiazi (甲子)  actually is not uncommon in Chinese vernacular; we often use that to describe a person or a time span of "in the sixties".  Now perhaps I should try to understand why two weeks is called a fortnight. (answer: 14 nights)

During a conversation with my younger brother who is much smarter than I am, especially in the area of mathematics and Chinese studies, I was made aware that this is actually a simple example of finding the LCM ( lowest common multiples ) of 10 and 12.

Yes, but I am a visual person and my long arduous way of demonstrating how it works erects an indelible synapse in my feeble brain and makes more sense.

The Wuhang  (五行),  Five Elements is the Chinese way of describing checks and balances.  It deals with the facilitating or hindering relationships of the five elements; namely Metal (金), Wood (木), Water(水), Fire(火) and Earth(土).  

In the above graphic representation of the 5 elements, the black lines denote a positive effect and the red lines a negative or hindering association.  The picture shows the compass position of the Elements; East is considered Wood, South is Fire, West is Metal, North is Water and Earth assumes the center position. Thus Water facilitates Wood (tree needs water to grow), Wood generates Fire, which in turn produces Earth (think of lava) and Earth produces Metal.  On the flip side, we use Fire to forge Metal, Water to douse Fire and Earth to shore up Water (flooding).  This relationship is not a unilateral one but a constant interplay with others.  As Water hinders Fire, which creates Earth, which in turn fights Water.  Harmony and smooth sailing is attained when the elements are balanced; when there is absence of inappropriate push or pull amongst them. When the Five Elements are tied in with a person's Bazi (八字), an algorithm of "for", "go" or "against", "no go" is created.  Thus at different stages of a person's life, a different time stamp (due to progressing years) is associated with a certain element, hence initiating a "favorable" or alternatively "to shun" roadmap accordingly.  We often hear of a person's Wuhang  (五行) is lacking certain element(s), thus altering a person's path in life.  A proverbial mocking of a poor person is that the individual is lacking Metal( gold in this case) in his Wuhang  (五行). 

Wuhang  (五行) is also extremely important in Chinese medicine and acupuncture.  Different organs are associated with different Elements.  In a rather simplistic example, Kidney is Water, Liver is Wood and Heart is Fire.  Thus if a person suffers from ailment of the liver(Wood), the practitioner needs to determine if the liver is in overdrive or in weak mode.  If it's due to over active liver, the heart(Fire) meridian needs to be attenuated.  If the liver is inadequate and weak then the kidney(Water) meridian needs stimulation because water irrigates wood.  It's all about plus and minus.  Balance, in a word.  I am definitely not an expert in this, despite my background as a retired pharmacist.  I've received no training in Chinese medicine but I find the concept intriguing and very different from western practice.  

The reason I need to go through so much just so I might begin to understand what was written is similar to showing xx and xy to someone who did not study biology.  Whilst the person recognizes the alphabets the fact that they are likely referring to the female and male sex chromosomes remains obscured to the uninitiated.  I must learn the most basic things about Ganzhi (干支),  Bazi (八字) and  Wuhang  (五行) just to begin to understand the meaning of some of the words on that manuscript.

The fact that I've barely scratched the surface and that I am not an astrologer or fortuneteller makes me rather trepidatious in what I am interpreting here.  I definitely do not want to misrepresent anything.

It appears that the person for whom this life forecast was prepared for ( I shall refer to him as Mr. W) was born under the  甲木 (A-Wood)  banner.  A-Wood refers to pine and Chinese cypress, symbols of longevity and ability to weather snowy conditions.  Mr. W's Wood was born in winter time according to his Bazi (八字) thus was required to withstand cold without withering ( euphemistically meaning standing up to adversity).  Since his Wood was born in cold winter months, it would benefit from warmth to spur its growth; i.e. association with Fire elements.  Mr. W was reminded that only good wood gets to be building material, like beams and posts.  Bad wood ends up as kindling and fire logs. 

Axe or chisel is needed to turn wood into lumber (beams and posts), thus Mr. W would benefit from an alliance with Metal.  Mr. W was also warned about being too intimate with Water, or even associating with people with "water" in their names.

Water irrigates wood for sure, but too much water floats the wood away.  I recall a visit to the bayou in New Orleans and seeing the cypress ( what's left) and how the man-made canals were dug to float the harvested cypress out in the old days, according to the tour guide.  The bayou was both nurturing and depleting the cypress at the same time. Here the positive/negative influences of Wuhang  (五行) is in full display.  The entire manuscript basically breaks down Mr. W's life into periods and using the corresponding  Ganzhi (干支) time stamp along with Wuhang  (五行) to forecast his life journey.

I am not here to advocate, promote or mock or satirize Chinese astrology.  The fact that this science ( I suppose I can call this a science) requires so much knowledge and understanding impressed me.  What I really admire here and now however, is the beautiful brush calligraphy from this fortune teller.

First of all, hardly anybody uses ink and brush to write Chinese anymore, outside of artistic ventures. The practice fell victim to ballpoint pens.  Even when I was a kid growing up in Hong Kong, the letter writers on the street corners were already using fountain pens and later, ballpoint pens.  ( Ballpoint pens were just becoming popular when I was growing up and they ALWAYS leaked and soiled clothing).  For someone, especially a lowly fortune teller to have used ink and brush to write out a lengthy utilitarian manuscript with such good penmanship showed resolve and pride.  I surmise this person was a scholar and an old-schooler.  Definitely not a hustler or a lowly fortune teller as I had previously characterized.  Obviously I have no idea when this manuscript was produced, but it is not in the last half century for sure.  This is a lost art.  

A manuscript written in Chinese caught my eye, subject matters like Jiazi (甲子), Bazi (八字), Ganzhi (干支) and Wuhang  (五行) stirred my curiosity, and the calligraphy earned my admiration.  To honor the time and effort that this unknown astrology had invested in producing this lovely manuscript, I shall attempt to use it as a Tie 貼 (calligraphy model book) and hope to learn the nuances of his brushstrokes.  I noticed that this manuscript was not written with punctuation marks.  The fortune teller had to go back to make notations in red circles for such purpose.  Definitely old-school !  This reminds me of having to study Ancient Chinese in my grade school syllabus.  None of the writings in the textbook had punctuation marks and we somehow had to make sense of the text.

So I was discussing this piece with a friend of mine who is well versed in calligraphy and he had the following comment.

He thought this piece was written by someone who was a product of the meritocracy system in China.  Government officials were recruited on the basis of merits and not popularity, or having the backings of billionaires.  Thus the bare minimum for all applicants was to have decent calligraphy.  Good calligraphy would be like eye-candy to the adjudicators and perhaps they would be more apt to grant  some leniency to those with exemplary penmanship.  By the same token, people who sought the service of a fortune teller, tend to use penmanship as a gauge of how learned the fortune teller was.  A fortune teller's curriculum vitae was often obscure, thus good handwriting would be a calling card.

My friend also commented that while this particular calligraphy wasn't bad, it was not good.  He thought it was rather plain.  He supplied a couple of examples to support his argument.

The first one is an example of good but nonetheless contrived calligraphy as evidenced by the deliberately and drastically varied font sizes.  Presenting a rather unnatural appearance and a feeling of uneasiness.

The second one is an example of fonts varying in size, but in a cohesive way and exhibits the flow of the natural stance and energy.

I agree wholehearted with my friend's analysis.  I do differ with him in that the piece I was copying is what I would call a utility piece.  It was never meant to be a piece of art that someone would frame or display. Thus it should not have been measured with the same yardstick.  I just like it enough to treat it as a Tie and study it. The truth of the matter is I would be perfectly content if I could have his level of penmanship.

In the end, it is my sincere hope and wish that everybody finds peace and purpose in their lives.  Let us all aspire to be valuable beams and posts and not kindling. 

Rusalka - "Song to the moon" The painting, the music.

 

Lyrics from Rusalka (opera), Antonin Dvorak, (from Google translate)

Moon in the sky deep

He sees your light far away.

You wander through the world, Divas in the abode people.

Moon, wait a moment, tell me where my loved ones are.

Tell him, let's hug the moon, that he will hug me on his shoulder,

so that at least for a moment he remembers me in his dreams.

Light him far away, tell him, tell him who's waiting here!

The human soul dreams of me.

May it be awakened by that memory!

Moon, don't go out, don't go out!

The following are links to the opera Rusalka:

https://youtu.be/0a6H86aDk1E    (sung by Ruzena Maturova, Premiere performance)

                https://youtu.be/vhDgYsJ8sAo     (sung by Renee Fleming)

                https://youtu.be/c9nxOMIbUkY    (sung by Lydia Q Wu)

                https://youtu.be/QRMwJuDh4QM    (Chinese lyric sung in Mandarin, performer unknown)

Rusalka-Song to the moon

I am looking at the Rusalka painting with bamboo added on the left edge of the paper.  I do like the brushstrokes of the bamboo leaves and take comfort in knowing that I haven't lost that skill.  I would like the bamboo to be a bit more substantial; a bit more prominent, that is.  The bamboo looks puny the way it is.

I believe the expanded bamboo makes the setting more intimate and adds another dimension to the scenery.  The leaves also blend well with the visible fibers of the fibrous Xuan that I am using.   The viewer can accept the presence of the fibers as a matter of fact instead of them being a distraction or imperfection.  I mean one should not object to veins in a slab of marble or markings on a piece of knotted pine stock.  The reason I am making a fuss about this little detail is that a gallery personnel  actually tried to document the locations of the visible fibers on a painting of mine  during the check-in process.  I was told this is for their protection; to avoid being blamed for "defacing" the painting.  I honestly don't know if this is a case of being ignorant or an abundance of caution.  Perhaps this only happens in a litigious society like ours.  Who is one being pedantic now?

I am adding a blue ring to the moon, making it more cartoonish.  I think it makes a bigger impact to my painting this way.  The moon is part of the title and needs a little flair. 

The shadows and reflections off the front of the pavilion is darkened and made more saturated, to offer more drama to the lights.

The huge light area just beneath the shore seems out of place, almost like a dissonant chord.  I would interpret that as an anomaly of the water and draws attention away the painting.   I desperately need to tone it down.   

A few strokes of purple color seems to ameliorate the problem.  That patch is a lot less intrusive and could pass for the reflection of the night sky on the water.

I am increasing the saturation of the color to render a more retrospective feel to the painting.  The light values on the face of Rusalka is further tuned to account for the direction of the moon, with special attention given to the forehead, the tip of the nose, the chins and most importantly, the sternocleidomastoid muscles.   The highlights of shimmers of water around Rusalka is done at an angle to give an illusion of proximity, effectively placing her closer to the viewer than parallel lines would suggest.

I feel like I am designing a set for the stage rather than doing a painting.

Rusalka, cont'd

I have Rusalka in the water, across from a classical pavilion, under the moon on my fibrous Xuan.  I should be ready to just paint in the night sky and the water and I shall have my Rusalka painting.

Easy enough.

I like the color indigo.  It is deep and mysterious; perfect for my moon lit sky and water.  As I am rummaging through my bin of half used tubes of colors for the indigo label, I am realizing that the painting will be too sparse and crude and might be lacking in emotional content.  I mean I don't have the skills that is necessary to transform  a vast void of sky and water to support my story of the water nymph Rusalka longing for her love.  I desperately need supporting casts to help me stage my painting.

Song to the Moon (google translation):

Moon in the sky deep  I see your light far away.

You wander through the world, Divas in the abode people.

Moon, wait a moment, tell me where my loved ones are.

Tell him, let's hug the moon, that he will hug me on his shoulder, so tha at least for a moment he remembers me in his dreams.

Light him far away, tell him, tell him who's waiting here!  

The human soul dreams of me, let's wake up with that memory!

Moon, don't go out, don't go out!

As I am listening to the soprano detailing the most intimate thoughts of Rusalka, I am led to a more private setting for Rusalka to muse her thoughts.  I need to place Rusalka in a smaller space by framing my painting with incidentals like vegetation.  I shall exaggerate the light reflection from the pavilion and buildings to further close off the space on the right side of the paper.  I shall make the reflections in the water around Rusalka more pronounced, not only to make a better connection with the moon but also to take up more real estate on the water.

I am placing bamboo on the left of the painting.  That gives me a chance to practice my bamboo leaves again.

To the right of the painting, behind the architectural artifacts I am painting in a bamboo grove to tie in with the bamboo on the left.  The brushstrokes are loose and impressionistic and should blend in well with the night sky.  That's the plan anyways.

Dabs of ink form additional objects in the background.

I am now painting in the water with indigo, being careful to leave voids, simulating shiny reflections the water.

I am taking this moment to go over the face of Rusalka, now that I have a background to play off with.

I am portraying Rusalka with half-opened eyes.  I like to think that this is more pensive than a fully closed or open eye.  I am also playing up the light values on her cheeks and her moon lit forehead.

True to my obsession with the sternocleidomastoid muscle, I am making them really dramatic, accompanied by a long neck and dimples from the clavicles.  I just find them very appealing and sexy.

This is what I have so far.  I am going to let the painting dry and reevaluate.  

What jumps out right away is that I need to increase the saturation of the water and sky.

Rusalka

I mentioned that I was listening to" Song To the Moon" from Rusalka when I was painting my rabbits on the moon for our Lunar New Year and somehow I have not been able to clear that image from my thoughts. 

Rusalka as I understand is a character in Slavic folklore and though it has many variations it nonetheless seem to involve spirits of the female gender and it lives in a body of water luring or haunting men, depending on how you look at it.  I suppose it is haunting if the woman died in tragedy and her spirit has not seen salvation or her death has not been avenged.

The Rusalka I referred to in my blog is the protagonist in an opera written by Antonin Dvorak.  The work tells the story about a water nymph Rusalka who falls in love with a mortal prince and bargains with a witch to turn her into a human to accommodate the potential relationship.  The price she pays is that she would be turned into a mute and become a mortal and the prince will die if he does not love Rusalka, who will in turn be damned eternally.  As with all great love stories, tragedy is the only viable conclusion.  Nobody wins in the end, the prince dies and Rusalka is damned.  It makes the song even more haunting.  The libretto of this opera has Rusalka professing her love for the prince to the moon in the opening act and asking the moon to help convey her love.

As I am writing this down, I am reminded of other friendships between the mortals and the immortals that are prevalent in other cultures.  Obviously everyone is familiar with the "Mermaid".

In Chinese culture I can think of at least two very popular folklores that pertain to such a union.  The story of "Goddess Marriage" or "Fairy Couple" (天仙配) is about the marriage of the 7th daughter of the Heavenly Emperor to a mortal who exhibited qualities of scholarship and filial duty.  The interesting thing about this folklore is that it has several different versions, and not all endings are tragic.

In "Legends of the White Snake" (白蛇傳) a folklore that tells the story of how a white python was able to be transformed into a beautiful lady, thus deemed an "unclean spirit" by priests.  The white python marries a mortal and a priest is determined to "exorcise" this mortal's wife, breaking up the union.  This folklore has something similar to Rusalka, in that the relationship between the mortal and immortal is brokered or intervened by a witch, or a priest.  Whilst the story of Rusalka ends in sadness the story of "Legends of the White Snake" has a happy ending.  Perhaps it is a statement that true love gets rewarded and humanity embraces even "unclean spirits".

Enough of a segue, time to paint my thoughts on paper.

My Rusalka is a lady poking her head out of water in a moon lit night, having a pensive moment with the the moon in the backdrop.  Needless to say, this renowned soprano aria "Song to the moon" is playing in the background.  My painting of "Whiter Shade of Pale" introduced me to painting of human forms.  Through those months of paying closer attention to the human body, I have a deeper appreciation of why Da Vinci studied human anatomy.  For me, I find the human neck to be an object of fascination.  I particularly enjoy how the sternocleidomastoid muscle (the 2 big muscles at the sides of our neck) in the neck twists and turns with the head, sometimes highly visible, and other times disappears beneath the skin.  I also enjoy its relationship with the clavicle, and how the depression at the bottom of the neck ebbs and flows with our posture.  A big lovely dimple.

Thus I shall attempt to showcase the neck of my water nymph. Try anyways.

A study drawing

I am using a very fibrous heavy Xuan.  I like the fact that this paper allows the color to float and disperse on it momentarily before fully soaking it in.  Hopefully it will help embody the ambience of a night scene with less than well defined lines; with the visible fibers strands adding to the ambiguity.

I am making a very pronounced presence of the sternocleidomastoid muscle through shading.  I am not too worried about the correct color of the face at this point.  My plan is to correct everything towards the end of the painting and I trust the paper I am using will allow me to make these alterations without ill effects.  

Before I continue on with the rest of my nymph, I am blocking out the ripples in the water by using the alum solution.  I am doing this so that when I paint in the hair and her clothing, I can somehow convey that they are submerged.

I also assign a position for my moon.  After all, this is a painting about Rusalka's song to the moon.  

To set the framework that Rusalka is in the water, contemplating the possibility that she might be residing on land as a mortal,  I am assigning that reference to some classical Chinese architecture.  

Eventually all these incidentals will be swallowed up by the dark night, hopefully.  I am therefore not too concerned about accuracy. I am augmenting the night scene with a few moon lit tree trunks in white.  I am hoping the lights in the buildings will eventually contrast with the dark night sky and make the painting interesting.  I suppose I just want a presence more than anything else.  My goal now is to plot my settings, create a mood and see if things work out or not.

The far shore of the water is painted in

So now I have the nymph, the worldly reference, and the moon.  Next chore is make the night fall!