This week's workshop focussed on the use of outline pens to create a fast and vibrant sketch -- its a loose application of the medium found in many field sketches of Vietnamese and Chinese artists. We learned how to quickly, but accurately compose a sketch from a photograph, and then apply watercolor paints to add color. Some participants even got to try sketching on a the traditional medium of rice paper. It was a fun and productive afternoon for a mostly new crowd of painters. Thanks for painting with us!
A fun afternoon learning about watercolor on silk painting...... the rain was looming but allowed us to finish our works under a stormy-looking sky. Thanks to our many new participants this weekend who got creative on the terrace. Hope to see you again soon! The watercolor workshops received wonderful exposure last week in a newspaper article featured in the lifestyle section of Tuoi Tre News -- one of the most widely circulated newspapers in Vietnam. You can read the article here or below: http://tuoitrenews.vn/lifestyle/12777/a-little-bit-of-vietnam-to-bring-home LIFESTYLE A little bit of Vietnam to bring home DONG NGUYEN UPDATED : 09/03/2013 11:37 GMT + 7 PrevNext During the last year, the Art Retreat in Saigon center, run by Canadian painter Lindsay Erdman, has been a place where tourists from many countries can find a little bit of Vietnam to bring home after their visit. Located on the rooftop of a house in a quiet alley in District 10, the center gives visitors a sense of the local lifestyle, with its decorative touches of Vietnamese non la (conical hat), lotus, guava, star fruit and ambarella fruit. Usually open twice a month, each roughly three hour class is offered for groups of 4 to 6 people. The youngest participant so far is a 14 year old. “I knew there is a lot of interest among tourists and expats to do something creative in Vietnam, so I started the class in the hope of offering a creative thing for them,” Lindsay shared. A little bit of Vietnam to bring home Lindsay first came to Vietnam to teach art in a school, and she has found interesting country-related topics for her classes. “Most of my class’ participants want to paint some sort of Vietnamese painting, so I have many pictures of Vietnam, and that’s what they use for their paintings,” she said. “We celebrate a lot of beautiful things. I think Vietnamese cultural icons like ao dai, the lotus, Hoi An’s lanterns and Ha Long Bay are colorful, so they make very interesting subjects for painting.” The painter, who has had over 30 exhibitions in many countries during her seven years of working with art, said she has constantly learned about different forms of art, and was naturally curious about watercolor on silk paintings when she arrived in Vietnam. “I added the silk painting to my workshops as a way of offering more awareness of Vietnamese art to my students. I like to know that a little bit of Vietnam is going back to their countries with their paintings after my classes,” she shared. The artist is very happy with what she has done. “I love art and making water color paintings makes me very happy, so I thought I would share the happiness with those who might want to learn to paint watercolors.” Vera Seebald, an Art Retreat in Saigon participant from Germany, said she had a relaxing experiencing a new painting technique and Vietnamese culture by taking part in the class. Meanwhile Adam Howood, from the UK, said it’s interesting to learn about Vietnamese culture, and the beautiful aspects of the culture like silk paintings, ao dai, and lotus flowers. “I hope students have a peaceful time as well as a creative experience after coming here, where they are encouraged to continue painting or learning new things that are creative in Vietnam,” Lindsay said. |
AuthorWritten by Lindsay, creator of Saigon Art Retreats Archives
March 2016
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