The year of the dragon

I had been hard at work for this painting to celebration the Chinese New Year, the year of the dragon. Though often called Chinese New Year it also called the lunar New Year is celebrated by many Asian countries; it falls on a different day every year. This year the New Year is falls on the 23rd of January. This painting is combined with watercolor painting and paper cut out. The dragon on the background is cut out right on to the painting.
The dragon is the most powerful and suspicious Chinese zodiac sign, sign of authority and ambition, symbol of good fortune and sign of intense power. The Dragon is said to be a deliverer of good fortune and a master of authority. In Chinese cultures peony is symbolizes wealth. In Chinese the word vase (ping) sounds similar to peace. The gold fish on the vase symbolizes wealth and good fortune and because the word fish (yu) in Chinese sounds like abundance.
All together, this painting means wishing you abundance of wealth, health, plenty of power, peace and full of energy for the year of the dragon.
Happy New Year and may prosperity be with you all!

Watercolor and cutout 28”x20”, 2012

chinese new year painting

A few years ago, I brought a Chinese orchid (a miniature cymbidium orchid) from the Chinese New Year flower market in Chinatown. It has many delicate blooms on it however I couldn’t make it bloom for me since. Later, I learn in order to make it produce flowers, it needs a cold period. During the summer and fall I left it in our backyard hoping it might help it to produce flowers. Still for two years, no blooms from it.
This fall I left it out longer than the last two years, I was worry the frost might had done some damage to it.
Last month, all of sudden, I discovered it produced a flower stem and by late January it was in bloom! It just in time for this year’s Chinese New Year.


SAVECANCEL

lost and found

Last week I discovered one of my programs in my computer was not working. After a trip to the computer guy and he proclaimed my computer has virus!
After a costly cleaning and my computer are back working again however I was rather discouraged with this sudden and unexpected expense.
Yesterday, a friend came by my studio and brought a small painting. This morning, when I checked on my email, one was from FAA about another sale.
Amazingly, the two sales add up to the same amount as my computer repair bill!

painting for Chinese New Year 2010

This is another painting for this year’s Chinese New Year: the color red or any shade of red are very important for Chinese New Year as it is a lucky color, it is the most common colour for home and business decoration during the New Year.
This painting with the three open cymbidium orchid also offers a special meaning, the number three sounds like life or alive in Chinese and the number four has the same sound as death which is a taboo for the New Year. During the New Year, one often brings in live flowers or plants as to bring in new life and energy to one’s home.
So, this painting it means to bring you wealth, good luck with your life of the coming year with of life and energy.
Watercolour on 90lb Arches rough watercolor paper, 20”x23”, 2010