The Stone Forest

One of the locations we were fortunate enough to tour in China was "The Stone Forest" near the city of Kunming in the Yunnan Province. The Stone Forest is exactly that - a forest of stone- and not surprisingly one of the 1000 places to see before you die.

While touring the park we passed massive stone formations that seemed to go on and on in both height and distance. I did a google search of the forest and apparently the stones are believed to be over 270 million years old. pretty crazy.

We went to the forest on a very rainy and very cold day but it did not "dampen" (har, har) our visit. I wish I could go back and photograph the area more but since I won't be going to China any time soon, these images will have to do. Thanks for looking,

SC

the Great Wall

While walking the Great Wall of China, I couldn't help but notice the hundreds of locks fastened to the side of the wall. The locks are placed there by couples who want to express their "eternal love." I guess this happens all over the world, including Paris, other parts of Asia, and in a place named appropriately: Lovelock, Nevada which has cleverly found their niche market.

Kind of cheesey, right? But I'm a sucker for that stuff....and had I known about the locks I would have attached one for Kyle and I, or for my brother and his fiance Maria. I think that would have been a cool wedding gift for them.

Being at the Great Wall was one of the more surreal moments in my life. I hope you enjoy the pics as much as I enjoyed the experience.

SC

back to America

I have returned! I am back from my trip to China and am currently recovering from the brutal jet lag. The trip was exciting, eye-opening, and welcomely tiresome as our hosts filled each day with tours, meetings, banquets, and site-seeing.

One of the many highlights of the trip was visiting a Cloisonné factory. We were lucky enough to see artists at work as they meticulously used copper wire to create elaborate designs on the vases.

I remember cloisonne from my high school art days and frankly it's hard as heck to complete let alone stay sane throughout the tedious process. Knowing this allowed me to appreciate these women and their artwork at a much higher level. If you're not familiar with the cloisonne process and would like to know the history, you can read about it here. My short version is this:

*artists solder metal wiring to a base

*the wiring serves as a compartmental design outline

*the artist fills each compartment with enamel-over and over again

*the cloisonne is fired in a kiln

*voila! shiny cloisonne

Enjoy the pics of their studio space below.

cha cha cha China!

I am excited to share that I am leaving for China today! I fly to Seattle and then bop on over to Beijing where I will be surrounded by amazing food, scenery, and culture.

The trip is happening because my good friend Amy (also an art teacher) and I applied through a program at the University of Maryland. We really didn't think we'd get accepted....but we did!

Our goal is to absorb as much as we can about the culture and art of China. By doing so, we hope to share lessons and ideas to other teachers and art teachers.

I will be absent from blogging until I return but I can't wait to post pics from the trip!

take care,

sc

images from my trip to the People's Republic of China, on a snow day back in February