Chinese Dancer
The original painting measured 76 x 62 cm. and was painted in Mixed media
I was in Singapore just after the Chinese New Year and was lucky enough to catch a Chinese Cultural Dance performance near where we were staying. I was entranced by the richness of the costuming and the telling of a story through traditional dance movements and music. Somehow I wanted to concentrate on seeing the performer as well as the costume that defines to character they were portraying. This character was Mu Gui Ying who was a very brave and determined Chinese Woman Warrior.
The face is the only area in this painting that I have used pastels. All the fabric is plain white pieces of cotton fabric which I glued in place and then painted on with acrylic paint. This includes the bow. However, I have sealed the different sections with different types of glazes. The fur and balls on the headpiece and the hair have been painted with heavily textured paint and the pearls are stuck on half pieces which have then been shaded with an airbrush.
