A jewel of a painting
- Source: Global Times
- [10:29 July 20 2010]
- Comments
A painting that Shi created in honor of the 2008 Olympic Games on display at The National Museum of China. Photo: Courtesy of Shi Di
By Wang Yufeng
The artist known as Shi Di is known for her use of melted snow and the dust of precious stones to illustrate harmony in the world.
It is an idea that, like Shi herself, is heavily influenced by Taoist philosophy and matches the theme of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, which emphasizes harmony. Shi has three of her watercolor paintings on display at the World Expo.
"Unlike traditional landscape paintings, Shi's work has a powerful contemporary sense and visual impact; more importantly, its theme is in concert with the essence of Expo," Song Jianming, the head of interior design of the China Pavilion, told Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post.
Although Shi did not focus on art at university, she has painted for decades, often receiving tuition from established artists.
Her paintings have been collected by the National Museum of China, The National Art Museum of China, The Shanghai Art Museum and other international art and cultural institutions. "You can feel a kind of passion and purity in her work," said Fan Di'an, the curator of the China Art Gallery.
The vitality of gemstones
Shi has a background in gems and jewelry. Certified as both an Accredited Jewelry Professional and a Graduate Gemologist by the Gemological Institute of America, Shi believes that gems, like human beings, have their own vitality.
"I often stare at them and try to have a dialogue with them," said Shi, who refuses to disclose her real name. "Their vitality is so strong after hundreds of millions of years."
Shi can tell ordinary stones from uncut gems. She often travels to remote places to buy inexpensive stones that she then sells at a higher price. "Although I cannot make a living off my art, I can make it with stones."
Shi gets gem powder from friends who own stores that cut gems. "I myself cannot afford to buy expensive gem powder," she said. "My friends like my artwork, so I swap with them."
She believes that gems are what inspire her to paint. "What I am familiar with is the world of gems, which leads me to perceive and have a better understanding about the universe."
As a gemologist, Shi has a fine-tuned sense of color, texture and quality, which has opened a door to a higher level appreciation of beauty and must be beneficial for an artist, Fan said.
