A jewel of a painting

• Source: Global Times
• [10:29 July 20 2010]
• Comments

Shi Di. Photo: Courtesy of Shi Di

Pure as snow

Shi is also known for her use of melted snow, which she mixes with her watercolors before painting. She used snow collected from three locations for her three paintings on display at the China Pavilion. In one painting that shows a rose-colored world, she used snow collected from Beijing during the winter following the 2008 Olympic Games.

She used snow taken from the Alps in early 2009 to create a painting of the blue heavens and earth. And for her picture of the Huangpu River, which she colored orange to make a statement about its polluted state, she used snow that fell on Shanghai over New Year's Eve.

Shi believes that the snow water in cities is becoming dirtier year by year because of pollution. "I like its purity, but I wonder whether we as humans can keep the water clean for another 10 years," she said.

Her love for snow dates back to childhood in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, where she was born. When she was in high school, she went outdoors with her teacher and classmates to paint from nature. But it was snowing that day and very cold. "I disliked painting when I was young, but my parents forced me. It was so cold that I didn't even want to stretch out my arms to paint," she said.

Instead, she took a handful of snow and rubbed it on her sketchbook, hoping the wetness would ruin the paper. As the dampness spread across the paper, Shi grew fascinated with the image it left. "It was a kind of flowing, opening, just like your mind roaming freely in a distant world," she said.

She grew to see painting as a way to express her ideas and thoughts, and started using melted snow water in her work.

An artist and a wife

Shi now lives in Beijing. Apart from studying precious stones and painting, Shi spends her time with her family. Every day, she cooks dinner for her husband and son. "I enjoy the feeling of being an ordinary mother and wife," she said. "You should know how to separate your time. Art is important, but less so than real life."

She also has a nostalgia for things that have been with her for a long time. She has worn some of her woolen underwear for nearly a decade. When it wears out in places, she repairs it by hand with needle and thread. "I do not want to throw these away. It would make me feel as if I abandoned them. These clothes have warmth as well as memory, just like human beings," she said.