Last of the China Sketches

This page is from temples, restaurants, museums and what not. The horse and rider was a large brush painting and I added color to the flower which was a stone block. The orange shape is a carrot garnish from lunch.

We went up the mountain to the Kumbum Tibetan Monastery. No cameras but I was ready to sketch. My favorites are the door knocker with the silk scarves, the cubbies holding the prayer scrolls and the monk's

"Happy Face" kneeling rug, no really!

Then we went to the Tibetan Medicinal Museum which was quite interesting. There were walls of dried plant displays. The red silk banners and colorful tassels were hanging around most of the room.

Next was the Tea House in Mei Jia Wu village. Only the top two leaves with a little growth at the top are picked for the emperor's tea. The more mature the leaves the lower quality of tea. Then on to West Lake for a stroll and boat ride.

In Hangzhou after the lake we visited the Lingyin Temple. Yin and Yang, incense, pagodas, and lots of lotus and bats designs. I am amazed I only sketched 13 pages in 21 days. Not quite up to par for me but a grand trip and memory.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

China Sketches

Here are some bits and pieces from displays at the Xinjiang Museum in Urumqui. From musical instruments, jewelry, flint and a colorful tobacco bag. It was great to see all the cultural influences.

These images are from the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. There were all these amazing rooms with statues, carvings and walls full of frescos. Buddhas, buddhas everywhere. And look, I found the post office all by myself and somehow walked out with two cancel stamps.

Just another crazy white lady.

The Gobi desert was very interesting. We walked on the sand to an oasis with a beautiful pagoda and then took a short, thank goodness, camel ride. This section of the great wall is mud and reeds and is thousands of years old. I saved my camel ride ticket. Camel #317

The bus helped me paint the Yadan landform. The bumpy ride was great for uneven colors. The rest of the images are sections of the walls, roofs, pagodas and tiles of places we visited. This was a real "sketchwalk", I had to sketch while I walked to keep up.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook 6" x 9"

Pen and Watercolor

China Sketches

I took a trip to China with a great group of people this last October. A little behind in my posting...okay a lot behind! We were there for three weeks and followed part of the Silk Road from Beijing to Shanghai. It was quite a trip.

We did a quick walk around the Olympic Venue in Beijing and then on to the Great Wall. I admit I didn't climb very high but it was amazing. The locks are placed on a chain on the wall by lovers. Many of them are engraved and don't have a key hole. Now, that's commitment.

These are some antique hairpins, a sketch of Heavenly Lake and a building from the ancient city of Jiaohe. While I was doing the building a Chinese tour came by and took lots of photos with me and gave me "Thumbs up".

This is me sketching Heavenly Lake. I actually got to sit and sketch for a few minutes. Most of the time we were on the move and going in one way and out another so sketching was a challenge.

There is a large well irrigation system in Turpan. These were objects on display in Karez. The bird sketch is a fresco in the Astana Tomb. There were four different birds but I only managed to capture one of them.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook 6" x 9"

Pen and Watercolor