Blue Snow Melting
The traditional way to finishing a Chinese painting is in the form of a scroll. This is basically a long piece of paper or silk with a roller at either end. A hand scroll can be unrolled gradually as the viewer goes on a journey with the artist through the scenes depicted. A hanging scroll can be rolled up and changed regularly according to the season or the mood of the owner. Today, Chinese paintings are finished in a conventional Western way once it has been suitably backed. The backing sheet is known as the “life paper,” because after it is applied, every nuance and tone of the painting comes to the surface and is seen to its best advantage.
Once a painting is mounted, it must be carefully stored. Unmounted paintings, on the other hand, are easily stored as any wrinkles will come out during the mounting process. Although an artist usually keeps unmounted paintings private, I invite you to view a selection of my unmounted paintings.
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