Project Lumino

On the 20th of October I had a long day out in London. I visited the Courtauld Gallery in Somerset House and saw so many beautiful globally renowned paintings which provided much inspiration and also the Wallace Collection - which left me in awe purely for the size and life likeness of the oil paintings. They didn't really need cameras back then when they could capture such with a paint brush. The amount of time put into each picture just bears too much to think about - but with no distractions it must have been easier. In the busy world of today no one would have time!

The longest part of the day was spent in the British Museum and that is where the Buddha is from.

British Museum description:

"Laughing Buddha"

From Henan province, northern China
Ming dynasty, dated AD 1486

A smiling Buddhist monk

The fat, smiling monk Budai is a popular figure in Chinese Buddhism. His character is an accumulation of several Chinese legends; he is sometimes regarded as an incarnation of the Future Buddha, the Buddha who followed Shakyamuni. Sculptures of Budai are frequently placed in the entrance halls to temples and monasteries, surrounded by the Good and Bad Boys. These two appear as officials or judges, recorders of a person's good and evil deeds during life, who decide whether to send a person to heaven or hell.

This Budai is glazed in the sancai ('three colours') palette developed in the Tang dynasty (AD 618-906), and which re-appeared in the Ming (1368-1644). An inscription on the left side dates it to 1486, the twentieth year in the reign of Chenghua (1465-87). While many large, popular figures like this were commissioned for religious reasons, the majority of imperial Chenghua ceramics were delicately formed and coloured porcelains.

Stages

Prepping after rough sketch in my studio (aka mdf board on bed)

First layer of paint:

Second layer:

Final: