Exchange Database
Artist builds bridge with watercolors
John Salminen, a native Minnesota watercolorist, paints Chinese cityscapes which astound Chinese audiences, gaining popularity through Chinese social media platforms. Salminen started painting watercolors in the 1970s after taking a course with Chinese-American painter Cheng-Khee Chee, and first traveled to Shanghai in 2010 to receive an award at the Shanghai Zhujiajiao Watercolor Biennial Exhibition. Awestruck by the Chinese cityscape, Salminen has since journeyed back to China many times for international exhibitions.
Outcomes:
Salminen currently lives in Duluth, Minnesota, and creates his paintings based on photos he takes during his visits. "The photographs are disappointing. They don’t appear as I saw the scene when I was there, because when you were there, your emotions made the color you see in your memory unseen in the photograph," He says. "So the photograph is just a starting point, but with far from enough information to create a painting. I need to reintroduce the atmosphere, the drama, the life quality into the painting. "
Source:
Government?:
No
Type of Exchange:
civic
culture
Exchange Date:
Friday, January 1, 2010
Continuing:
Yes
Image:
Location:
China
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