Gillian（吉莉安）：我的宁波“红牡丹”之恋

　　18个月前，来自澳大利亚的吉莉安跟随丈夫到了宁波，丈夫在诺丁汉大学教书，她照顾孩子和家庭。周一到周五，孩子们上学去了，她有更多的时间做自己想做的事情。去年9月，吉莉安在朋友的介绍下，来到了宁波红牡丹书画国际交流社学习中国书画。记者陈爱红

　　Red Peony，the Love of my Life in Ningbo

　　I started painting one year ago and found it quite a challenge to start with. The techniques in Chinese Painting are quite different from other styles of painting. Especially in the way you hold the brush and load the paint onto the brush to get the tones of colour in the strokes. But， slowly with practice it has become easier. Now it is really enjoyable to create beautiful Peonies， leaves and stems. Recently I also learnt how to paint butterflies and now can combine these in different compositions. I am also learning the different strokes and styles of Calligraphy.

　　As well as teaching us how to paint Jack explains the cultural significance of Chinese art， the meaning of the brush， ink， and paint and paper and how the Chinese Culture is expressed through these. He also teaches us Calligraphy and has explained how by learning the Calligraphy strokes we can not only paint beautiful characters， but learn how to use the strokes in Chi-nese painting to make the stems， leaves and bamboo.

　　When I visited my home country， Australia last year， I was able to share the knowledge I had gained about Chinese painting with children and parents on a school holiday camp. I took with me the brushes， paints， paper and ink so that they could have a genuine experience of Chinese painting and Calligraphy. They all enjoyed using the materials and producing beautiful pieces of art. This way the joy of this painting can be shared across the world.

　　We also went on a trip to Luoyang to visit the King Peony Garden， National Peony Garden， Shaolin Temple and Longmen Grottos. As we paint Peonies we wanted to see them in full bloom. We had a wonderful time on the trip. Jack was able to explain the significance of all the places we went to and we enjoyed the natural beauty and fragrance of the Peony. We were surprised at the variety of colours， shapes and sizes of the Peony. Experiencing the Peonies in bloom has really helped us in our painting and the excursion helped us understand some of the history and culture of China.

　　Gillian Patankar， from Australia

　　译文

　　一年前我开始学习书画，起先是一件相当具有挑战的事。中国书画的技法，与别的绘画风格差别很大，特别是握毛笔的方式以及如何运用毛笔在画面上产生线条与色彩的韵味。不过，经过一段时间的练习，画画开始变得容易起来。现在我创作牡丹花、叶片与花茎，过程很是愉悦。不久前我学会了怎样画蝴蝶，在结构布置中巧妙地与牡丹融为一体，同时我还学习汉字的不同笔画与书体。

　　除了教授我们如何学习中国画，姜红升给我们解读中国艺术的文化内涵，并且如何通过笔墨纸砚，表达他们内在的含义。他还指导我们学习书法，以及如何通过书法的练习，提高线条的表现能力。这样，我们不仅能书写一手好的汉字，更学会了运用书法功底与线条魅力，画出花茎、花叶等，甚至我们也尝试竹子的画法。

　　去年，当我回到家乡澳大利亚，我能用学到的书画艺术，在学校假期营期间，为当地的孩子及家长教授中国书画。我从宁波带去一些笔墨纸砚等书画用品，他们真正体验到中国画与书法。这些孩子与家长们尽情地享受在中国艺术的天地，并创作出许多艺术作品。通过这种方式，能把中国书画的魅力，分享给世界各地的人们。

　　因为我们一直在画牡丹，想见见牡丹盛开的样子，因此我们的文化之行，延伸到河南洛阳。我们参观了国家牡丹园、神州牡丹园、少林寺以及龙门石窟。一路上，姜红升给我们讲解所到之处的文化故事，让我们享受在自然之美与国色之香的愉悦之中。当徜徉在婀娜多姿、色彩各异、花姿百态的牡丹园，我们惊喜万分。亲身游历观赏盛开的牡丹，让我们对中国画牡丹的画法受益匪浅；文化之旅，又让我们对中国历史文化产生新的认识。澳大利亚Gillian(吉莉安)