Finding Art Inspiration in Shanghai by Heather Goldstein

I was recently lucky enough to get to visit China and I cannot even begin to express what an extraordinary experience it was. One of the most special things I was able to do was visit the M50 in Shanghai.  The M50 is a new art district with over 120 art galleries and art studios.  It is the center of Shanghai’s art scene.  It is also a testament to China’s progress and a miraculous showing of Chinese Contemporary Art.

The whole area is an inspiration.  There’s something about the broken down walls and graffiti that just make me feel like painting.  And the artists I met were all very professional and polite.  Sometimes when you stay in the same place for too long and you see the same thing too often, it gets stale.  It was quite an experience to see how artists on the other side of the world are creating art and the differences in the way they paint.

I was surprised to find that most artists painted using oil paint and practiced western painting techniques.  It was interesting to

See how our worlds are merging.

Each studio was packed with work and by the time I left, my mind was racing with new ideas.  If only I could have gotten to my studio right then!  I have nearly 1,000 pictures from the trip and I am more than ready to choose my subjects and start painting.  Since the beginning of the year, I have painted 30×40 and 36×48 as opposed to my usual 58×72.  I am now ready to bring out the large stretcher bars again and start attacking new, bold, large canvases!

To see my work, “Like” my page at facebook.com/heatherelyseart

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