Behind These Walls: Art Series based on trip to Viet Nam

Meditation 3, mixed media

Meditation 2, mixed media

Meditation 1, mixed media

Contemplation 5, mixed media

Contemplation 4, mixed media

Contemplation 3, mixed media

Contemplation 2, mixed media

Contemplation 1, mixed media

This series of monotypes was inspired by photographs of the walls of monasteries I took through Asia but mostly in Viet Nam outside of Hanoi in the small town of Bac Nihn.  I was exposed to Buddhism, visiting Temples, Stupas, Pagodas and Monasteries. Seeing the lovingkindness and sweet nature of the people, I came back and made these series of mixed media prints using photographs of monastery walls as the basis. I selected the saffron yellow color for several reasons- some of the buildings from the French are in that color as well as some monks wear it. I like combining modern technology and traditional printmaking techniques as well as mixed media in this series


See more on my website: lindadubingarfield.com

Halong Bay- "Princess Junk" Cruising the Bay

We were on the "Princess Junk," the first deluxe one-cabin junk on Halong Bay. The interior is all hard wood and very lovely. The crew was fabulous. Everyone was so nice. Look at the gorgeous bird the cooks carved out of vegetables. They bought all new pots and pans for us and cooked all vegetarian meals, after many consultations with our travel agent.

The name Halong means "the dragon descending to the sea." It is a picturesque bay with some 3000 islands rising form the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. The islands are home to many species of animals seldom seen on the mainland including- monkeys, tropical birds and a rich abundance of marine life. Vung Vieng is a floating fishing village which you can see above.

Halong Bay- Peaceful Beauty!!

Situated in the northeast region of Viet Nam, Halong Bay is made up of a dense cluster of 1969 limestone islands of various sizes, 989 of which have been given names. Viewed from above, Halong Bay resembles a geographical work of art. While exploring the bay, you feel lost in a legendary world of stone islands. along has been proven by scientists that it was one of the first cradles of human existence in the area. It is also a region of highly concentrated biological diversity with many ecosystems of salt water-flooded forests, coral reefs and tropical forests featuring thousands of species of animals and plant life. Specially, the 18th meeting of the World Heritage of UNESCO (in Thailand on December 17, 1994), officially recognized Halong Bay as a natural heritage site of worldwide importance.

Hanoi Hilton

Hỏa Lò Prison, later sarcastically known to American prisoners of war as the "Hanoi Hilton", was a prison used by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners and later by North Vietnam for prisoners of war during the Vietnam War.

Very bizarre place, for me. I never really realized it was an old prison. Somehow, I thought they took over a hotel and made it into a prison. That's how dumb I was about the war. Seeing a place of torture and history first hand. Now it is a museum. I read everything they had there to know what went on. It was the least I could do.

Hanoi Highlights

Hanoi has a lot of charm, with ochre-colored  colonial style buildings, tree-lined boulevards, elegant squares and green parks as well as modern buildings. Hanoi means "within a river bend." Established as a defensive citadel in the 8th century, Hanoi has had at least 7 name changes. In the past, Hanoi was first chosen by King Ly Thai To as the capital of the country and was named Thang Long (Ascending Dragon) in 1010. through several successive dynasties, it remained the capital city, the heart and soul of the nation, and has borne a variety of names, including Dong Kinh (Eastern Capital) from which the Europeans derived the name they applied to all of northern Viet Nam, Tonkin. The city was finally named Hanoi by Emporor Tu Duc  (Nguyen Dynasty) in 1831. From 1902 to 1953, Hanoi served as the capital of French Indochina.

It is now a bustling city of 2 and a half million people and over a million motorbikes. There is a cosmopolitan flair to it as you can see from the signs in Hebrew.( 4th photo above) The Ho Chi Mihn Museum is where he is buried and is a very popular site (first photo). The next photo is the President's Residence which was built by the French but Ho Chi Minh refused to live there. It was too fancy for him. He used it for state events but lived in a more modest apartment (third photo) behind the residence. the last photo shows the over abundance of wires on a telephone pole. Many people from the countryside are moving into the city every year at an accelerated speed and is not decreasing in the foreseeable future.

ART: Inspire from Viet Nam Trip

This series of Archival Pigment Prints is entited Devotion

 

This series of prints is based on photographs of walls of monasteries I visited in Hue, Viet Nam.

Contact me at  garf621@aol.com for more information

Hue: Along the Way

Fruits at Dong Ba Market

More vegetables at Dong Ba Market in Hue

Mosaics at Khai Dinh's Mausoleum

Mosaics at Khai Dinh's Mausoleum

Mosaic room at Khai Dinh's Mausoleum

Large fruit and vegetable market in Hue where fresh produce is available from local farmers. There was so much fresh produce available throughout Asia, it was a pleasure to eat healthy and nourishing fresh food!!

Khai Dinh's Mausoleum was built between 1920 and 1932, the last of the mausoleums of the Nguyen Dynasty and by the time he was contemplating the afterlife, rich had given way to concrete.  The interior is decorated with colorful murals and fragments of porcelain. It is the most elaborate of all the tombs