In this photo, my grandfather was burning the spirit papers during Chinese New Year as a form of Taoist ancestor worship. The gold printing indicates wealth. Burning the papers allows the items to be transfered to the deceased, where they would be able to use the items in the spirit realm.
Chinese New Year is a time of celebration and rememberence — memories, relationships, and the deceased. I was lucky enough to celebrate Chinese New Year with my grandparents. They are practicing Buddhists, but also incorporate Taoist traditions.
After bowing three times to honor the ancestors, joss or spirit papers were burned as an offering to the ancestors–so they would have “money” and other items to use in the afterlife. After the items were placed in the flames, a “protection spell” was chanted. During this, my grandfather poured wine while walking in a circle. In many old religions and mysticism, a circle is a commonly used symbol–protecting everything within a circle and preventing negative energies from corrupting the elements.
According to tradition, the chicken is part of an offering to the ancestors, facing upwards and left intact.
Wine, tea, and rice bowls were among the many foods offered to the ancestors in the Buddhist tradition.
Created this with a brush pen. This was later added into the “Chinese Lion Dance” piece.
Flames is part of the free photo textures/patterns set from my Flickr account. Visit the various sets here.
Also, check out Lost and Taken, a website devoted to free textures.
. Art by Sherrie Thai of ShaireProductions.com
Sorrow is my third piece of the Heritage Series (Ghosts of Khmer Rouge and Contemplation), a self-initiated project concerning the historic atrocities in Asia. Originally a personal tribute to my family in regards to their experiences via the Khmer Rouge, I think this particular piece is applicable to the current events as war is still prevalent. Regardless of your position, the effects of war is saddening.
The background of this image was similar to the rest of the Heritage series–patterns from a brush pen infused with a cloud texture in Photoshop. I’ve always loved trees and thought they have many human aspects. The trees of Angkor Wat have so much life to them–they seem to cry out in pain. Combining horror elements with social themes may have a greater impact to the message of the artwork.
Another image from my sketchbook. This was an ongoing mini-project during my daily commute to/from San Francisco. I may use the dragon for a future project. He’s camouflaged in there with some eyeballs and such. View Larger
The trompe-l’œil chalk artworks of UK artist Julian Beever are fascinating and inspirational. On a broad scale, he’s a prime example of how art can unify people of different cultures–bringing beauty and wonder to an urban landscape.
This $9 shirt is available at TeeFury.com for 01/15/09 only!
The original artwork was created a while back on clayboard, then scanned and cleaned up in Photoshop. View Larger.
This is my second turn at the TeeFury site. The folks there have been more than gracious, and while the first design (Dragon O) was a controversial one, this design is more traditional and may fare better. I love to work with different art styles, so it’s always an adventure!