A brush with tradition

The unique type of painting can be found in many villages in northern China, such as those in Shanxi province, where winter is very cold and people built kang, a living and sleeping platform at home to keep warm. It is used as a bed at night. Bedding is laid out for sleeping, but is put away in the morning. During the day, it provides a large warm platform upon which people undertake many household activities.

Tian's observation of her mother painting has developed into her own passion for the art. She learned to paint, with her mother, when she was a child and now, at the age of 54, she is still painting and trying to preserve the tradition.

Tian's mother learned the handicraft painting skill from her mother. According to Tian's grandmother, the origin of kangweihua was the mural paintings in temples built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Some folk artists tried to make a living by not only painting in temples but also painting for people in villages. Their painting techniques were passed down and developed into a kind of home decoration.

Usually, the height of these paintings is about 70 centimeters, while the length depends on the various sizes of the beds. Before painting, the artists need to polish the walls to make sure they are smooth. They then perform the necessary measurements and draw out the frame with simple, clean lines before drafting sketches with black and white pencils. When the outline of the paintings are done, the artists use acrylic or oils paints to color them.