The following postings are a transcript of students' responses to our unit on Chinese landscape art. Students studied Taoism as a "religious" tradition and also read The Tao of Pooh before completing this assignment. Following this online discuission, the class studied examples of Chinese landscape art. This assignment required students to apply what they learned about Taoism to painting and to predict what a Taoist piece of landscape art would look like. Student postings have not been edited in any way.
The assignment:
Article No. 167: posted by Deborah Vess on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 01:01 Subject: assignment You are Pooh. Believe it and be it for just a moment. Remember Pooh's philosophy of life as expressed in the Taoh of Pooh. Now think carefully about how someone with this philosophy of life would view nature, and how a painter would express this view of nature and the Tao in art. Now, Pooh, teach a young, budding artist how to paint a Taoist landscape. Enter your studio with your pupil, and teach him in one or two paragraphs how to paint according to the Tao. What things should the landscape include? What should these things look like? How should they be arranged? Should the various things in the painting be grouped closely together or widely spaced apart? Should there be people? If so, what should they look like? Only you, Pooh, have the simple wisdom to answer these and many other questions. Your pupil awaits you.
Student responses:
Article no. 182: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 7 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 15:06 Subject: re: assignment
Hello, my name is Pooh and I am going to teach you how to paint a Taoist Landscape on a scroll. You must first know the basics before you begin your assignment. While you are painting always remember to remain calm and keep a positive attitude. First you must create earth and heaven as if they reflect upon one another and paint the beauty between the two harmonizing spaces. Anyone can see this beauty whenever they are ready so just let your mind wonder. While you are painting, do not think about what you are doing, use your imagination. When choosing your colors, choose colors that run together naturally and not bright and bold colors. Everything should be spaced out naturally on the scroll and not clumped together. These spaces show order amongst the objects. Taoist thoughts are simple and relaxed and full of order. If you choose to paint people on your scroll, they should look happy and very relaxed. They should not stand out too much because nature is the most important aspect of the painting.
Article No. 250: [Branch from no. 182] posted by student 33 on Thu, Apr. 27, 2000, 13:08 Subject: re: assignment
Good Morning, I understand that you are going to paint a landscape picture with the mindset of a Taoist. Well, the first thing that you should do is completely clear your mind of all that is bothering you. Focus on nothing. After you have done that, think about nature. One thing that is an easy focal point is the mountains. Picture the serenity and power of the mountains. The fullness of the mountains. You should paint with light, almost neutral colors. Make sure not to group everything close together. In fact try to picture a certain aspect of nature, like Mt. Fuji for example. You should try to close down to one particular moment involving the mountain. Maybe you can picture a light wind brushing through the mountain top, or you can picture an animal feeding upon a plant on the mountain. Whatever it is you see keep that as your focal point, and express that onto the paper. If your mind is truly clear, and your only focus is that of the mountain. Then your painting should be that of a Taoist.
Article No. 188: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 1 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 19:26 Subject: re: assignment
Hello, I'm Pooh and I'm going to teach you how to paint a Taoist landscape. The first thing you need to do is clear your mind of any access knowledge that you feel will help you paint well, yes that is what I mean. To paint a Taoist lanscape you do not need any influences, just what you see. It should inclde nature, after all that is what the belief is based upon. Also, the nature should be free. It shouldn't be cut trim, but overgrown and natural. There should be water, since it is the oldest and clearest form of nature. There should not include humans that reflect superiority since they shouldn't be considered "above" any other creature in nature. Nature works as one and no one thing dominates another. For example, I could picture, woods and fields with a stream running through. I wouldn't recommend people, but if that is what you see they should play with the animals, like Christopher Robin. He is the best human, well the only human, I know. They should all be like him. That is what you should base your taoist lanscape on and i hope it turns out the way you want it to.
Article No. 251: [Branch from no. 188] posted by student 25 on Thu, Apr. 27, 2000, 13:11 Subject: re: assignment
Hello, my name is Pooh and I'm going to teach you how to paint a Taoist Landscape on a scroll. The first thing I'm going to need you to do is clear your mind. A good taoist painter needs to have his mind free so his inspiration can flow freely. Second, what is your inspiration? Well, the answer to this question is easy. Just look around you and paint what you see exactly how you see it. Let your mind wonder just like your hand with the paint brush and let nature show you the real beauty of whats in your mind. Create a lanscape of beautiful colors and images and have them flow naturally together on your scroll, just like you see them when you meditate about nature. Remember to relax while you paint, this will help open your mind and express your simpicity in what you paint. Focuss on painting nature and nature only, there shouldn't be any people in your painting because people have a tendency to complicate things. Just keep it simple and you should do fine.
Article No. 191: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 21 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 19:56 Subject: re: assignment
Good morning my young pupil. I, as you probably already know, am Pooh. I will be your teacher for the day. Today we will discuss how to paint a Taoist Landscape. To begin, let us take a few moments to relax our minds and discard any other thoughts that are not associated with you and nature. Once you have cleared your mind, take a moment to think about the colors that depict your thoughts. What colors represent the heavens to you? What colors represent nature, and the beauty that lies within nature? Your landscapre should have flowing colors, and be smooth in places, and hilly in others. The colors that you choose should coordinate and represent peace and have a certain sense of easyness as you look at the painting. Be sure to space things in your painting evenly apart, because nothing in the Taoist view of nature is cluttered. Everything exist in it's own world and represents something different to everyone. If your vision of nature and it's findings have people in them, they should be of equal proportion to the creatures of nature. Taoism treats humans as equal to nature, and the humans should be of a resembling color, and not contrast with the rest of nature. Thank you for having me in class today, and remember to always smile and eat lots of honey!!
Article No. 200: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 8 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 22:40 Subject: re: assignment
Hi. I am Pooh. I am your teacher today. I will advise you on how to paint a Taoist painting. First of all, the first thing you must always do is try to clear your mind. As funny as it may sound, do not concentrate on what you are doing or what you are thinking. Let your mind take its own course. The painting should depict nature of course--well this is Taoism.(what did you expect to be in the painting my young lad?) People? that is a good question. you may include people in your painting, however remember that people are equal with nature. They are not superior as you might have expected. Your painting should flow through the nature you are depicting. Well I hope this will help you with your painting. Oh, and one last thing, make sure you keep a positive attitude while you are working on your masterpiece. Good luck and be sure to show me the finished product!
Article No. 202: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 18 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 23:11 Subject: re: assignment
Hallo, I am Pooh. Lets paint a taoist painting. First we need to clear our minds and remeber to keep everything simple. If you want to paint people just remeber that people are not superior to anything else in nature. everything in nature is equal. The painting should be a nature seen but nothing dramatic. Just a simple painting. This is how you paint a taoist painting or my name is not winnie-the-pooh.
Article No. 214: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 15 on Mon, Apr. 17, 2000, 10:38 Subject: re: assignment now my little friend, this is how you paint a landscape: you let it paint itself--just let it happen. first you should empty your mind of all the other pictures that you have seen before. then, simply think only of Nature and all that it encompasses. there are trees, streams, and beautiful flowers in Nature--think of them. never forget the Mountain either. it is very important to our life and mentality. we express this through including it in our paintings. simplicity is also important. space your objects carefully--each one should be distinct and beautiful. do not clutter your painting with mankind or his inventions. if you paint a man in the Natural landscape, then paint him small and unassuming (for he is not as important as the mountians). and this, my friend, is how the let painting a landscape happen according The Paint Way.
Article No. 215: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 2 on Mon, Apr. 17, 2000, 11:50 Subject: re: assignment
Hello... My name is Winnie-the-Pooh! Today I will teach you how to paint a Taoist landscape. First you must free your mind of any distractions, become clear headed, and let your imagination run wild. Don't try to hard to think about what you are painting. Let the painting paint itself. Your painting should be on some aspect of nature. For example: a garden, tree, or anything dealing with an outside landscape. If you decide to paint people in your painting make sure they are happy and relaxed. Now that we know the basics we can begin painting, but always remember think positively and stay as calm as possible. Try to think as little as possible for the Taoist's thoughts are simple.
Article No. 217: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 28 on Mon, Apr. 17, 2000, 13:46 Subject: re: assignment
Hi my name is Pooh and I am here today to teach you how to paint a Taoist landscape on a scroll. The first thing you should always remember is that im a calm and simple kind of guy and your work should reflect that. You should also remember to capture the beauty between heaven and earth as you paint. Just let your mind wonder as you imagine this beauty and paint it. Another very important thing to always remember is that i never see the negitive in things. Instead I look past that and see the positive side. There is a positive side to everything and you should keep that in mind while painting. When choosing you colors for the painting make it colorful but not too bright or bold. Do not make one thing stand out more than another. An example of a painting that would reflect me would be of a forest with the trees spaced fairly wide apart to keep the painting from looking too busy. Do not draw anything like a dead fallen tree or anything of that nature because that would resemble the negative side of the forest and remember you want to stay positive. A small creek of clear gentle flowing water would be nice. Just remember what i told you, let your imagination wonder, and have fun with it.
Article No. 219: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 3 on Mon, Apr. 17, 2000, 18:19 Subject: re: assignment
Hello, students! I am Pooh and today I am going to teach you about Taoist landscape and paintings. We are going to start with the basics of Taoism. They are very simple minded, which is what your painting needs to convey. Starting with the landscape, it needs to be simple and some trees that are spread out over a wide area. There should be some flowers and nice trees. The colorful colors will help bring out the brightness in life, but not more than about three colors. The landscape should be orderly and simple. There should be a man and woman and another couple. This simple pattern of life will help bring out the Taoism perspective on life.
Article No. 220: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 6 on Mon, Apr. 17, 2000, 19:15 Subject: re: assignment
Hello, my name is pooh. I am going to teach you how to make a taoist painting. The painting can not be made with a cluttered or confused state of mind. You must begin with a clear mind and keep everything simple. The painting will consist of nature and everything involved with nature. You should start by picturing an image of nature and all the peacefulness surrounding nature. The colors used should be soothing and calm. The painting itself should not be cluttered in any way; it should have some purpose behind how it is ordered. The order of the items of nature in your painting should symbolize how you feel or what kind of person you are. If you decide to put images of people in your painting they should not be of more importance than the images of nature in your painting. They should be porportionate to nature or even smaller in size than the images of nature, but I recommend not including any people in your painting. I say this because in taoism nature is considered to be of higher importance than people. So, to go over what has been said the painting should be ordered in a specific way, the colors should be representative and calming, and the use of people is not recommended in a taoist painting. Keep everything I have said in mind and begin on your painting. Most importantly have fun.
Article No. 221: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 5 on Mon, Apr. 17, 2000, 19:51 Subject: re: assignment
Good afternoon! My name is Pooh and I am going to teach you how to create a painting based on the ideas of taoism. As we all know, taoism deals with seeing everything in life with the simplest state of mind. People who have too much knowledge and who are too clever minded are the ones that cannot see things in the simplest way because their minds are too complicated. They focus on questions dealing with how and why instead of focusing on the moment and of what is actually in front of them. Taoism teaches us to enjoy nature and to use it to represent everything in our lives. In order for your painting to reflect these ideas, your painting must be simple. Choose a scene from nature that is important to you. It can contain any feature you want. Also, use natural colors to help create a realistic view of nature. The scene must be peaceful and all of the objects must be spread out to symbolize the open state of mind of a taoist. Everything must be arranged in the way you feel represents your emotions, goals, and beliefs the best. Cluttered objects make the scene too complicated which is the opposite of what we are doing today. People are rarely seen in these paintings because all of the emphasis is on nature. When people are seen in these paintings they are usually small and "out of the way" of the eye of the viewer. When you are finished with your painting, it should reflect the ideas of taoism through a simple and peaceful scene of nature. Thank you for attending my art class today and I wish you the best of luck in creating a taoist landscape painting.
Article No. 224: [Branch from no. 221] posted by student 26 on Mon, Apr. 17, 2000, 23:45 Subject: re: assignment
Hello my students. I am Pooh and today I am going to teach you how to paint a taoist landscape. Keep in mind that you need to be relaxed and have an open mind. Your painting needs to be calm and simple, just like taoism itself. Your painting should also consist of that aspects and beauty of nature. For example, a waterfall or stream is very calming. People, if you want to include them, are also a part of nature. Remember that they should be as relaxed and as calm as you during your painting. Your thoughts and paint strokes should be free-flowing and natural. Most importantly, let all of your positive feelings show and have a good time painting.
Article No. 223: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 23 on Mon, Apr. 17, 2000, 23:41 Subject: re: assignment
Hello, and welcome to Pooh's Taoist Corner. I am Pooh bear and I am going to teach you how to paint a taosit nature painting. But the first thing that you need to do is to clear your mind of eveything, so nothing will distract you. After you have down that focus on things of nature and walk of here towards the canvas. As you are focusing on nature make sure that you don't let your mind wonder. The colors you will use will be colors that do not clash, which would draw the attention away from the painting. You will paint a landscape. This landscape will a have a river running through it. This river is one of the main ideas of Taoist, it represents going with the flow of life and moving around any obsticles. The landscape around the river can be trees or brush, but don't have them clumped together because you want let the painting flow. As you are painting do not become a Bisy Backson and rush through it. Take your time and go with the flow. Focus on what you are painting. You do not need to paint people, but if you do make sure you that you paint them in away that they do not take away from the nature scene. The Toaist revere nature. Righ now I feel a rumbly in my tumbly so I am going to get my honey jar, you keep painting.
Article No. 225: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 38 on Mon, Apr. 17, 2000, 23:55 Subject: re: assignment
Hi! My name is Pooh. I am going to tell you how to paint a Chinese landscape. First of all you need to know a little bit about the Tao. Taoists believe you should always remain calm and open minded. You also need to remain positive on your outlook on life. Taoists also like to meditate to remain calm and open minded. The chinese landscape should show how nature really is. Do not paint it so that it looks all pretty and perfect. The Taoists believe that nature is prettiest when it is shown as it would appear naturally-- over grown and not spoiled by any humans. So in order to paint the lanscape you need to sit in a calm place of your choice. Some place that you are comfortable with. Be totally open-minded and positive with what you see and feel. By doing this you will be able to truly paint a beautiful chinese landscape.
Article No. 229: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 39 on Tue, Apr. 18, 2000, 13:29 Subject: re: assignment
Hello, my young pupil. I am Pooh. I'm not a great artist, but I can teach you to paint wonderful Taoist landscapes. Your landscape should of course include the beauties of nature, such as water, trees, and mountains. These pieces of nature should be larger than life and they should be created using mostly vertical and horizontal lines. Possible use a few diagonal lines to show the internal stuggle of people. Put the water in the front or in the middle of the landscape and have the plantlife in front of or behind it. Put the mountains in the background so you can see how monumental they are even in the distance. Space things out to keep the painted from looking cluttered. Taoism teaches that the mind of life of a Taoist should be free and not cluttered with thoughts of what to do next and how to do things all the time. Just let it happen. Don't force anything to happen. Control your actions, but just feel what you think is right. If you choose to paint people into your painting, make them and not very noticable. After all, nature is the most important thing here, not self. Now go. Paint what you feel. Use what I have said as guidelines, not as rules.
Article No. 230: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 24 on Tue, Apr. 18, 2000, 14:02 Subject: re: assignment
Hello there my young artist. My name is Pooh and I am here to guide you in a lesson on painting from a Taoist view. All true taoist artist begin by doing a type of meditation in which you are going to want to sit back and completly clear your mind. Blank?? Okay now lets begin. Think positively throughout your painting. You are ready to start the landscape now. Begin by picking simple and calm colors. This is because you are going to want to focus completly on nature. You can paint anything in nature that comes to mind, just be sure to not put other objects such as people as the focus. When painting the scene, the use of line will be used. In this case you are going to want to use horizontal lines this shows a sense peacefullness not wavy lines that represent unsettleness. Concentrate on making this landscape reflect the beauty of nature and its importance to society. These are my helpful Pooh hints for your Taoist landscape. Good Luck!!!
Article No. 231: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 13 on Tue, Apr. 18, 2000, 14:23 Subject: re: assignment
I am Pooh, your Taoist art teacher. I will be giving you a few instructions on how to go about creating your masterpiece. First, you have to clear your mind and focus on only nature. You need to be simple and focus only on your surroundings. Most Taoist paintings use horizontal lines reflecting a peaceful mood as opposed to wavy lines. Remember if you include people, make them small and do not focus mainly on them because nature needs to overwhelms. As for the color scheme, make sure that they stay simple and plain not to take the focus from nature. Hopefully this lesson will help you in creating your Taoist painting and Good Luck.
Article No. 232: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 20 on Tue, Apr. 18, 2000, 16:15 Subject: re: assignment
Hello my name is Pooh and I will be your teacher today. Today we wiil be learning how to paint a Taoist landscape. First, before anything you need to relax and clear your mind of everything. Take your time and let your brush flow over the scroll. You want things to be simple as possible and taking your time with your painting will help you enjoy even more. You want to focus on the beauty in nature. You want your trees spread out so there is no obstacles you have to face. You are going to want a winding stream flowing through the trees, this will symbolize the path you follow in life. A mountain would be a good background because this demonstrates a great force from earth. Don't clump everything together, you want to see the beauty in each aspect of nature. Also, use colors that will represent nature realistically. Have fun with this painting but, also remember to have a positive outlook on nature, this will make your painting so much more beautiful.
Article No. 233: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 37 on Thu, Apr. 20, 2000, 22:18 Subject: re: assignment Good morning, class I am Pooh your teacher. Today I am going to teach you how to paint a Taoist landscape. First, clear your mind and relax. Now, think of the land between heaven and earth, what do you see? In your painting use colors that are harmonizing with nature. Do not use bold or bright colors, spread everything out evenly in your painting. Always remember not to crowd your painting. Now that you have learned the Taoist landscaping technique you are ready create your master piece. I hope that you had fun and learned a lot today, see you next time. And remember that everyday is a wonderful day with Pooh!
Article No. 243: [Branch from no. 167] posted by student 31 on Thu, Apr. 27, 2000, 10:15 Subject: re: assignment
I am glad to see that you showed up today for our great class on how I paint using taoism. You see, the idea is not complicated. You simply have to remember that we as humans, or bears, have to respect nature. Know that it has been around for much longer than us, and it will be around for much longer than us. If you choose to draw human subjects in the painting, don't emphasize them, becuase it is nature which we are concentrating on. Nature is the reason we are here. The bottom of the painting will be the first place the eye of the viewer will go. As you go up the canvas, it is a good idea to show how giant the mountains are, which is a symbol of the power and the strength of mountains. Your lines need to be smooth and wavy, not too rough, to emphasize calmness and meditation. Nature is the most iportant aspect to remember so good luck and make a masterpiece.
Article No. 185: posted by student 19 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 17:07 Subject: tao of pooh þÿ
If I were pooh, and was teaching a student to paint, I would tell the student to relax and to try and keep his/her mind clear. The student should focus on the positive things instead of the negative thing. I would remind the student to think of the colors in nature. I would also tell the student to go with the flow in what he/she may be felling.
Article No. 212: [Branch from no. 185] posted by student 22 on Thu, Apr. 13, 2000, 15:22 Subject: re: tao of pooh
If I were Pooh, I would tell my student to relax and clear their mind. To start the student should firts paint the sky and the ground. Then fill in the space with nature like trees, animals, and water. In the painting somewhere, there should be a representation of Mt. Fuji. Mt. Fuji represents Shinto god. If there are people in the painting they should be happy and small. People are only a small part of the cosmos according to the ways of Toaism.
Article No. 195: posted by student 29 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 21:40 Subject: assignment
Pooh's lesson on art consists of the Taoist teachings and how they should be expressed through the paintings. When painting you should remain calm and content. Keep a positive attitude and let your imagination run wild. There is no need to think too much when painting, the thoughts and strokes should flow naturally. The painting can diplay the harmonization of earth and heaven and it is not a good idea to use too much color. However, do not make the painting dull. There is a happy medium that is calm and content and beautiful without being loud in color and cluttered in objects. Nature is the most important in the painting so if you decide to paint people then make them suttle and keep the nature as center focus. This painting should be enjoyable and relaxing, not a task. By following Pooh's lesson, then the painting should be an excellent example of the Taoist way.
Article No. 213: posted by student 17 on Sun, Apr. 16, 2000, 11:32 Subject: Pooh's lesson on art
Hello. My name is Pooh, and today I will teach you, my pupil, how to paint a Chinese taolist landscape. First, we must began with a few moments of meditation. The reason we do this is because we must free our minds of all elements, so we can use our imagination. Then after this we will choose our colors. The colors that you choose must be calm, coordinating, and similar to nature. I choose these type colors because we will be painting a nature scene today. In it we must explain that heaven and earth reflect one another. In our landscape we should probably include water, free flowing water that is. Water or anything else in the painting should be shown as natural. Nothing should be clumped together or on top of each other, but show that everything has a place and function. If people are included they should be shown as happy, animal lovers as well as nature lovers. They should be displayed as calm too. Whatever you choose to paint, it will beautiful and display that life is good. Do not be restricted by your own learnings, but use your imagination. Always remember that life is good, stay calm (not like piglet) and happy under all circumstances. Now, that I have explained to you ,my pupil, how to paint a toalist landscape; get to work and let me know when you are finished.
Article No. 216: posted by student 9 on Mon, Apr. 17, 2000, 12:42 Subject: Tao of Pooh
Well, I am your teacher Pooh, and we are going to paint a Taoist landscape today. The first step is opening your mind. You want to clear all your worries and stresses from your mind and open it to all thoughts and possibilities. Let your mind wander and think of pictures that bring you happiness or joy. Since we are painting a landscape you should try to limit the number of people. If there are people, make their expressions calm and serene, and knowledgeable. Paint your sky, horizon, and ground with whatever colors appeal to you. This is your landscape and it should bring harmony to your simplicity and emotions. Paint the trees, bushes, and other natural things in an order that shows no stress or confusion. It should be harmonious. If your landscape is not perfect, that's okay. It should reflect life and life is not perfect and it should have some limitations. Do not paint anything too unrealistic. Most of all paint your landscape to please you.
Article No. 218: posted by student 4 on Mon, Apr. 17, 2000, 17:08 Subject: Pooh
Hello. How are you doing my young pupil. It is so nice to have you here today. How would you like to learn how to paint a taoist landscape. First, you must clear your mind of all the bad things you are thinking about. Think positive, let your mind flow kind of like nature. Dont hold anything back. Try to imagine a waterfall and a river below it with rocks allowing the cold water to flow around the rocks. This relates to the nature of taoism due to its relaxing and calm sense. The rocks you imagine should not be in any order, just place them anywhere. Remember to let your mind flow freely. Another important aspect of your landscape is the people you choose to paint. Humans are also a part of nature. They should look very relaxed and have no worries amangst them. Taoistic people allow everything to flow freely and try not to worry about the bad things in life. They are kind of like me, I just eat my honey and go on about my business. I hope you will remember to keep a positive attitude and let your brush flow, just dont worry about anything and paint away. I am sure your landscape will be beautiful, my pupil.
Article No. 222: posted by student 10 on Mon, Apr. 17, 2000, 21:33 Subject: Pooh's Art Lesson
Hello, I am Winnie the Pooh and my friends tell me I have a very Taoist personality and outlook on life. That is why they want me to help you paint a Taoist landscape. You must first realize the importance of nature and it's overall greatness. Now let yourself become one with nature and begin to express these feelings and emotions in your painting. Don't let anything distract you, let your mind go and clear any pre-existing thoughts. It is your choice, but I suggest using soft colors and letting the objects blend together. Keeping focused on nature and not letting your mind go a stray is the key. If you choose to include a man or woman have them blend with the painting, do not make them stand out, after all being a Taoist is all about understanding and becoming one with nature. If you can do these things I believe you can create a great Taoist painting and if this doesn't work for you maybe you should try Hinduism.
Article No. 227: posted by student 30 on Tue, Apr. 18, 2000, 10:35 Subject: Pooh's lesson on art
Now that we are in the studio there are a few things you need to know. A Taoist landscape should include anything you would see in nature, not man built objects or buildings. Anything that comes to your mind about nature. It is a picture of anything you want it to be. Don't think about it or try to figure out what you should paint, just paint whatever comes to mind because the Pooh way doesn't try and doesn't think about it. If you make a mistake, just make something out of it, like a birds nest or something. Just believe in yourself and nature, and your painting will turn out perfect. If at at the end you think your painting is silly remember all silly things turn out right.Remember to be happy and take as long as you need. There is nothing wrong with simple or quiet, plain or natural. Whatever comes to mind about nature, paint it. Good Luck and have fun! Pooh
Article No. 228: posted by student 36 on Tue, Apr. 18, 2000, 12:14 Subject: landscape
I beleive that landscape art composed by a taoist would be very beautiful. Taoist stress importance on simplicity and nature; taoists love nature. A taoist landscape would appear very undetailed, focusing pm nature. Pooh would suggest that if an artists includes people, the people should only be a small part and should look happy and peaceful. Pooh would recommend that the artist stay calm and enjoy his work.
Article No. 208: posted by student 12 on Thu, Apr. 13, 2000, 09:19 Subject: Tao of Pooh
I'm Pooh and I am going to instruct you in painting a taoist landscape. I believe that earth is a reflection of heaven. I also believe that simplicity is beauty. Just remember as you begin painting that simpilicity is the major concept in taoist belief. Your painting should represent every aspect of nature in the simplist way. You do not need to make your painting too busy or do not have it cluttered because it goes against the taoist belief. Also you can put color in it but you do not need to put too much color in it. Do not put too much thought into your painting, just let your imagination run wild and paint what ever comes to your mind in the simpliest way possible. If you have taken my instructions into consideration then you have the perfect taoist landscape painting.
Article No. 159: posted by student 34 on Thu, Apr. 6, 2000, 08:44 Subject: Tao Pooh
I would tell them to think of the earth and all it beholds and ask what's on the bottom and what is on top of that. Then tell my student about the yin yang sign. Li is the idea and it is abstract and the qi is the matter or material. Next, tell my student that his scroll must represent a balance between the two. I would tell my student to start at the bottom of the scroll by painting things on the ground as a part of the material world, like rocks and pebbles. Then I would explain to the student as he moves up the scroll in the middle should represent a human element. I would tell him to depict humans in action as they are in everyday try to show the struggle or realism that they might face.last I would tell him to think about nature and tell him that the mountains represents nature for the Chinese, so I would ask the student to draw structures of mountains.
Article No. 171: [Branch from no. 159] posted by Deborah Vess on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 01:07 Subject: re: Tao Pooh
Lashonda: Pretty close, in fact, to what a Taoist painting would look like. Look more closely at my assignment in the forum for this topic and think about adding more.
Article No. 160: posted by student 19 on Mon, Apr. 10, 2000, 19:34 Subject: Tao of Pooh
My name is Pooh and I will explain how to paint a Chinese Taoist landscape scroll. First, I believe that earth is a reflection of heaven, so this landscape must be full of life, color, peacefullness. It must also not be too busy and distracting, but still and simple. You should try to capture the idea that life exists from heaven to earth, so draw the beauty that lies between the two. Everything in nature is not a positive force such as woods that have been chopped down by lumber jacks or litter that has been thrown in our forests. However, I will give you, as the artist, one piece of advice: turn all of the negative things into positives. Make your portrait an optimistic view. Now that I have set some ground rules, let's get down to business. I believe that a nice picture of the forest would be perfect to convey my taoist point of view. A gentle stream with a reflecting aspect would work too! That reminds me of a perfect place to sit and think about all of the positive things that life has to offer. Make sure that your painting is colorful but not too bold! You want to keep the feeling of serenity when it is looked at. Maybe it could even be a point of meditation for someone. Overall, keep your painting full of life. You have freedom to use your imagination. Just remember "life is good".
Article No. 172: [Branch from no. 160] posted by Deborah Vess on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 01:08 Subject: re: Tao of Pooh
Leigh: This is just great! I love it, and it is very close, I think, to what a Taoist would say about art. There are some very nice things here, such as reference to negatives and heaven and earth. What about people in the painting? YOu are really a very good student.
Article No. 162: posted by student 27 on Tue, Apr. 11, 2000, 22:37 Subject: tao of pooh In the story Tao of Pooh, Pooh is the one that has no worries and just uses his common sense. If Pooh bear were to teach a student how to paint a Chinese Taoist landscape scroll, he would tell them to use common sense. Draw what you want the landscape to be. Nature is a vert big part of the Taoism culture. He would tell you to use the color paint you want to use and to have no worries. Pooh thinks of things that are in their original simplicity containing it's natural power. The taoist principle applies to natural beauty and function.
Article No. 173: [Branch from no. 162] posted by Deborah Vess on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 01:10 Subject: re: tao of pooh
This is on the right track. You have thought about simplicity, now think about how the elements of nature would look in a Taoist painting. Look at the actual assignment in the forum and see whether you want to add anything! D
Article No. 180: posted by student 11 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 14:32 Subject: Tao of Pooh
Hi I'm Pooh and I'm going to instruct you in painting a Taoist landscape. Before we begin there is something that you must understand; the harmony that naturally existed between heaven and earth from the very beginning can be found by anyone at any time. Earth in essence is a reflection of heaven, run by the same laws-not by the laws of man. Keep that in mind as you paint. Don't put too much thought into your painting just let your imagination run wild and paint. Or in Pooh words paint effortlessly, if that is a word. You could paint a forrest with a river that is grown up which would illustrate that it is in no hurry it is taking its time getting to its destination. Don't make it look dead but on the otherhand don't make it look too colorful. Things should not be cluttered together because that would represent disorder or being busy which is the opposite of taoist teachings that things should be peaceful and simple. If you choose to put people in the painting they should appear very simple not decorated or made to look like they were busy doing various things. Just remember to relax and stay calm and don't get carried away with yourself. Remain happy.
Article No. 208: posted by student 12 on Thu, Apr. 13, 2000, 09:19 Subject: Tao of Pooh
I'm Pooh and I am going to instruct you in painting a taoist landscape. I believe that earth is a reflection of heaven. I also believe that simplicity is beauty. Just remember as you begin painting that simpilicity is the major concept in taoist belief. Your painting should represent every aspect of nature in the simplist way. You do not need to make your painting too busy or do not have it cluttered because it goes against the taoist belief. Also you can put color in it but you do not need to put too much color in it. Do not put too much thought into your painting, just let your imagination run wild and paint what ever comes to your mind in the simpliest way possible. If you have taken my instructions into consideration then you have the perfect taoist landscape painting.
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