Painting in the land South of the Clouds with Ned Mueller Itinerary and registration information

Trip Information

Come with us to a place where dreams float among snow-capped mountains and alpine lakes.

Where timeless villages are nestled amidst rolling fields of tea and yellow rapeseed.

Where the brilliant blue skies of the southeast Himalayas unfurl endless blank canvases waiting to be filled by the artist's touch.

This is the fabled land of Hilton's Shangrila, where the Southwest Silk Road carried renowned Yunnan teas to the Tibetans, where Marco Polo sojourned on behalf of Kublai Khan, and where Flying Tigers roamed the skies during WWII.

Come with us to The Linden Centre and be inspired by the beauty and history of a Land South of the Clouds.

Painting in the Land South of the Clouds takes place at The Linden Centre in southwest China's Yunnan Province. The nationally-protected villa, former home to one of the Southwest Silk Road's leading merchants, has been restored to its dynastic elegance and forms a perfect base for creative exploration. Ned Mueller, a master artist, is a Signature member of the prestigious Plein Air Painters of America and the Oil Painters of America, and will lead the two week workshop with a focus on Plein Air painting. Ned is very familiar with the area as he participated in the inaugural artists' retreat last April, 2008, also based at the Linden Centre. He is also a very fine figure and portrait artist with special knowledge and skills in painting figurescapes. Ned thrives on the challenges of paintings outdoors, especially in different cultures. "The changing light, the flurry of activity," according to Ned, "can keep me creating new works for months. The feeling of being there, the sounds, the smells and the emotional connection make the freshness and spirit of plein-air painting very special." Take a moment to visit Ned's website at www.nedmueller.com

Ned's workshops and his own demonstrations and individual critiques will be complemented by special demonstrations by renowned Chinese regional artists. All participants will be able to share experiences and techniques with these artists throughout the two week program.

Day-trips for painters and non-painters will include explorations of sacred mountains, functioning temples, ethnic museums, local art schools, and forgotten villages. Each visit will allow for extended on-site painting. Non-painters will have a variety of activites to participate in, daily as well.

Brian and Jeanee Linden have owned one of the Midwest's leading Asian art galleries since 1995. Brian, whose father also ran a gallery in Chicago, has been a fervent collector of both contemporary Asian art and antiques since his first residence in China in 1984. The Lindens recently became one of the first foreign couples to take over a Type A Cultural Relic in China. They have garnered domestic and international media attention for the refined restoration of one of Southwest China's most important complexes. This elegant retreat is only open to a select group of visitors who participate in the Centre's programming. Come explore behind China's modern veneer and come away with treasures long buried.

Itinerary: Wednesday, October 15 thru Wednesday,October 29, 2009

Wednesday, October 15: Arrival in Kunming. We will meet you at the airport and take you directly to the four-star New Era Hotel in central Kunming. It is conveniently located across from Bank of China, the Bird and Flower Market and Kunming's main shopping district. We will also accompany interested artists to the central bookstore, where many inexpensive art books are available. This always seems to be a very popular stop for most artists.

Thursday, October 16: After a delicious Western breakfast buffet with bottomless cups of indigenous Yunnan coffee and teas, we will travel to the Yunnan School of Art to meet with the art professors, observe the local teaching techniques and share lunch with teachers and students.
We will board a bus for the four hour ride through the rugged Yi ethnic region of Yunnan to the Dali Valley, nestled in the shadows of the 14,000 foot snowcapped Cang Shan mountain chain, the southeast vestiges of the Himalayas. After checking into the Centre, we will take a tour of the picturesque village and have a wonderful local dinner cooked by the Linden Centre's chefs.

Friday, October 17: All mornings at the Centre will start with a Western and Chinese breakfast buffet, a selection of coffees and teas, and fruits. We will have a brief meeting after breakfast to discuss ideal painting spots around the area. Ned, who spent three weeks at the Centre in 2008, will describe the area's lighting, which is very similar to Santa Fe's. Painters will then be free to venture into the village and its surrounding fields to start painting.
Past favorite destinations for artists include the colorful vegetable market, the horse cart waiting area, the rice fields, the architectural elements of the famous local homes, temples and mosques, and the beautiful shore of the 35 mile long Lake Er Hai less than one mile east of the Centre. The local outdoor market in Xizhou is held every day and is a marvelous place to paint or take photos anytime a student wishes. It is a short walk or horse cart ride from the Centre, and the early morning is always a particularly special experience, being among the colorful field workers and villagers as they begin the day.

Saturday and Sunday, October 18-19: Artists will be free to spend the days painting in the surrounding areas. The Lindens and their staff will help artists reach special spots where they can set up and spend the day painting. Ned will make the rounds to observe and offer comments. We will meet back at the Centre for lunches and dinners. The evenings will be open for critiques over drinks.

Monday, October 20: After breakfast, we will take painters to the largest local market in Shaping. We will have a few hours to paint or take photos in the colorful and exotic outdoor market before breaking away for lunch in a local family's home. We will make some quick visits to the attics of the village's courtyards to have unprecedented access to centuries' old antiques and art gathered from the mountains by these villagers. We also will make a special visit to a village kindergarten to interact with the young children and teachers. Artists will have a chance to paint the students and vice versa! Dinner will be followed up by traditional Bai ethic music performed by Xizhou's music troupe.

Tuesday, October 21: Another day spent painting in the village. Artists will have a chance to return to their favorite spots or to seek out new ones. The afternoon will include extended portrait sittings by traditionally-clad villagers. The Lindens will also take interested artists into Dali City to visit its many boutique galleries and cafes. Dali is a very exotic and beautiful city rich in its Ethnic diversity. There is also a "Western Area" where one can get western style food in a few excellent restaurants and bakeries. Plenty of great antique shops can also be found, where one can barter for very reasonably priced items.

Wednesday, October 22: After breakfast, we will travel three hours north to the World Heritage Site- Lijiang, nestled in an 8,000 foot high basin under the 18,000 foot Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. We will stop to take photos along this scenic route that skirts the famous Chicken Foot Sacred Buddhist Mountain. We will have lunch in a Bai village renowned for its silver-making before continuing to the Lijiang basin.

Thursday and Friday, October 23-24: Lijiang, one of Asia's most popular tourist destinations, is a charming village inhabited by the Naxi ethnic group. The Naxi, who are generally thought to have emigrated from eastern Tibet, are one of the few ethnic groups to still use the pictograph script. In Lijiang, crystal clear streams rush alongside cobble-stone pathways and old wooden buildings to form endless painting opportunities. Artists will have two days to paint throughout the city and have opportunities to visit with the Lindens, the Dongba Religious Teaching Center, the renowned Ming murals in Baisha, and the recently restored village of Shuhe.

Saturday, October 25: After breakfast, we will head west to the great bend of the Yangtze River. We will have an informal lunch in the village of Shigu, where Ghengis Khan is said to have forded the river and attacked the Bai and Yi Nanchao Kingdom. We will have three hours to paint in this old village before making the three hour trip back to Xizhou in time for a late dinner.

Sunday-Monday, October 26-27: Two days to paint again in the surrounding countryside. Throughout these two days, the Lindens will have horse carts reserved to take artists into the foothills, to the lake shore, and to isolated temples and mosques. A scheduled trip to Dali City will also be arranged for those who did not make it last time or who would like to return. Portrait sittings will also be arranged for each evening after dinner.

Tuesday, October 28: After breakfast, we will leave the Centre for the trip back to Kunming. After checking back into the New Era Hotel, artists may shop, visit galleries, or paint in the restored Bird and Flower Market. We have a farewell dinner in the art district shared with many of southwest China's leading artists, art critics and reporters.

Wednesday, October 29: The Lindens will accompany all artists to the airport for their return flights. Those guests who would like to extend their stay at the Centre have the opportunity at preferential rates.

Details:

What — 14 day painting and cultural excursion to Southwestern China

When — October 15-29, 2009

Who — Painters and significant others and those thirsting to experience a timeless China too often illusive to visitors.

Who — Those who are self sufficient, timely, and are able to participate in and relish vigorous travel.

Maximum Group Size — 25

Cost — $4,800 including round-trip airfare from LAX to Kunming, scheduled local transportation, guides, double occupancy accommodations, and all meals.

Additional costs — Chinese Visa fee, personal expenses, spontaneously created day-long side adventures.

Reservations — Call 920-388-4391 or email info@barnsitegallery.com. Non-refundable $500 deposit. Pay your deposit online here.

An extensive orientation package with suggested readings will be provided to all participants. The Lindens have been living in China since 1984. Their twenty-plus years of contacts will ensure that all participants see and experience aspects of China unknown to other visitors. For most of their previous guests, the experiences throughout these regions of China have been among the most memorable in their lives. Please come and enjoy an indigenous travel experience to one of the world's most storied cultures.

How to reserve space for the tour:

Call 920-388-4391 or email info@barnsitegallery.com for more details on how to reserve space while there are still spots available.

Download your registration packet.

Pay your deposit online.

Teachers open the door, but you must enter yourself - Chinese proverb