Posts Tagged ‘Art’

Shop For Classic-Style Chinese Furniture In Beijing

by Andy Lao

Chinese furniture has a unique style of its own. It is admired the world over for its exquisite aesthetic form and excellent practical function. Developed for over 4,000 years independent of western influence, Chinese furniture is liked and sought after by both Chinese and overseas shoppers who are fascinated by its charming beauty and profound cultural values.

Even though archaeological evidence suggests the Chinese started making furniture items as early as the Neolithic period, classic-style Chinese furniture did not come into being until the Tang dynasty. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, furniture was perfected and became a cultured, highly sophisticated decorative art.

Chinese furniture developed through three main periods: the pre-Tang period, the Tang and Song dynasty period, and the Ming and Qing dynasty period.

Pre-Tang Period: Before the Tang dynasty, Chinese people had a tradition of sitting on woven mats, much like the Japanese tradition of sitting on a “tatami.” Furniture items in the house were normally arranged around the mat, and all furniture was simple and minimal. Wealthy people could afford furniture that was made of bronze or painted with lacquer, and these pieces often had elaborate decorations.

Tang and Song Dynasty Period: Chinese furniture that is popular today was developed in the Tang dynasty. Many paintings and wall murals made in this period show scenes where people of the upper class sit on chairs instead of mats. In the Song dynasty, the classic style was accepted by most people and became widely used. Buddhism and the nomadic tribes living in northern China contributed greatly to this development.

Ming and Qing Dynasty Period: Chinese furniture developed to an unprecedented level of exquisiteness and sophistication during this time. A flourishing furniture industry increased the number of new items, refined the decorative patterns, and improved furniture-making techniques.

Furniture items made in these two dynasties were similar in basic style and construction but had a major difference in design and decoration. Ming dynasty furniture was considered to be more elegant, have a pure form, and generally conform to the scholars’ standard of taste. Qing dynasty furniture, on the other hand, was ostentatious in decoration, and focused on grandiose designs. It came to be the epitome of lavish beauty. In Chinese markets nowadays, most antique furniture items are from these two dynasties.

The quality of a piece of Chinese furniture is determined by its material and the craftsmanship. It takes years of experience for anyone to become an expert in judging the quality of a piece of furniture.

Chinese furniture is usually made of wood. Depending on the quality and rarity of the wood, the price of a piece of furniture can go from a few hundred to millions of dollars. Furniture dealers in China rank the quality of different types of wood in this way: “One yellow, two black, three red, and four white.”

“One yellow” refers to the most precious wood of all – Huanghuali wood, or Yellow Pear wood.

“Two black” refers to Zitan wood, or Purple Incense wood, the second most sought-after wood in China.

“Three red” refers to redwood, the most well-known, popular type of wood among Chinese furniture fans. The four main types of redwood are: old redwood, Chicken’s Wing wood, Tieli wood, and Huali wood.

“Four white” means a number of white woods that are inexpensive and widely used. They include Namu wood, beech tree wood, camphorwood, and pine.

While it might only require book knowledge to judge the quality of wood, it requires experience and a deep understanding of Chinese culture to judge the craftsmanship of a piece of Chinese furniture. Profound concepts like the unity of man and heaven, the peace between man and nature, and the inner and outer beauty of things are all integrated in great pieces of Chinese furniture. A trained expert examining the craftsmanship of any piece can know not only the technical skill of the person who made it, but the meaning of the design.

In many of Beijing’s local shops, there are beautiful, unique Chinese furniture items for sale. When you are in Beijing, make sure to pay a visit to one of those shops. You won’t regret the experience. Find a personal shopper if you don’t know how to get to these shops or identify quality items.

About the Author:

A. Lao has written about Chinese arts and crafts for years. He now works with a Beijing personal shopper who brings visitors to great Chinese shops. Sometimes he plans personal shopping trips.

Tags: ancient, Art, Arts, artwork, chinese furniture, classic items, culture, decoration, furniture, handicrafts, local product, local shop, shopper, woodcarving

Creating Candles In Just A Few Easy To Follow Steps!…

by Anna Meenaghan

Candle making is pretty easy to do on the whole. I am only surprised that more folks don’t experiment with this bearing in mind that candles are such a accepted item. Not simply do they generate a feeling of warmth and release perhaps healing powers as we find them restful, but they also give us soft and informal atmospheres to slow down by.

What is more, you need very few items to formulate them by. At the outset you will need several moulds, these are as a rule to be found in rubber otherwise plastic, nevertheless they need to be compliant. Along with 3 or 4 various wicks in varying sizes also some colour. There is as a rule quite a collection of colours, so you can, in fact, mix them.

Then there is the wax/stearin itself, plus you would surely like some pleasant scents to complement the candles. Hence, first get your moulds and make certain that they are entirely clean within and not harbouring filth.

Some moulds have a wick space, thus you will need to do a scratch to ease the wick through. The thinner wicks to be used for the smaller moulds and vice versa. On average you need to cut the wick at least 2 inches longer than your mould. Put the wick through the mould, tying a knot in the wick on the definite exterior of your mould.

Then pull this out roughly half an inch, this part is wished-for to ignite it by. Compress some blue tack around the hole on the mould outside, otherwise your wax is liable to spill out. Straight away, at the bottom of the mould, secure the other edge of the wick to a cocktail stick plus set this across your mould bottom.

Evidently the wick has to stay central and firm, but do not attempt to stretch it. How much wax do I contemplate you will need? If you fill your mould with water before you start this will act like a guide, however take into account this is the melted wax I am talking in relation to.

Now you will require a pair of interlocking saucepans, so that one will integrate the other. Fetch a support and position some warm water under the bigger saucepan. The wax goes in your small saucepan. Place the small pan in the bigger one and immediately place it on a low heat (temperature). If you are not clear in your mind how much wax to employ check out roughly 500g.

Monitor the wax as well as the water level conscientiously. Don’t let it get too hot! When this has melted put in the stearin. Put in one tenth stearin to ten parts wax. Put your colour in little by little from the colour strips, you will not need much. Then add some scent, pot pourri, or essential oils.

The mould needs to be slightly warm. Tip the wax into a measuring container for liquid, since this makes it easier to therefore fill up your mould. Try and keep the mould on a slant while you do this. Also, try to transfer the wax inside so that it all but touches the cocktail stick. You will maybe have to block in about the base once it has cooled down.

When it has set rigid, take off the mould sealant. Cut the knot off the wick as near to the knot as possible, then detach the toothpick from the base. Now take out your candle. If this is difficult, run the hot water tap over it for a few moments.

Now chop the wick to however long you actually want it. Make sure the base of the candle is level and leave it at least a day. It should then be ready for use. If you have managed this successfully you will probably receive as much enjoyment from it in the same way as if you were creating, say abstract paintings, or even realism artwork.

About the Author:

If you enjoyed this article then you can discover many more at the authors internet interactive art community. F.Y.I., Anna Meenaghan offers not just articles there but anything art related from abstract paintings all the way through to realism and also a home where artists & art enthusiasts alike have a meeting point.

Tags: Art, artists, Arts, crafts, hobbies, Paintings, recreations, visual arts

How An Old Fashioned Craft Using Herbs Can Help Ease Pain!…

by Anna Meenaghan

The majority of us have tried canvas art at one occasion or another, to form abstract paintings. Generally people like to experiment once in a while, so why not broaden your horizons into some other kind of craft?

In my preceding articles, we established that we can use herbs for a mixture of effects, as well as to benefit your healthiness. One capital suggestion which I can endorse, is using herbs to put together wheat bags.

As an illustration, these bags,in effect, are used here the same way as you would use a hot water bottle. Therefore, they are very good for using to soothe sore or painful joints, or muscles. To make this you will need a quantity of dried herbs with rosemary, the bag itself, which you will have to make according to the size required, and, naturally, a quantity of wheat grains.

To be successful it is better to handle a very fine cotton, cambric, or else calico to make up the bag, seeing that this has to endure the temperature of the stove or microwave. To begin with you will need to sew up three sides of the bag. After that take your mixed herbs and wheat grains and stuff them into the bag, leaving about an inch at the top.

The next part should be to sew up the very last side. I feel it is better to affix a piece of cord, or even a bootlace would be adequate, to gather around the top and make a knot and maybe a little bow to secure it. Members of my household found this quite valuable for lessening the agony they suffered from having whiplash.

Anyone who has, in fact, suffered with this, will know how painful and uncomfortable this can actually be and any help you can get would be a godsend. These bagshave got to be heated up in the oven or microwave to begin with, before you can apply them.

If you are using a ordinary oven it will obviously take a little longer, on the contrary if you own a microwave it would perhaps take about five minutes in all. However, you will need to turn the bag over in this time. Therefore, when it is nice and warm, you can place it on the back of your neck and finally get some consolation from this!

We all have aches and pains at different times and I sometimes find it quite hard to believe that people haven’t tried this remedy. So many people are crippled with back pain and lose so much time off work.

Others suffer with blinding headaches and migraines for days on end in a darkened room. Whilst women can go through agonies at their time of the month with period pains and above all stomach cramps.

Consequently you can comprehend that these bags carry out a purpose in addition to being scented. Therefore, if you have not tried one of these, you don’t understand what you are missing! Now is the moment in time!

About the Author:

From abstract paintings through to canvas art, most types of art are on display and on offer directly from the artists at the authors interactive internet art community. Expert Anna Meenaghan even offers more “How To” articles on crafts & art at her site for the budding new artist and art enthusiast alike.

Tags: Art, artists, Arts, crafts, hobbies, Paintings, recreations, visual arts