Peace Pagoda - Complementary Color Study
I painted the Golden Gate Pavillion peace pagoda (see comment below) today on Strawberry Hill, on the bank of Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park. There’s a neat virtual tour of the structure here.
According to Wikipedia, a peace pagoda is a Buddhist stupa designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds to help unite them in their search for world peace. Nice. The structure is a gift from the people of Taipei to the city of San Francisco as a confirmation of friendship and cultural exchange between sister cities, and to commemorate the struggles and contribution of the early Chinese settlers in California. UPDATE [9-22] as pointed out by Alan Freebury of the Maitreya Institute, this structure isn’t actually a peace pagoda, but I left the definition here for benefit of my readers. Please see his comment below.
This was fun to paint. A bit of a study in various greens, and balancing with reds. I a complementary color study. UPDATE: There’s interest in my setup above, so if you click the picture, you’ll find a closeup of just my equipment and palette.
Jo Castillo said,
August 12, 2007 @ 4:21 am
This is very nice. I love seeing your set up and your stories. Thanks. Congratulations on the last award.
Jo
Ed Terpening said,
August 12, 2007 @ 6:02 am
Thanks, Jo. I like to research the places I paint…helps to bring them to life, like my post on the USS Hornet. You never know what you’ll discover.
Mike Bailey said,
August 12, 2007 @ 2:26 pm
Yeah, me too! I don’t know why I dig seeing your set up, but I find myself want to stick my nose right down to your palette! What’s up with thaaaat?
Nice to see you posting new stuff, Ed! I check here daily.
Mike Bailey said,
August 13, 2007 @ 3:04 am
Hey Ed . . .thanks for stopping by today. BTW . . .did you ever know a guy by the name of Christopher Schink? You both lived in RWC. Some of your comments reflect his ideas and teachings. Was just wondering. He is sort of a buddy of mine.
Ed Terpening said,
August 13, 2007 @ 5:30 am
Hi Mike, no, the name doesn’t ring a bell. I have come across him, yet.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. Hope you got to see the updated picture with my plein air painting equipment.
ming said,
August 14, 2007 @ 4:45 pm
interesting to see you painting oriental design, to me it feels like you’ve done a portrait, i’d love to go out and paint but it’s so hot here, unless you’ve been here you really can’t imagine!
Silvina Day said,
August 16, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
Ed, your blog is featured today on Lines and Colors! Congrats!
Ed Terpening said,
August 18, 2007 @ 3:01 pm
Thanks, Silvina, great news. It was a very nice article. I’ve added that site to my Google Reader feed. Cheers!
Ed Terpening said,
August 18, 2007 @ 3:11 pm
Thanks, Ming. The heat is definitely a challenge–and I’ve given up, myself. I always find shade, or I pull out one of my umbrellas. I even have a huge one that uses a large cast-iron base. It’s heavy, and not practical to take too far from my car, but so much better! The sun definitely takes a lot out of you. Oh, the other umbrella I use is called a “Shade Buddy” (Google it). It’s made for artists, and is driven into the ground with a spike at the end. Much lighter, too.
ming said,
August 18, 2007 @ 4:16 pm
I will have to check that out.
Cayla said,
August 19, 2007 @ 1:13 am
hi nice post, i enjoyed it
Bill said,
August 19, 2007 @ 3:46 am
Nice work, as always, Ed. Congratulations on your recent award.
Don said,
August 20, 2007 @ 9:45 pm
hi ed,
nice work keep it up
Candy Barr said,
August 22, 2007 @ 2:05 pm
Ed, really nice painting and descriptions with them! Congrats on the award and I’m going to put your site on my blog if that’s OK. It’s a good read! Feel free to do the same. Happy schmearing!
Ed Terpening said,
August 25, 2007 @ 7:36 am
Thanks, Candy and Don! Happy Painting!
Ed Terpening said,
September 23, 2007 @ 12:15 am
I enjoyed your painting of the Golden Gate Pavillion but it would be wonderful if you could edit
the web presentation to clarify the confusion about the pavillion being a Peace Pagoda.
We have been working for several years to place a peace pagoda in Golden Gate Park with the Mayor
and Board of Supervisors and only recently have seen your site and discovered that you have given
that name, I think by mistake.
A pavillion traditionally was a tent and the structure you painted is in that tradition, a site
for recreation and entertainment although similar to a pagoda’s intention in that it was a gift of
friendship (from the city of Taipei).
A pagoda (a late change from the term used in Sri Lanka for a dagoba) was originally a stupa, a
reliquary tradition transformed by Buddhist tradition over the millenia. There are many
architectural variations in different cultures, the Japanese and Chinese are generally multistoried but the
important differences between a pavillion and a pagoda lies in the intention, the contents, and the
consecration.
Please visit our website peacepagoda.info or the many sites on stupas and consider clarifying the
information in your site.
Thank you,
Alan Freebury
Maitreya Institute