Woodstock, NY                                                                                                   June 12, 2002

I didn't go to Woodstock in the late 60's, when the famous concert happened.  Though I lived a few hours away I didn't know it was going to happen.  Actually, I didn't even know anyone who went to Woodstock.  Clearly, I wasn't "into" music back then (nor am I now...)  So this trip to Woodstock wasn't a nostalgic return to Max Yazgur's farm.  Instead, I went to visit the Chinese (now American) artist, Zhang Hong Nian (who today goes by Hongnian Zhang, using the American name order).

Some of you may recall that in 1985 Susie (Kate) Campbell, returning from her graduate studies in China, convinced her parents (our good friends Bob and Jan) and some of their friends (including us) to help sponsor a trip to the U.S. for a Chinese painter she had befriended.  At that time, Zhang Hong Nian was already well known in China with work on display at the Beijing National Museum.  But the doors to America were only just beginning to open, and he wanted to study in (and emigrate to, if possible) this land of the free.  

To make a long story short, Hongnian has done well.  His first show in San Francisco was a success.  Then a year later in NYC, he (with three other mainland Chinese artists) had a triumphant show at a prestigious gallery on West 57th St.  His wonderful luminescent paintings of Tibetan peasants were critically acclaimed and sold well.  Several of us flew out from the West Coast for that opening.  As I recall, I dressed head to toe in royal blue, topped by a matching velvet hat with a feather.

We have continued to follow Hongnian's success from afar.  He now has a gallery with his name on it in Woodstock and is able to sell as many paintings as he can produce.  (Check out this link to see some of his current work.)  He recently painted several large canvasesfor National Geographic Magazine.  These researched, multi-figure oils depict historical scenes from Chinese lore, complete with archeologically detailed artifacts.  They'll be part of an article to be published in October or November.  

Recently, Hongnian and his wife, portrait artist Lois Wooley, have written The Yin/Yang of Painting, a well-regarded art book.  It details the unique way Hongnian Zhang uses balance and contrast (light and dark, warm and cool, big and small, etc.) in his painting. 

Though it's been many years since we've seen Hongnian, he's much the same: compact, unaffected, open-hearted, huggable, spiritual.  His coarse wild hair is now touched with a bit of gray (just like the rest of us.)  The moustache and goatee are new; they definitely make for an arty look. 

As for Woodstock, forty years has apparently changed  a sleepy small town into a vibrant artist colony.  There are workshops, galleries, gift shops, and restaurants.  And there are all those 60's, hippie types -- some from the olden days; others, the present version.  

Dick and I, dressed in our standard khakis and collared golf shirts, were conspicuously tourists.  The locals were dressed more gaily, in comfortable, less conventional attire.  Just being in these sort of places makes me happy.  Perhaps it's because they remind me of the idealism, hopefulness and feeling of uniqueness that marked my youth.  Or maybe it's because I like "funky," and have always wished I were.  

This collage of photos was taken during a short stroll through Woodstock.  It will hopefully give you a sense of the place.  (Enlarge the image {click on it} and see if you can find the snake.)  

So don't wait for a special concert.  Take the short detour to Woodstock, if you're on the N.Y. State Thruway.  Stroll through town, enjoy the ambiance, check out the artwork.  And do say hello to Hongnian for us, should you see him.

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