Picture of the Week #85 "Pretty"

Picture of the Week #85 "Pretty" Cheung Chow, Hong Kong, China 2006 Signed and Stamped

In 2006 I was in Hong Kong as two paintings of mine were being auctioned off by Auctions by the Bay of San Francisco. The two paintings were from my 1980 trip when I was negotiating and scouting locations for the first American Chinese motion picture that I was supposed to direct in China. I had hoped that Ingrid Bergman would star in it. While I was there she fell ill and the film was cancelled. I was then invited to stay by the Shanghai Art Council. I did, for a number of weeks. When I returned to L.A. I painted from the images that I had taken. Twenty six years later this auction was the first that I know of where an American Artist painted China and was now selling those images back in China. While I was there for the auction I found out that May 24th was the birth of Buddha and that they were having a "Bun Festival" on an island an hour and half from Hong Kong. Loaded with cameras I went. I don't remember seeing very many caucasians. The people were extremely friendly and helpful. The costumes were magnificent. It was a photographer's paradise. I got tons of wonderful color pictures from that short day in Cheung Chow. Happy Birthday Buddha.