Almighty painter

Chapter 145 Souvenirs and Cupcakes

"I really want to go."

Sakai Katsuko's eyes lit up for a moment, and then he said a little disappointed: "It's a pity that we can't go."

"I'm going to attend the advanced class taught by my mother in the afternoon. Senior Komatsu and I are both teaching assistants in the advanced class, so we can't get away... As soon as school is over, I have to go back to the Aman Hotel with my mother."

Shengzi looked at Gu Weijing: "My mother doesn't let me run around in Myanmar. She doesn't let me go out at night with anyone of the opposite sex except Mr. Komatsu."

The law and order environment in Myanmar is indeed not good. Although Yangon is already the most stable place, it is still a good suggestion for a pretty girl not to run around at night.

Of course, the answer to Mrs. Sakai's ban on not going out with other wild boys that night was aimed at is actually very obvious.

Gu Weijing is obviously on Mrs. Sakai's blacklist, and he is an unstable factor who may take away their precious cabbage at any time.

"By the way, I remembered something. I went to the Shwedagon Pagoda on the weekend, and I haven't given you this thing yet."

Speaking of this, Sakai Katsuko's tone became cheerful again.

She took out a gift box from the schoolbag on the side and handed it to Gu Weijing.

"Every artist involved in the Shwedagon Pagoda restoration project has a copy of the souvenir issued by the officials of the Yangon Tourism Department. I will help you get your copy and bring it along."

The national cultural relics protection project led by a heavy painting master like Mr. Cao is highly valued by the government.

This should be a commemorative gift box given to artists by the government after the first phase of the restoration project is completely completed.

Young people like Gu Weijing got a share of the glory and got a share.

Sure enough, he saw the words "Respectfully, Mr. Gu Weijing" written on the sticky note on the gift box, and the inscription was the official government seal of the Ministry of Culture of Myanmar.

"Take it apart and see, there is a surprise." Sakai Katsuko said with a smile.

Gu Weijing opened the large envelope, and the first thing he wrote was a thank you letter.

[On behalf of the Shwedagon Pagoda Management Committee, the Yangon Culture and Tourism Bureau, and the Myanmar National Government, I would like to thank the artist Mr. Gu Weijing for his outstanding contribution to the Shwedagon Pagoda cultural relics protection project...]

This English thank you letter is machine typed, and the language is relatively formulaic.

The highlight is that, in order to show respect and importance to the artists, the signature is the autograph of a very high-level official of the Ministry of Culture of Myanmar.

Gu Weijing's gaze stayed on the signature for two seconds.

He estimated that the surprise that Ms. Sakai mentioned was probably not referring to it.

This kind of thank-you letter signed by a state-level leader should be extremely popular for a small local painter, and he can't wait to frame it and stick it on the wall every day.

In Southeast Asian society, this kind of handwritten thank-you letter from a senior official is the thing that best reflects the painter's social status.

Not only local painters give you a high look, but also the underworld.

Hanging on the wall, it is not a big problem to bluff foreigners, and the business of the store may be high because of it.

However, Sakai Katsuko's character should not care much about this.

Moreover, Ms. Sakai was born in a family of great artists, and she is a model who has seen the world.

Uncle Sakai once drew a set of ukiyo-e for the Tokyo Olympics, and also worked on government projects in the cultural field.

Judging from INS, during the few years when Sheng Ziguang was bidding for the East Olympic Games, he followed his father to meet the heads of state and senior officials, which may have to be in double digits.

This kind of thank you letter should also be used to it.

Gu Weijing put the thank you letter aside, and there is also a set of painted calendars in the gift box. The illustrations on each page of the calendar are completely composed of the murals they painted during the Shwedagon Pagoda restoration project.

He turned to No. 17 mural.

Even through the photos taken by the photographer, the "Picture of Respecting the Buddha and Protecting the Dharma" written by Mr. Cao Xuan is still as shocking as ever.

At the bottom of the calendar insert, it is written in beautiful cursive letters - [Joint Restoration Artists: Cao Xuan, Gu Weijing].

Father Cao Xuan didn't want to take credit for the children, so he added Gu Weijing's name to this most important mural registration form.

In theory,
From now on, as long as he is shameless, he can claim to have had a formal joint art creation with Cao Xuan.

It's not even... not thick-skinned.

Most of the young painters would like to cut this photo out of the calendar and stick it on their foreheads, showing off wherever they go.

The great master of painting is willing to co-name with your child. It is presumed that there are factors that the old seniors want to support young people, which is also a great affirmation of your level.

Don't say anything else,

If it weren't for Gu Tongxiang being his grandfather, and his own age being too young, it would be based on the resume that he can sign jointly with Mr. Cao.

In some local calligraphy and painting associations, Gu Weijing's name might be ranked ahead of his grandfather.

It's like in physics, you and Einstein jointly published a paper, even if it's just a small popular science article, because the status of the boss is too high, your academic status will also rise.

On the cover of the calendar's homepage, there is a photo of a dark bronzing monument.

The monument has just been completed on the tourism plaza outside the Shwedagon Pagoda, engraved with the names of all 47 invited artists who participated in the project.

The top 30 or so are all veteran painters.

Of course, Mr. Cao deserved the first place, and the second and third were Professor Sakai Kassei and Lin Tao.

His grandfather, Gu Tongxiang, ranked No. 30 and five, the last of the famous painters.

To Gu Weijing's surprise, he himself was at the top of the list of these artists' nephews and students who came to "gild".

Immediately after his grandfather's name, No. 30 No. 30, even higher than No. [-] No. [-] Katsuko Sakai.

Sakai Tsunasho is only ranked No.40.

"The order of our young people's list is based on the amount of tasks completed, the working hours and the evaluation of you by master artists. Gu Jun worked very hard, and our names are next to each other. Look at this—"

Sakai Katsuko stretched out her finger and picked up the last item in the gift box for Gu Weijing.

It was a small box lined with dark velvet cloth, and there was a string of exquisite agarwood beads in the box.

The bracelet has a slight smoke of burning incense ash, and a small emerald jade ring is inlaid at the head and tail of the beads.

On the top jade ring, the name "Gu Wei Jing" was engraved by an exquisite jade craftsman with a very fine carving knife, and on the bottom jade ring is engraved the Buddhist seal pattern.

"A consecrated bracelet?"

Gu Weijing looked at the bracelets.

Religious holy places all over the world, no matter which god they believe in, from Tianzhu to Jerusalem, almost have the business of blessing and consecration.

From consecration bracelets, bracelets, crosses, to consecration of the latest IPHONE, graphics card, and XBOX game consoles.Only you can't think of it, no one else can't do it.

The Shwedagon Pagoda is the center of Buddhism, and Myanmar is a Buddhist country.

The Burmese government gave the artists a consecrated Buddhist bracelet as a gift, which was both unexpected and reasonable.

It seems that the Ministry of Culture has spent a lot of money this time.

This kind of objects that are consecrated by eminent monks are not cheap.Among other things, agarwood is a precious wood, and the two small jade rings alone look very good in texture.

"The officials of the Yangon Tourism Bureau said that the souvenir gift boxes for the artists presented this time are all the same, only the jade ring on this bracelet is different in color. Although they are all old pit jadeite, they are ranked on the monument. The closer it is to the front, the better the quality of the emerald."

"Elder Cao, my father and Professor Lin are all glass-type jadeites, but they have become ordinary ice-type jadeites when they arrive at our place."

Sakai Katsuko raised his right hand, and Gu Weijing noticed that there was also a string of bracelets on Miss Katsuko's wrist, which was exactly the same as what he had in front of him.

Glass species is the most precious clarity in jadeite, followed by ice species.

Regardless of the size of a fingernail on a bracelet, it costs tens of thousands of dollars in the international market.If it is imperial green, it may have to be doubled again.

Even the ice jade in front of Gu Weijing would cost thousands of dollars.

The government is quite willing.

Of course, on the other hand, all jadeite in Myanmar is state-owned, and it is very easy to get good jadeite. They also like to use jadeite as national gifts or various diplomatic gifts.

It's not worth tens of thousands of dollars to give it to a great artist like Mr. Cao, and it's not a loss.

A world-class art master is willing to carry a string of jadeite bracelets with him.

In high-end artistic occasions where various celebrities gather, the invisible advertising effect brought about is much stronger than giving away a bunch of garbage worth a dollar at the entrance of a tourist attraction, and then it is thrown into the trash can after delivery.

"You are number 36, and I am number 37. The official told me that the jade rings on both of our hands happened to be mined from the same cobblestone-sized ice jadeite ore. Regardless of the moistness or color, Almost the same."

Sakai Katsuko took off her bracelet and placed it with Gu Weijing's.

Sunshine came in from the window, and the two strings of jade rings with almost the same color and clarity were as clear as ice, and the white cotton-like impurities in the jade rings were not ugly, like small stars frozen in ice crystals one after another.

"Exactly the same, next to each other."

Sakai Katsuko tilted his head and said softly, "That's great."

"Let me put it on for you."

Miss Sakai stretched out her hand, gently unfastened the silver buckle on the bracelet with a gentle expression, and fastened it on for Gu Weijing.

……

in the afternoon,

Dulwich College, Gift and Talented classroom.

Mrs. Sakai's class is coming to an end today.

"Miss Sandeno, this is your corrected homework." Sakai Katsuko walked up to a student holding the student's work portfolio after her mother's marking.

"Thank you, Miss Sakai, what do Professor Cruz think of the portfolio I designed?"

Mona took her homework from the hand of the little artist princess with respectful hands, and said with a smile.

Before the class started, Mrs. Sakai took away the portfolios that all of them were preparing.

There are only six students in their advanced class.

And counting Mrs. Cruz, Ms. Sakai and Mr. Komatsu Taro as two teaching assistants, there are a total of three teachers.

This kind of teacher-student ratio can reach 1:2, which is the biggest benefit of fine small class teaching,

It means that the professor can tailor different revision suggestions according to the works submitted by each student, judge the painting level of each student, and give different revision suggestions according to their respective shortcomings.

Only took a few classes,

Mona rejoiced again and again in her heart, how wise she had decided to visit Mrs. Sakai in advance.

A great artist is a great artist.

Such teaching conditions, in any case, were impossible for the original Dulwich school to provide.

Mona took over her portfolio.

She was not in a hurry to read, but set her eyes on the face of this young lady who was almost destined to leave her own page on the future international art stage.

"Miss Sakai, do you eat cake? I baked a small cake at home and added a little honey. I don't know if you would like it."

While talking, Mona took out a small lock lunch box from her schoolbag, which contained a layer of cupcakes: "By the way, can I just call you Shengzi like a friend?"

Mona has always hoped to make friends with this extraordinary Ms. Sakai.

But she always vaguely felt that Miss Sakai had some opinion of her.

In total, there is one teacher, two teaching assistants and six students in the class.

When painting in the studio, one teacher can directly give two students detailed painting guidance.

Of course, she most wanted Mrs. Sakai to take her.

It is a pity that Professor Cruz chose Miao Angwen and another student with the best grades.

Among the remaining people, there are only two girls, himself and another girl named Marle.

Everyone, including Mona, thought that according to the convention, Girls help girls (girls help girls), and of course Ms. Sakai would choose two girls to paint together.

did not expect,
When choosing a student, Miss Sakai stared at Mona for a moment, but avoided her, and chose another student intentionally or unintentionally.

Mona was a little disappointed, but she wasn't surprised.

Her position in the advanced class was a bit awkward, not only Miss Sakai seemed to "treat her differently", but also other Dulwich students.

Even if they don't know that they have visited Professor Cruz in advance,
But the students in the improvement class can always realize that Mona's ability to enter Mrs. Sakai's class does not depend entirely on her own painting ability.

It's like the headmaster forced his nephew with mediocre grades into the top class.

Everyone wouldn't say anything on the surface, but it was inevitable to point and gossip about Mona in private.

Even behind Jerry's sunny smile on Mona, there seems to be some "condescending" meaning.This made Mona, who has always been a hardworking and good student, feel uncomfortable.

Uncomfortable is uncomfortable.

Mona has a good psychological quality and can pretend not to hear the discussions behind people's backs.

What does that count?

How long can you remember this kind of thing, a week or a month?

So what if it will be talked about for a semester.When she enters a broader stage in the future and becomes famous, the trivial matter of how she entered the advanced class has long been hidden in the dust and smoke.

People will only remember her as Mrs. Sakai's student.

like decades later,

Gu Weijing may still be spending time in the small Yangon gallery at home, no one will recognize him, and no one will remember how good he was.

If that's the price you have to pay for taking shortcuts, Mona is happy to pay.

(End of this chapter)