Chinese artist paints by dancing on skates

At an art exhibition in Chengdu, Sichuan Province last week, one painting stood out from the others for its unique style. The ink landscape was painted with roller skates instead of brushes, reports thepaper.cn. 

The artist, 29-year-old Tian Haisu, started painting using roller skates in 2013, shortly before graduating from the San Francisco Art Institute. 

Tian Haisu paints using a pair of specially modified roller skates. [File Photo: cnr.cn]

Tian adapted her skates so they could hold a pot that automatically releases ink as she dances across the canvas. 

Tian says she was inspired to try this new technique through the art of figure skating, which she learned as a child. Her hometown Chengdu is famous for its landscapes of mountains and rivers, which Tian decided to embrace during her years of study in the United States. 

Tian Haisu’s artwork is featured at an exhibition in San Francisco on June 14, 2015. [File Photo: Chinanews.com]

Tian’s most well-known painting is a 13m x 6m piece called “Blood-Land-Line”. The painting was critically acclaimed at the graduation exhibition at the California College of Arts. 

Tian’s masterpiece has gone on tour in the United States. The artist says she will not sell it, but will instead use it to show people that there are opportunities to bring original ideas into traditional Chinese art. 

Artist Tian Haisu (right) and Anita Lee, wife of then San Francisco mayor Edwin Lee, stand in front of Tian’s artwork. The artwork was featured at an exhibition in San Francisco on June 14, 2015. [File Photo: Chinanews.com]