Eight Immortals Paintings at San Yuan Gong, Guangzhou

Eight Immortals Paintings at San Yuan Gong, Guangzhou

In Japan, I was crazy about a group of seven figures called the "Shichi Fukujin" ("Seven Lucky Gods"). Their counterparts in China are the "Ba Xian," the "Eight Immortals" found in almost every folk temple.

During our May Day visit to Guanzhou this year, we walked from the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to a nearby temple, the San Yuan Gong. (More on that another time.) On the wall of one room in the temple hung these paintings. I have seen many representations of the Ba Xian, in painting, statuary, and even embroidery; these are some of the best.

I wish I could have shot them better; I had only a point-and-shoot camera, without tripod or Polarizer. Perhaps I'll go back another time.

Meanwhile, enjoy what we have. The captions tell a bit about each figure and its identifying marks.

Polaroid Manipulations: California Missions

Polaroid Manipulations: California Missions

I have had a life-long fascination with the California Missions. Before I was "The Temple Guy," I was "The Mission Guy."

In fact, I once visited all 21 of the missions of California, from San Diego to Sonoma, in one day! But that's a story for another time...

I have spent days (and dollars, and lots of film) moseying up and down California's "El Camino Real, " the (Spanish) "King's Highway," shooting these splendid old buildings (mostly modern restorations).

In the '90s, I started doing Polaroid manipulations. This is a process where you apply selective pressure to SX-70 Polaroid film, moving around the colored dyes inside. The result is a painterly effect.

In this gallery, I present a handful of these shots. There are dozens more of the missions, and hundreds more of other subjects. I'll show you more in the future. The images you see here are direct photographs of the film itself, with no further manipulation.

Enjoy!

Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall, Guangzhou

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Guangzhou

Lila and I went to Guangzhou (capital of our province) over the May Day holiday this year.

Our Indian friends Sudha and Aswini were there with us, and two Filipina friends Ava and Jen.

On Saturday, May 2, we went to the Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall. You can read a little about the Hall, or about Dr. Sun himself.

Enjoy the pictures!