May 24, 2010

Scrolls from China.



This morning we met a very dear man named Kenny. He is an artist here in China. He teaches art to orphans to brighten their lives as well as give them a potential skill to earn a living once they have to leave the orphanage, which happens between 14 or 16 years of age. He is here in Guangzhou displaying not only his work, but the work of his students, many of whom have limb differences. He is teaching one young man with no arms to paint with his feet....his work is amazing! He keeps track of the orphans/artists once they leave the orphanage, mentoring them as much as he can. We really enjoyed hearing the stories of many of his artists. An adoptive father who was here three years ago adopting his daughter met Kenny and now partners with him in the US to sell their work. They paint beautiful scrolls. He also partners with the Lily Orphan Care Center in Zhengzhou which is run by our agency, CCAI - Chinese Children Adopt International. His website is here if you want to take a look.

Here are some photos from his gallery, along with a few of Ellie throughout the day and finally a view from our hotel room on the 18th floor.