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PROGRAMS | Beijing:
Are You Ready? |
Interpreting Ancient Fashion |
China:
Summer School on the Road | Kung Fu Journey to the East
| Sketching the Silk Road
| Riding Rails in China |
Tibet
Diary | ARCHIVE |
Inside China |
Land of the Dragon |
EMMY®
AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY |
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60-Minute
Documentary (2007 Release) |
See TV
Airing Schedule |
Follow two
American painters as they trace an ancient trade route to
China’s most famous Buddhist artwork grottoes. Armed with only
their sketchbooks and their creativity, they are... Sketching
the Silk Road.
At the end of their two-week journey, the artists must come up
with their own original paintings inspired by the grottoes. How
will they capture one of the world’s most remarkable collections
of ancient artwork? What will their final paintings look like
when they are hanging in a gallery back home? |
Rachel and Todd travel along the ridges of
Singing Sand
Mountains |
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About The Silk
Road
Step back in
time 1,000 years to the heyday of China’s prosperous Silk Road.
The first trade route to bring precious silk to the outside
world, it threads its way through vast deserts and over
mountains to India, Persia, and Europe. By the same route,
treasures from faraway lands make their way into China, like
exotic peppers, ivory, perfumes, and the ways of Buddhism.
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About the
Caves of One Thousand Buddhas, or Mogao Grottoes
By the 4th
century C.E., Dunhuang, China becomes a major trading post on
the Silk Road and a hub of fervent Buddhism. It is here that a
monk has a vision of a thousand Buddhas. He voyages to Echoing
Sand Mountain and carves a grotto of his vision as an offering
to Buddha. For the next thousand years, scores of pilgrims
follow the monk’s lead, carving a honeycomb of grottoes and
filling them with resplendent murals and sculptures. Their
artwork captures Buddhist images and stories of the many ethnic
groups, religions, and cultures that thrive along the Silk Road.
These are the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas.
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Press
Coverage
"Capturing China on camera...and on
canvas,"
Off Camera,
September 2005 (page 8.)
"Sketching the Silk Road premieres,"
Off Camera, July 2006 (page 8.)
"Nor Cal Producer Going National,"
Off Camera, October 2006 (page 7.)
"Sketching
the Silk Road wins an Emmy award,"
D3 Press Release, May 2007.
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PHOTO GALLERY |
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See how this
journey in all its phases has inspired
Rachel
Sager and
Todd R.
Thompson. |
Art Opening & Reception / November 2005 |
Rachel
and Todd answer questions after
the
10-minute sneak-peek video of
Sketching the Silk Road
|
Nan
Hai's gallery is ready for its first visitors
to the Sketching the Silk Road Exhibit |
Long-time Inside China and Land of the Dragon
fans --Ralph, Carmen and Herman-- enjoy Chinese snacks
during the reception
|
The
crowd gets up-close, as the film crew documents their
reactions |
Rachel
and Todd share their travel
experiences with Shixun Yan and Jubao Pu,
of the Chinese Consulate
|
Todd meets guests at the art opening |
Rachel describes her on-location
paintings to these observers |
Rachel
does her last shooting for the final footage of
Sketching the Silk Road
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Rachel's sister
next to her 31 x 22" oil on canvas, called
"Diptych, Cave 011 and Card" (painting one of
a two piece
set) |
Todd's
36 x 48" oil on canvas,
called "Afternoon Stroll" |
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Post-China Paintings / August-November 2005 |
Todd paints a Chinese landscape against the backdrop of
the Malibu, California coastline
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One of Todd's many sketches inspired by
Dunhuang's Singing Sand Dunes |
Buddhist
images like these fill the
Mogao Grottoes, as well as
the pages of
Todd's sketchbook
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Todd's sharp
edges and deep shadows capture China's
northwestern region |
Rachel plays with Dunhuang-like
images
on canvas... and on camera
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One
month
later, Rachel's exploration results
in this completed painting |
Rachel's
figures
incorporate details from the ancient Buddhist artwork in Dunhuang's
caves
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Another
image that will soon be displayed in our upcoming Sketching
the Silk Road art exhibit |
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On-the-Road in Dunhuang / July 2005 |
On the three hour flight from
Beijing to Dunhuang |
Touch down! Rachel and Todd
arrive at Dunhuang airport
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Camel riders travel along the dunes |
Rachel gets ready for her first camel trek
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Rachel chooses to go solo on
this paragliding adventure |
Todd's view of the oasis is spectacular
from up there
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Todd sketches this ancient stockade
used by soldiers to store supplies |
Look up close and see the straw layers on one
of the oldest sections of the Great Wall
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Browsing through this local art supply shop
is like being in a candy store
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Here is the father of the vineyard owner
receiving the gift of a portrait from Rachel |
Rachel and Todd have a go at teaching
English in this elementary school
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Rachel and Todd are buried somewhere
in this group of eager students |
Todd's first go at Chinese calligraphy
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A calligraphy master presents Rachel and
Todd with their names in Chinese
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Everyone gets to enjoy a special banquet in honor of
these two artists |
Hanging out of the bus as they return
from the famous Buddha grottoes
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Visiting the famous local paper cutting artist,
He Ke Feng
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He Ke Feng shares her techniques as she
cuts a red flower for window art
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Rachel sketches this well-known
Dunhuang cave
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Inside Dunhuang's Cave #96, this 116 foot Buddha towers
above Rachel and Todd |
A sample of the Dunhuang murals, filmed
by a foreign crew for the first time
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A brilliant ceiling in one of the grottoes |
Todd and Rachel take a lesson from these famous Dancing
Mural performers
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Todd is ready to join the troupe |
Rachel is happy to see this statue only days after she
found her lucky Monkey King charm buried in the desert
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Todd relaxes as he prepares for
a foot massage |
Rachel sketches this ancient pagoda
near Crescent Moon Spring
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Todd chooses to focus on the landscape to capture the
beauty of the rolling dunes |
Rachel mimics a replica of a Buddha
statue in
this Dunhuang art studio
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The D3 film crew gathers together one last
time before journeying back to the U.S. |
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Before the
Journey to China / April-May 2005 |
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