Taking to the high seas, one never knows just what to expect. The recent typhoons, which had devastated China, had just passed and our boat the Sapphire Princess slipped into the sea, leaving Shanghai for Cheju Island Korea.
Onboard were 7 artists brought together by the founder of the new art platform, ArtGoGo. Our master of ceremony CT (Mr. Chou) made sure all the artists and the 80 some guests were well looked after. We formed a tight-knit gang on board ship, which was carrying another 3,000 Chinese tourists.
With the fresh ocean air to stimulate us all the artists set about making art and sharing their methodologies and paintings with the guests. In their suites or on deck, the international group created a wide array of paintings all with a view to make art assessable and understandable to others. It is ArtGoGo’s mission to educate the public about contemporary art and this voyage both through traveling and painting did just that. Art is an expression of inner feelings and ideas which movement often stimulates.
After discovering Cheju we set sail for Pusan Korea, which is a lovely port city. In town we ate traditional BBQ and climbed to the top of the highest hill to survey the landscape. We enjoyed one of the best cups of coffee from two baristas who had set up their stall smack in the middle of a wet market. The handsome boys seemed to attract a large number of pretty young ladies.
After Korea we sailed to Japan and the town of Kagoshima. Approaching the island nation at dawn was a wonderful adventure as volcano like peaks rose up out of the sea and into the smothering clouds. We were excited to get on land and explore the town.
Our final day at sea I spent painting large canvases on deck. The wide open spaces inspired me to freely lather paint onto my canvas and juggle multiple rich colors inspired by our journey. We had a wonderful voyage of discovery and sharing onboard the Sapphire and making new friends was a large part of the magic.