Thursday Salute to Originals: Landskating

For most, rollerblading is an aerobic product of the 1990’s and a beloved sidewalk pastime. For the fewer brave souls, rollerblading is more than a hobby and provides thrillseekers the adrenaline they desire at skateparks and roller derbies. For just one, rollerblading has proven to be an expressive way to put a unique spin on creating traditional Chinese calligraphy landscapes.

Chinese artist Haisu Tian creates massive landscapes – some towering more than 40 feet high – in the traditional style of Chinese calligraphy, except she uses rollerblades instead of a pen. She has always been passionate about creating landscapes in ink, as she says such a simple art form evokes very rich emotions. Tian fittingly calls her one-of-a-kind artwork “landskating.”

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Tian’s distinctive way of creating art is rooted in her love for her favorite sport: ice skating. Her rollerblades are specially adapted to hold a pot of black ink that releases while she twists and spins around her canvas (Xuan paper). Tian notes that this technique makes her feel “at one with her art” as her whole body becomes involved in producing the various ink landscapes. She is able to produce different textures and patterns through strategic movements: pauses, jumps, toe-taps, and skating back and forth.

Picture shows : First piece of art created by skating across a piece of paper in a style called LandSkating made by Tian Haisu 26 A Chinese artist has stunned the art world with an amazing 42-foot-long painting - done on roller skates. Tian Haisu, 26, has become the first person in the world to create a work of art by skating across a piece of paper in a style she calls LandSkating. By adapting her skates with special ink boxes attached to the front, the artist from Chengdu in southwest China’s Sichuan province, created this stunning 42-foot-long, 19-foot-wide masterpiece entitled ‘Mountains and Rivers.’ Tian who studied at the San Francisco Art Institute, said: "It took six months to finish and I’m very happy with it. "I studied traditional art methods of painting including water, ink and calligraphy and decided to see how I could push myself to do something different with my skills. "So I decided to try it on skates." Now her painting has gone on exhibition in California where impressed art lovers have praised her creativity. Visitor Mike Jonson, 35, said: "There is such depth and expression of beauty in this work it is amazing to think that she did it on roller skates. "The flow of the rivers depicted in the piece are as aesthetic as the gymnastic-esque grace in which it was created." Art lover Miriam Holovich, 44, said: "You can see that she has blended her heart and body into the contours of the landscape creating both a visual and cerebral feast. "Such incredible styling and beauty in a debut piece. "I think she will go far."

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In the video below, we can view the tedious process in which Tian creates her landskates, line by line and stroke by stroke.

This Thursday we salute Haisu Tian for putting a modern and refreshing twist on the ancient practice of calligraphy. Thank you for modernizing this art form with an unexpected medium and making us want to dig out our pair of old skates!

Sources: Dailymail.co, YouTube, CCC Gallery, The Creators Project