Reborn as a great painter, with a system, you can be willful

Jiang Zhe drove and took Wang Zhen to the airport.

After the auction, Wang Zhen dealt with his business matters and was eager to return home, refusing to stay for a few days.

She looked at the airport getting closer and closer, and said to Jiang Zhe, "Your good news has spread to China, and many people want to imitate your way and come here to test the waters. Have you considered inviting some friends to hold a joint art exhibition here? After all, many people helped you this time, and you also have a certain network of contacts."

When Jiang Zhe was talking on the phone with his friends in China, he also heard this matter mentioned in a tactful way.

"I'll think about it. It takes time."

Wang Zhen said: "It's just a suggestion. Just remember this."

Jiang Zhe helped her carry her luggage and watched her go through security before leaving the airport.

Go home, open the system, and check the honor value page.

After arriving in New York, the value of honor has been increasing. Now, the cursor on the experience bar is close to the end of the current level.

Soon, Jiang Zhe convinced his parents at noon, completed the formalities, and brought his parents to New York.

The duplex mansion is lit up with warm yellow lights.

When Jiang Yi and his wife followed Jiang Zhe into the entrance hall, their eyes lit up.

From the airport to home, the two saw a lot of new things along the way.

Arriving at Jiang Zhe's duplex apartment, I looked around carefully again. Although the area here is not as large as Jiang Zhe's villa in Binhai, it has a strong sense of technology and is more modern. Especially when I heard the price, I was even more shocked. I was relieved when I heard that Jiang Zhe could pay the repayment.

Jiang Zhe had no way of telling his parents that the money for buying the house had been earned back through system rewards.

Jiang Yi and his wife brought a lot of things to Jiang Zhe, fearing that he would not be able to take care of himself. They also helped him store and arrange the items in the appropriate places.

"This refrigerator is bigger than our living room!" Xu Li opened the refrigerator door.

Seeing different storage areas, there are all kinds of food, some of which are ingredients that Jiang Zhe personally handles. I know that my son is not coping with his meals.

Jiang Yi is enjoying the scenery outside the window
“Is this the famous park?”

Jiang Zhe introduced his father to the famous buildings he could see. "Take a rest today. I'll take you to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a few other famous attractions tomorrow."

Xu Li had already tidied up their bedroom. "I'll cook tonight."

"Mom, I've already arranged it, just wait and eat."

The family reunited again and had dinner together, having a great time.

Mr. and Mrs. Jiang Yi wanted to know everything about Jiang Zhe's life in New York, so they asked about the details of his study and life here.

Jiang Yi put down his wine glass and looked at his son who was talking about his learning experience.

He suddenly remembered his son's senior year in high school, when he was drawing in the 8-square-meter bedroom.

The figure in my mind gradually overlapped with Jiang Zhe in front of me.

It seems that nothing has changed, but in fact, a lot has changed.

-

At Columbia University, wisteria blooms along the Gothic arched windows.

Jiang Zhe pushed open the door of Professor Kerry's office and heard soft music.

"Professor." He saw Professor Kerry looking down at a magazine.

"Jiang, your pigment analysis has been published." Professor Kerry saw Jiang Zhe and shook the journal on his mobile phone: "This is not only helpful for artistic practice, but also has reference significance for restoration."

"Thank you for your recommendation." Jiang Zhe handed the latest practical report to the professor.

Professor Kerry looked through it carefully. "Okay. You can pass this stage of practice. You can relax for a few days."

"Thank you."

-

When Jiang Zhe was driving his SUV over a gravel slope, he startled a flock of cedar waxwings.

My parents stayed in New York for a few days and then returned home.

Miller invited Jiang Zhe to visit his new farm.

Jiang Zhe was planning to relax, so he drove to the farm.

Leaving the big city, enjoying the scenery along the way, I feel relaxed.

He asked several passers-by and finally approached his destination and saw the road sign.

On the oak signpost of Miller Farm, the brass bells rang in the wind, sounding as clear as a Chopin nocturne.

The moment he rolled down the car window, wind blew in with the sweet scent of grass.

As we continued driving forward, the outline of the farm emerged from the woods. The first thing we saw was a 19th-century stone farmhouse that had been sleeping in time. The rough gray sandstone exterior was covered with plants, and the small trapezoidal windows unique to the colonial period peeked out from the vines, with dewdrops from the previous night still condensed on the glass.

He pushed open the car door, and the breath of nature blew in. The copper bells rang softly in the wind, and the sound waves startled the pigeons on the top of the barn. The fluttering of their wings and the low mooing of cows in the distance intertwined into a morning song in the countryside.

Jiang Zhe met a staff member and told him his purpose.

The staff had already received Miller's instructions and immediately directed him to park the car.

Carrying the luggage, I walked towards the main building of the farm.

This farm has a long history, with both new and old buildings. Jiang Zhe would always stop to admire any building or display that interested him.

When I touched the faint “1947” scratched on the barn’s exterior wall, Miller appeared: “Know that you’ll get lost!”

"Miller, thank you for the invitation. Your farm is so beautiful." Jiang Zhe and Miller hugged each other.

Miller traded in his Armani suit and dressed like a true farmer, with fresh grass clippings on his boots.

"There are more beautiful places here." Miller led Jiang Zhe to the main building where the guest rooms were located, and introduced: "There is a herd of Angus cattle on the ranch. I just came from there..."

"It was originally a tobacco warehouse of the farmer. When I bought it, the six-meter-high oak beams still had rusty hinges hanging on them."

"Look to the east!" Miller pointed to where the fog was dispersing, passing the century-old watermill.

The 18th-century style milky white main building comes into view.

Jiang Zhe saw five staggered roof lines cutting through the sky, and under the arches of rough-cut stones, the blueberry bushes planted in early spring had already produced green fruits.

Miller asked the waiter to send Jiang Zhe's luggage to his room, and then took Jiang Zhe to continue his tour.

Three border collies ran up to Miller and tried to follow him.

They are very friendly to Jiang Zhe.

The two walked around the main building, and the entire gently sloping pasture suddenly spread out before their eyes:

Neat alfalfa swayed in the wind, and in the fallow fields farther away, hay bales dotted the hills like giant golden buttons. People working were dotted among them.

Behind the main building of the farm, Jiang Zhe also stopped to look at the well-preserved 19th-century cider pressing workshop.

On the rough stone wall, the iron hinges still have the hemp ropes used to transport the wooden barrels. The mold and rust present a Rembrandt-style light and shadow layering under the morning sun. Pushing open the creaking oak door, the dusty juicer is condensed with dark brown apple candy crystals, and the sweet fragrance from a hundred years ago is still floating in the air.

Passing through the workshop, a weathering steel and glass corridor built over the stream suddenly comes into view - this is a modern suspended volume design. The rust-red steel plates and floor-to-ceiling glass weld the classic and the future, reflecting the schools of rainbow trout swimming in the stream.

"There are still many fun places here. But you can go change your clothes first. I have prepared suitable clothes for you. Oh, by the way, you can try our lunch here at noon today. Do you want to rest for a while?"

Jiang Zhe said, "Thank you, I'm not tired. After I change my clothes, I want to experience farm life."

"Okay, I'll take you horseback riding."

Miller chose a good horse for Jiang Zhe.

The two of them rode horses and continued to tour the farm until noon, when they returned to the main building for lunch. The sunlight at three o'clock in the afternoon cut the pasture into blocks of light and dark.

Jiang Zhe set up a simple sketching easel and then prepared watercolor tools.

There were many picturesque views in the farm, and he had already selected some of the destinations during the morning tour.

He stared at the cattle grazing on the slope for a while, and then he decided to start writing.

Miller had a huge parasol set up, and tables and chairs were placed under it.

He sat on a chair, sipping juice and admiring Jiang Zhe's painting.

Jiang Zhe uses a squirrel hair brush to quickly blend the paint. Wherever the brush passes, the light and shadow on the picture flow like liquid amber.

By dusk, Jiang Zhe had created three watercolor works.

When he returned to the main building of the farm, it was already dinner time.

Miller and Jiang Zhe sat down at the long walnut table in the restaurant, and the waiter pushed the dining cart over.

A three-tiered silver tray holds cooked rainbow trout.

The fish body was wrapped in crushed dried fruits and maple syrup, with crisp vegetables underneath. When Jiang Zhe opened the herb bundle, he smelled the original river flavor awakened by tarragon and thyme.

He has adapted to the taste and process of Western food and can communicate smoothly with Miller without delaying his meals.

During the dessert session, Miller demonstrated how to pour syrup on iced yogurt, creating a white mist from the combination of hot and cold.

He talked about the tradition of the farm: every late autumn, the butler would collect seventy kinds of fallen leaves and make specimens, which would be pressed under the bulletproof glass floor of the restaurant. At this moment, Jiang Zhe's leather shoes were stepping on a maple leaf fossil from 1889, and the veins of the leaf were surprisingly similar to the wrought iron patterns of the chandelier above his head.

As the handmade chocolate melts on your tongue, the apple wood in the fireplace suddenly bursts with sparks.

After dinner, Miller asked Jiang Zhe to draw a small-scale painting of his life on the farm.

Jiang Zhe readily agreed.

Considering that Miller was an important supporter of his in the United States, he planned to draw a sketch first and then the final draft.

The two of them sat in front of the fireplace and chatted, and Jiang Zhe could sketch while answering the conversation. The lights, shadows, walls, and ancient cast iron candlesticks all became the background of the characters in the painting.

……

The pasture, still covered with morning dew, was shrouded in a light blue mist. The moment Jiang Zhe held the reins, the chestnut mare raised its front hooves, and the silver water droplets thrown out from its mane drew the dancer's arc described by Degas in the air.

When he came to the farm to sketch, he fell in love with horse riding. The horse was also named Margaret.

He leaned close to the horse's neck and smelled the sweet scent of alfalfa mixed with leather tannins, which reminded him of the feeling of copying Degas's works.

As Margaret took her first smooth sidestep, Jiang Zhe resonated with the rhythm of the horse's back.

The saddle leather made a characteristic creaking sound as it moved.

He held the reins in his left hand and guided the horse around the oak forest like a conductor. The sound of the startled blue crows flapping their wings and the crisp sound of horseshoes hitting flint intertwined in the air.

When Margaret jumped over a low haystack, Jiang Zhe captured the magic of light - the morning sun penetrated the horse's ears at a special angle, and it seemed that the capillaries could be seen.

He controlled the speed of the horse and slowly stopped.

Margaret seemed to be unsatisfied and raised a cloud of dust with her front hooves.

The sound of horse hooves came from behind.

Miller rode over. "In just two days, your horsemanship has improved. It seems that you are not only talented in painting, but also in sports."

"I just like animals, I wouldn't say I have any athletic talent."

"Running a lap?"

"it is good."

-

In the afternoon, Jiang Zhe continued to look for materials for sketching.

Today, he plans to depict workers at work.

Twenty meters away in the cowshed, the back of the woman bending over to work reminded him of Miller's works. The woman's faded apron looked silver-gray in the backlight, and the mud spots on her rubber boots looked like Impressionist pointillism.

He took the charcoal pencil and quickly sketched this group of effects over a few minutes.

Then he saw Old Tom putting on the harness, with skillful movements and a very distinctive look.

Jiang Zhe used simple lines to capture its dynamic and facial features.

As the old cowboy bends over to tie his bellyband, the wrinkles on his bronze neck are tinged with golden powder from the sun.

Each material is recorded in the sketchbook...

Because the staff gradually got to know Jiang Zhe, many people were willing to be his models.

After Jiang Zhe became familiar with the farm, he felt more and more at ease.

I spent a few days drawing some sketches.

He planned to use the little relaxing time he had to sketch using oil painting materials.

He set up the easel next to the barn, and Margaret's quiet outline and the steel curves of the machine became elements that made up the picture.

Sketching, no matter what tools are used, is subject to time constraints. It is necessary to summarize the actions and highlight the main images.

The sudden neighing of horses did not affect his creation, but made him more interested.

As Miller approached to watch, Kang Cheol was making final adjustments.

Margaret’s mane in the painting seems to flow, recreating the play of light and shadow when riding a horse.

"Your generalization and sensitivity to images are amazing." Miller's collection has been exposed to many paintings and he can see the strengths and weaknesses of each work.

Because Jiang Zhe uses direct painting to sketch, many unimportant images are very generalized, and there are also some exquisite techniques, forming an excellent picture effect.

"When I see your paintings, I think of the works of Manet and Sargent." Miller moved closer.

Jiang Zhe finished the work in one go, and finally made his own mark in the corner of the canvas.

It is both a signature and a hint to future appraisers and restorers.

"There's still a party tonight!" Miller invited Jiang Zhe to join.

……

The next day, Jiang Zhe said goodbye to Miller. In fact, he had already told Miller last night that it was time for him to go back.

Jiang Zhe walked towards the car and said goodbye to the staff one by one.

Miller waved goodbye to Kang Cheol as the engine started, and the sheepdogs played around him.

In the rearview mirror, the farm gradually blurred and shrank.

Jiang Zhe thought about the party last night.

The enthusiasm of the people participating in the party made me drink a few more glasses.

After the car drove out of the farm, he recalled the scenes of life on the farm, the new friends he met, and Margaret...

He experienced farm life and gained new materials. This fresh feeling gave him new emotional motivation and new ways of expression.

In the next period of time, perhaps I can create a masterpiece, or even a masterpiece that will be passed down from generation to generation. (End of this chapter)