Rise with Force and Spirit

"In 1987, I accompanied a group from the University of Minnesota on a cultural exchange trip to China. One of the several cities we visited was Chengdu, situated in the center of the country and considered the gateway to Tibet. I found it to be a place of transition, where high rise apartment buildings towered next to oxen pulling the plow in the rice fields. Like everywhere in China, ancient ways were slowly giving way to progress. "In Chengdu, under a huge statue of Mao, I saw an inspirational sign written in large white characters. You can see in my painting that part of the sign is peeling from age. The character I have painted behind the man means 'rise' and the complete message is 'Rise with Force and Spirit.' "I placed this gentle, elderly man under the slogan to create a striking contrast and reflect the challenges facing Chengdu and China today."