Creating Art for a Good Cause: Fête Chinoise's Behind-the-Scenes Journey
Curated by the Fête Chinoise Team
At Fête Chinoise, we believe that art has the power to inspire, connect, and make a positive impact. That's why we are excited to share the story of how our team created a stunning piece of art for a charitable cause – the Campfire Circle Paddle Project. Join us behind the scenes to see how our Design Annual 2023's cover art came to life on a paddle, all in the spirit of giving back.
The stunning hand-crafted wallpapers of a renowned British atelier, the innovative floristry from Singapore, modern calligraphic strokes of an artist in Malaysia, the maker of handmade Mahjong tiles in a Hong Kong stairwell shop, the transformative work in Vancouver’s Chinatown here in Canada… We take you around the world to discover wondrous practices of design that are deeply connected to Chinese culture. Enjoy the beautiful stories we have curated for you in this highly curated book. We hope you will be inspired to dive deeper into design of all disciplines.
Design is a powerful undercurrent that drives our lifestyle. We present the second edition of the Fête Chinoise Design Annual, where we explore the vibrant intersection of design and culture through the lens of Chinese-Canadian identity.
Why Fête Chinoise is donating our art & design
Fête Chinoise embarked on a creative endeavor by hand-illustrating our Design Annual 2023's cover art onto a paddle for a charity auction. Our goal is simple yet profound: to help the Campfire Circle Paddle Project raise funds for a great cause. Here's a glimpse of the process that brought this remarkable artwork to fruition.
How the Fête Chinoise team created the paddle
Step 1 • We started by outlining the design in pencil, drawing inspiration from our Fête Chinoise Design Annual 2023 cover illustration.
Step 2 • To infuse the paddle with vibrancy, we painted a beautiful ombre gradient, transitioning from orange to pink as the base.
Step 3 • With careful precision, we filled in the color bases, ensuring every detail was just right.
Step 4 • Adding depth and dimension, we meticulously applied shading to every component of the artwork, breathing life into the design.
Step 5 • To make our art truly shine, we outlined it with dazzling gold details. And there it was, a masterpiece ready to make a difference.
Chinese culture values symbolism. On important occasions like the wedding banquet, the ingredients used are chosen with care, and each dish carries different meanings. A typical Chinese wedding banquet menu includes either ten or twelve dishes, symbolizing "full and perfection" or implying that the couple will have happiness throughout the twelve months of the year. For this special feature, we invited Rovey Chinese Catering and Private Dining, to demonstrate twelve classic Chinese wedding banquet courses and introduce the meaning behind each dish.