Road to golden mountain

Written By Laura Beaton

After starting this painting 9 times from scratch I completed and framed ‘Road to Golden Mountain’. It is based on the memoir of Alan K. Joe’s ‘Of Ox and Unicorn’, available on Kindle via Amazon or via paperback through Alan Joe. It

Road to Golden Mountain depicts Alan’s life journey from a young boy in China during WWII through to his life as a retired dental surgeon in Toronto.

When Alan was a young boy, his family was starving due to the ravages of WWII. Despite this, Alan’s mother rejected an offer of 8 bushels of rice from a childless woman who wanted to adopt him. Instead, she planned her son’s emigration to Canada. At that time, Canada was known as the Golden Mountain because of the abundance of wealth and how the roads were considered to be ‘paved with gold’.

Alan’s mother was unable to afford a Visa or passport so she remained in China while sending her son to live in Canada. In 1950 at the age of 13, Alan embarked on a lengthy journey to the North America: First by boat to San Francisco, then by train to Vancouver, and finally by train to Toronto, where he was welcomed to his new home by the beautiful snow-covered trees. In Toronto, Alan began to build his new life. He worked as a server at Lichee Garden to fund his university education and support his family. Through his hard work, Alan became a dental surgeon at Sick Kids Hospital.

This painting depicts Alan’s journey via a series of symbols and imageries that represent the significant milestones in his life trajectory.

Of Ox and Unicorn, memoir by Alan K. Joe; painting title 'Road to Golden Mountain'

Alan K. Joe, author of ‘Of Ox and Unicorn’. Painting title: Road to Golden Mountain, Chinese Ink on Washi (Japanese paper)

Laura Beaton

Laura is a Canadian award winning Visual Fine Art Artist.

She studied Asian art under Masters in Mississauga, Toronto, and in China and mixed media/acrylics under Halina Wyluda-Kazmierczak and Mila Duric

Her 2-dimensional art are fusions of ancient painting techniques and her own creations using acrylics and mixed media. Painting in each medium enriches the other.

Her works transcend cultures and are in permanent and private collections in China (RPR, as well as in private collections), Africa (His Royal Highness Edward Wambuzi Colombus, Uganda) and throughout the USA and Canada.

With her University of Toronto OTC (Ontario Teacher’s Certificate) Laura taught business at the college and high school levels. She co-founded a Mississauga-based consulting business in 1996 where she honed her business skills. Laura has regularly volunteered her time to coach artists relative to the business of art.

Laura has exhibited in Canada and in China. Laura exhibited at the Art Gallery of Ontario – Portraits of Resilience, Art Gallery of Mississauga, the Qi of Water, and interviewed by Focus Mandarin, OMNI TV. Previous interviews include Lucid Gallery (USA), Camoes TV, Stella’s Studio, ep 36; Modern Mississauga, Radio 960AM – Arts Report.

Laura was invited to create the art ‘Dovetailing’, the title track of Jacelyn Holmes’ jazz CD.

2021 brought honorariums and most recently “From the Ashes Art Exhibition”. The show is an intersectional feminist public art exhibit, show casing artist interpretations of realities faced by those who identify as women in Canada.

https://LauraBeaton.com
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