Labels:text | animal OCR: ARTS He wasn't able to share his happy world of the Dais, however. Fearful of being caught by the Red Guards, Ting painted at night and burned his work the following morning-until 1979. In 1980 he was lucky enough to obtain a visi tor's visa to meet his mother from Taiwan in Los Angeles. He decided to stay. The early days in the United States were tough for Ting, who found few Americans interested in his Yunnan School paintings, no matter how beau- tiful they were. Worse still, Ting was almost re- turned to China by Mexican authorities in 1983 when he travelled to Tijuana to buy paint supplies with an expired visa. A group of art lovers with LULLABYE political connections helped sneak him back into Revolution. The Dais, who live near the Burmese the United States. Later thatyear he was given a border and share common ancestry with the special Congres- Thais, are central characters in the dramas that sional green card Ting paints. allowing him to "I decided I must paint only that which was remain legally. beautiful and happy," saysTing in The Art of Ting Ting taught Shao Kuang. "I truly believe my role as an artist is brush stroke at to keep all sad feelings inside and give the people the University of who look at my paintings a happiness that does California, Los not necessarily concur with reality." Angeles, through
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