{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "content": "---\ntitle: \"Oils from 威海\"\ndescription: \"A surprise four-hour portrait sitting for a painting class at Shandong University, and the oil paintings that came out of it.\"\ntags:\n  - teaching\n---\n\nimport Picture from \"@/components/Picture.astro\";\n\nOne of my academic responsibilities is teaching our ANU Computer Science\nprograms into our various partner institutions overseas. One of these partner\ninstitutions is\n[Shandong University WeiHai](https://en.wh.sdu.edu.cn/enDefault.html) (SDUW).\n\nOn my trip to SDUW in May 2016, I was walking across the campus one bright\nspring morning when I was stopped by a professor from the SDUW School of Art.\nThrough his limited English and my much more limited Mandarin, he told me that\nhe wanted me to sit for a portrait session for his first-year painting class.\n\nAfter a marathon 4hr sitting[^tired], here's what the students came up with. As\na bonus, I got to choose my favourite one and bring it home---can you guess\nwhich one I chose?\n\n<Picture file=\"posts/ben-oils.gif\" alt=\"loop of the finished oil paintings\" />\n\nIt's now hanging on my wall at home, creepily looking down at my family and our\nguests. **I love it**.\n\n[^tired]:\n    that's why I look so sullen---I smiled no-stop for the first hour (when they\n    were painting the background) but by the time they were putting on the\n    facial details 3hrs in I was _way_ too tired to keep my smile up 😊\n",
  "createdAt": "2026-05-13T23:15:01.099Z",
  "description": "A surprise four-hour portrait sitting for a painting class at Shandong University, and the oil paintings that came out of it.",
  "path": "/blog/2019/01/29/oils-from-weihai",
  "publishedAt": "2019-01-29T00:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "at://did:plc:tevykrhi4kibtsipzci76d76/site.standard.publication/self",
  "tags": [
    "teaching"
  ],
  "textContent": "A surprise four-hour portrait sitting for a painting class at Shandong University, and the oil paintings that came out of it.",
  "title": "Oils from 威海"
}