Talented artist “paints”with layers of denim

陕西宝鸡中学 吕昕满

题材艺术体裁记叙文文章词数 难度 建议用时368 ★★★ 7 分钟

难词探意

1.medium /'miːdiəm/ n.材料

2.extraordinary /ɪk'strɔːdnri/ adj.意想不到的；非凡的

3.remarkably /rɪ'mɑːkəbli/ adv.非常

4.landscape /'lændskeɪp/ n.风景

5.incredible /ɪn'kredəbl/ adj.难以置信的

It's hard to say goodbye to your favorite pair of jeans, even when they're way beyond wearable,but English artist Ian Berry has found a way to avoid throwing away denim, by using it to create beautiful works of art.

Netherton-born artist Ian Berry has made quite a name for himself after his unique art took the art world by storm.It's hard to believe the idea of using old denim asmediumfor his art came after a call from his mother Christine, asking him to clean out his room.“More than years ago, my mum was clearing out my old room and she wanted me to go through my things.I found loads of old jeans and denims and I noticed the different colors and shades.I kept hold of them but it was only about 18 months later that I began to do something with them.” Little did he know his experiment would soonmake him and his denim art famous all over the world.

Ian Berry quit his full-time job in advertising to focus all his attention on art.It was a risky move, and he remembers his girlfriend's parents asking if artists could make a living in this day and age.But his gamble (冒险) paid off and soon his denim artworks were the stars of sell-out shows in Sweden and the US, and his pieces were sold to private and public collections all over the world.

Iain Barratt, director of the Catto Gallery, told The Examiner， “What Ian does isextraordinary.It's not until people see it close up and touch it that they can see how he's created these wonderful scenes.And what absolute treasures they are.Ian conjures （使……变戏法般地出现）remarkablydetailed portraits and urbanlandscapesusing nothing more than discarded jeans—the effect is extraordinary.”

Denim art is as simple as it is beautiful.Ian Berry uses old jeans, a pair of scissors and some glue to create all hisincredibledetailed works of art.After 12 years of working with denim, the English artist has managed to fill seven closets with old pairs of jeans, so it's safe to say he has plenty of material for his future works.

Reading Check

1.Ian Berry's inspiration appeared when he was_______.

A.buying jeans in the store

B.mending his jeans at home

C.dealing with his own belongings

D.looking for some mediums

2.What does the underlined word “discarded” in Para.4 most probably mean?

A.Stored.B.Abandoned.

C.Valued.D.Donated.

3.What was his girlfriend's parents' attitude towards his changing of career?

A.Supportive.B.Disapproving.

C.Subjective.D.Indifferent.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

It's not until people see it close up and touch it that they can see how he's created these wonderful scenes.

【信息提取】本句是一个强调句，强调的是until引导的时间状语从句，how引导的是宾语从句。It be not until...that...意为“直到……才……”。

【句式仿写】直到面试失败，他才意识到信心是多么重要。