autobiography

This autobiography is not about my paintings, instead for the ones who like my works they represent a brief description of my own journey and experience. A painting does not require explanation as painting itself is already a language and what it has revealed is already a self-description. At the same time it also express the thinking and feeling of the painter at that time. Whoever can generate a mutual resonance will be my close and understandable friend.

I was born in a family of a private medical practice. My father was a collector and he often used his spendable income to purchase calligraphy and paintings. I remember when I was a child some of my father's friends were calligraphers and painters, and he always showed them his collections. Influenced by these artistic environment, I was fascinated by paintings when I was a child. The first impressionist I encountered with was in the home of a senior painter, who was from Japan. It was my first time seeing the whole collection of world art published in Japan. Among these, there was a book about the works of masters of impression and I was stunned. They were such beautiful paintings, and I was in love with impressionist works immediately.

During my school days in Mainland China, due to my family status I had already been decided that I was not a candidate to be cultivated by the country. When I graduated from high school, the famous art academy did not even give me the chance to send in my application. However, I could not depart from the influence of the artistic collection of my father, and I had decided to be a lifetime artist. It could also be said that during these miserable autocrat days the only dependence and motivation that could enable me to live on was art and therefore I went to study at the art college.

After the start of the Chinese cultural revolution in 1966, the red guards closed down my father's medical clinic. The red guards robbed our home twice and took all our things away including two iron cases of works of famous artists collected by my father. Classes were stopped and we therefore couldn't learn anything. What to do? The only way was to learn from the mother nature who was our real best teacher.

In the spring of 1967 I was 22 years old. In order to earn money to pay for the living expenses and to search for the mysterious borderland culture and habits I packed my guitar and oil painting case and spent four days and three nights standing on the train. Finally I arrived at Xinjiang that was at the edge of the west side of my country. I arrived in Xinjiang and stayed there for 13 years. Almost every week I went to the wild to hunt and to paint. In there, my emotion and feelings were derived from every grass, every piece of wood, every mountain and river. Besides paintings there is no other language that can be expressed outwardly so perfectly.

It was the period I could never forget. The days of combining happiness and paint formed my stubborn character. It had shaped me to be an enthusiast of mother nature, life, living and romantic feelings of every race. I was the only one in school who could stayed away from the cultural revolution and escaped to Xinjiang to continue painting. The cultural revolution lasted for a total of 10 years and many artists were forced to drop down their paint brushes and torn up their hard work. These included my classmates who lost their chances of development in their painting careers. Their natural gifts were destroyed and at least the cultural revolution ruined them for ten years.

In mainland China, I was painting natural scene everywhere including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jianghxi,San Xi,Shanxi, Sechuan, Guizchou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Shangdong, Hubei, Hunan, Gansu, Xinjiang. However, only Xinjiang gave me the deepest impression.When I was holding my hunting rifle and a drawing board on my back and stood on the open and borderless Gobi desert, I could deeply feel the presence of an invisible and supernatural force. There was no sense of era, no sense of year, dynasty, time, sound and country frontier, politics, parties, religion. Sometimes there was a kind of feeling of insecurity, confusion and a fearful cold current ran through the whole body. However, this kind of feeling will disappear when this supernatural power seeped into my blood. I could feel that my own magnetic field merged with the magnetic field of this vast land into one entire mass. The mind and the spirit suddenly was enlightened and I felt that there was no death and no sorrow. It seemed that I was the only soul in this piece of vast land, and the only living organism. The natural breath in this hundred miles of land and the language shouted out over thousands and hundreds of year could only be expressed through me. In fact, what I felt was a kind of soundless musical chapter. The spirit inside was not the natural physical property of itself. This spiritual shock could not be recorded by my paint brush at that time. It had deeply planted into my brain and could never be wiped off.

Due to the policy of the cultural revolution at that time my kind of people with this type of upbringing would, of course, be suppressed and purged continuously. Therefore I was forced to have the idea of leaving the country. It took ten years to process my application. I started my application when I was 25 years old and I could only leave the country when I was 35 years old. Only when Tang Shiu Ping was in power, then my family and myself could obtain approval to migrate to Australia. In 1980, finally I left my second native land Xianjiang to go overseas. Hong Kong was the first place I went to. In Hong Kong I conducted my first successful personal painting exhibition and through my friend's introduction and recommendation I became the student of Zhao Shao-ang, the Ling Nam master. I remembered the first words he said was I to be a successful artist, one must learn how to be a human being. These words became my future words to alert myself.

In May 1981 I arrived in Australia and I discovered that the world was so large and the art was so deep. The original works of so many great artists had broaden my view, and I deeply felt what I had learned in the past was nothing. Many painting knowledge required further supplementary study. Afterwards, in art exhibition halls, museums of many countries, I acted like a baby sucking up the nutrients of art. I watched paintings like I was mesmerized. I went to Picasso's private exhibition, Monet private exhibition, Mattese private exhibition and Wise private exhibitions. So many great painters produced great impact on me. Very often I was shocked by the works of these great masters which made my heart jumped and I unable to breath. I had to hide in the place where there was no people for a short rest. For a few days I was in an unrest state and my heart was full of the impression of that work. I learned a lot from the new group and styles of many different artists. However, I did not follow the contemporary group as a result of this and limit myself in a certain style. I still like impressionist. Feeling of light is an important factor of my painting. In my eyes, without light means no color and form. Even the abstract pictures in my eyes are jumping and floating lights. However, I was not yet satisfied with too much emphasis on the sense of light by the impressionist of which form and the inner expression was missing. How to form my own style would be my new mission.

I always went out to observe and collect the topics of mother nature for my paintings. The hills in South Australia had a kind of color tone that was different than other places. This kind of purpleish gray and silver gray color tone could not be expressed in language and could be found nowhere else in the world. It provided people a feeling of returning to the primitive age of hundred thousands years ago. This unique romantic feeling of Australia did not lose its charm as compared to the Great Canyon in USA. That type of natural delicate color change was what many oil paint artists were dreaming of.

In the outskirts area of Adelaide there were a lot of private farms that were simple yet refined. A small house hid itself inside the bush and at the front there was a small pond. There were a few horsed, a shepherd dog and all these were their special characteristics. That kind of romantic feeling in paradise was the kind of life many people longed for after their retirement.

Australia gave me freedom, the beauty of this vast land had many places similar to Xinjiang. Australians are very polite, and people there are in a worry free lifestyle that is so different from the nervous life style of Hong Kong. They passionately love mother nature, sports, life and the excellent social security system enable them not to worry about their future. However, living there as a professional painter was not easy. The market for painting was too small and the number of collectors were to little. Most of the artists had to find another job to maintain their life as an artist. In this way, they lost a lot of creative time. May be due to the importance of the reality of life, many gifted artists had to give up their artistic life and changed their profession. However, every year in various places Australia had many small and big painting competition and some of the competition gave out prices as high as several tens of thousand Australian dollars in order to encourage artist. Sometimes for a national art exhibition there might be a thousand contestant. The planning organization and examination system are complete and effective, and this could serve as a good example for our people here.

In May 1985 I went to Taiwan as an Australian citizen and conducted a personal exhibition in Kang Chang Art Gallery. As it was the first personal exhibition by a Mainland Chinese painter, it had induced a lot of interest from the media. The three big TV stations and six to seven newspapers had news coverage on me, and Yeh Shu San of China Broadcast even conducted an special interview. Taiwan gave me an excellent impression. The society is prosperous and people are very hospitable. People are wealthy and they have extra spending money to collect artwork Gallery business is expanding like bamboo shoots growing after the rain.

In July same year I went to Canada and conducted my personal exhibition. Many people wanted to learn painting from me and many artists wished me to stay in Canada. Under the assistance and encouragement of many friends in the second year I migrated to Vancouver from Australia in the identity of artist. This is a garden city. Every year at late march the trees along the two sides of the street all blossom with flowers. In front of each residence, there is a small garden. When they blossom, just by driving your car and watch the flowers on the street side one can already enjoy a lot.

Among so many gardens what I like most is the Vancouver botanical garden that is an only five minutes ride from my home. I have special feeling on it as it gives me so many inspirations and themes for my paintings. It is the most beautiful garden among all the gardens I have visited. It is not that I have different judgement on beauty, it actually gives people a feeling that it is a garden with such an air of elegance that no other garden has. It is so natural with abundant changing colors. Very often it gives people a feeling that one comes to a mountain with no path and suddenly there is another spring after the clearance of a mist.

The charm is that each scenic view is cross knitted by different trees and flowers. These different forms and color pieces display many changes in abstract trigonometry along with the changes of four seasons with emotional and fascinating impressionist color tones. Putting oneself in this environment is like a dream and an imagination. I do not know whether that such great and refined scenic view design comes from one individual or it is the crystal of wisdom of many people. In any case it is the work of a genius. Without doubt numerous times in the garden when I am appreciating a scenic view that will become my work I always thank and respect this creator who to me is the representative of the almighty God. I even doubt that for some artist who have been painting all their lives on scenic view and yet they could not paint too well would that be the case they haven't been to such a beautiful scene before?

During these years whenever I has visited Canada, USA, Australia, Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia etc. I always went with some artists who have good taste and we painted together. After spending so many years in the multi race district of Xinjiang I had cultivated myself to love meeting with friends of different races. Their culture and their life gave me many fresh feelings. Batam Island in Indonesia was where my artist friends and myself often went to. Every time the local artists took us to see those primitive scenery and cultural activities, they explained to us the local customs and habits that allowed us to enter into painting conditions very quickly. Batam is a very special and unique island in Indonesia. In a largest Muslim country of the world they yet believe in Buddhism. They are kind, had working, quiet and they merge with the mother nature and they do not compete with outside. Everyday they contribute flowers and light incense to their Gods which is a part of their life and is also a commitment of their mind. They pray for heaven to give them health, fortune and country prosperity and safety of their people. All their women have nice figures because they have carry things on their heads, and while walking they must put their chest up and withdraw their stomach. They follow the mysterious sound of the tribal tempo and twist their every movable joint. Dancing according to the chapters of their legendary stories they fascinated all foreigners. In this modern, technological and prosperous society, the ability to maintain traditional life style and the special characteristics of peoples culture is the topic which painters like us love most to express.

The people of Batam love art. Painting and sculpture is not the special rights for just a few people. The whole island is integrated and sculptured by art and mother nature. It is full of sculptures of people, animal and pictures of Buddha in large and small lanes and streets and even in the forest. Their high artistic level astounded professionals. These people are born to be artists. No wonder why Picasso is so involved in Plynesian art during those years.

Painting is a long and far away path. I started to sketch and paint when I was thirteen and till now it has been 40 years. After painting for so many year what kind of state should I be accomplished now, also what kind of taste? If Russian famous master V.Vrubel expressed in his work the form, color, feeling of quality and the lines had their meaning higher than the objects that he wanted to draw, then what should I express? Where is my original creativity? Is it as what has pointed out by the modern class that there is a limited born character in the body of traditional realist? For so many years, I could not use traditional expressionist method to correctly express myself experience on the mysterious changing colors of the mother nature, that rhythmic and romantic music chapters and that air of non physical spirit. I could not even use this style to express my thinking correctly and to reveal the suffering soul on the feeling of the mother nature which I had accumulated for many years. A kind of search for internal need and the external appearance expression method potentiality had been pressing on me continuously. May be I could never change the tradition or maybe another person can strive to change it. However, this was the work that must be done. As a result my painting brush could not be controlled and progressively I had paintings that were different than other people. Fortunately I was still not contend with myself. If I can combine the three ways of reality, impression and abstract to create the real impression painting, then I shall be very satisfied.

Many artists are happy and proud of themselves when they had painted a few good works. I feel that painter canhavetheir character but actually it does not worth to be proud of. Look at the history, the master work of those senior masters, their deep and broad artistic sense of morality, so who are we? Life is short, to learn the things to be painted are still so many. Where can we find the time to measure personal gain or loss of fame and fortune? To be immersed in artistic value of art has better meanings than immersing in the praises of many people. Make a few more friends and go with good friends to appreciate the work of masters is actually the biggest enjoyment in life.

This batch of work is the creative work for the past three years that I feel more satisfied. I strive for the combination of reality and meaning. I want to express out the indefensive power in the mother nature with a tender passion like mother love. Using Chinese words is to express the essence, chi and spirit of the mother nature and through my painting skill I can spill out my love for the mother of mankind - the unlimited love of the vast earth.