Vagaries in Mustard Seed Garden 芥子園的奇想世界 (2015)
Medium: Mixed media on woodboard / Chinese album
Artist statement
I once walked through the Mustard Seed Garden.
As a city person, I live in the real world of everyday life. Often I imagine myself traveling to a wonderland, enjoying the scenic mountains, taking a walk by the water, with birds as friends, and listening to the sound of running stream. I hope to forget about the travails of daily life in search of some tranquil landscapes in my mind.
The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting contained almost all the common elements that appeared in Chinese ink paintings, such as depictions of mountains, running water, trees, plants, wind, clouds, birds and flowers, as well as people., These elements are essential whether the style are traditional or current. Since there is no clear demarcation of eras, the attention falls squarely on ideas, symbols and imageries of the works.
In the realm of ink paintings, there are often birds in the sky, sun hung over mountains, goldfish in the stream, trees grown amongst rocks and stones, and flowers sprouting on branches. The elements used are different but together they produce smooth harmony.
Every item in our life seems existing independently and, in fact, is closely connected to some others forming relationships like you and me. When creating for this series of paintings, for me, it was like travelling on a magical journey over different periods of time. The passage is rewarding though surreal. The experiences and emotions of my daily life, be it bitter or sweet, have subconsciously become integral parts of my works. These vagaries assume a balancing effect on my works.
Mix-use of photographs with paintings and other materials have achieved wonderful results. The imperfect nature of raw plywood board has given my paintings the most natural appearance. Its rough texture and the soft quality of the Chinese painting brush together have presented a hard and soft combination. With each change of concept, different materials used would start a new kind of communication among themselves. Despite their differences, they always end up in a fine integration.
I once have a walk through the Mustard Seed Garden.....
Galen Tse
Hong Kong 2015
我曾經在芥子園漫步。
作為城市人的我, 每天面對著現實生活, 也總會幻想著幻遊山水之間,與山海為鄰, 與花鳥為伴, 聽著流水的聲響, 也許能放下一點勞累, 尋覓心中的清靜美景。
“芥子園畫傳” 包含了中國水墨畫中常見的物像, 如山水、草木、風、雲、花 鳥、人物等等, 不論是傳統或是現在, 這些物像也同樣是必然元素。 水墨畫沒 有所謂時代的分別, 只在乎觀念、符號、形像。
在畫中的世界, 鳥兒在天空中飛翔、 在遠處太陽高掛在屹立中的巨山,近在咫尺正在暢泳的金魚, 小樹置身在石皺之上, 花朵活在畫中的枝幹上, 大家既不同又融和。
各種物像看似是獨立存在, 而卻又有緊扣相連的關係, 彼此就像你和我。我好像置身在幻遊古今的穿越之旅去創作了這系列作品。創作過程中的悠然自得, 也許並不真實, 而真實生活中的甜酸經歷卻又不自覺地融入在畫中, 表面在遊山玩水似的, 達致一種平衡作用。
繪畫、 攝影及不同媒材的混合使用, 令各物像各得其色。木板的粗糙瘕疵造成 了作品的最自然風貌。木板的紋理和毛筆的精軟, 形成了剛中帶柔的結合。而 當觀念一改變, 每種不同媒材就像在溝通一樣, 即使不同, 也融合在作品之中。
我曾經,在芥子園中漫步.....
謝健華 香港 2015
I once walked through the Mustard Seed Garden.
As a city person, I live in the real world of everyday life. Often I imagine myself traveling to a wonderland, enjoying the scenic mountains, taking a walk by the water, with birds as friends, and listening to the sound of running stream. I hope to forget about the travails of daily life in search of some tranquil landscapes in my mind.
The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting contained almost all the common elements that appeared in Chinese ink paintings, such as depictions of mountains, running water, trees, plants, wind, clouds, birds and flowers, as well as people., These elements are essential whether the style are traditional or current. Since there is no clear demarcation of eras, the attention falls squarely on ideas, symbols and imageries of the works.
In the realm of ink paintings, there are often birds in the sky, sun hung over mountains, goldfish in the stream, trees grown amongst rocks and stones, and flowers sprouting on branches. The elements used are different but together they produce smooth harmony.
Every item in our life seems existing independently and, in fact, is closely connected to some others forming relationships like you and me. When creating for this series of paintings, for me, it was like travelling on a magical journey over different periods of time. The passage is rewarding though surreal. The experiences and emotions of my daily life, be it bitter or sweet, have subconsciously become integral parts of my works. These vagaries assume a balancing effect on my works.
Mix-use of photographs with paintings and other materials have achieved wonderful results. The imperfect nature of raw plywood board has given my paintings the most natural appearance. Its rough texture and the soft quality of the Chinese painting brush together have presented a hard and soft combination. With each change of concept, different materials used would start a new kind of communication among themselves. Despite their differences, they always end up in a fine integration.
I once have a walk through the Mustard Seed Garden.....
Galen Tse
Hong Kong 2015
我曾經在芥子園漫步。
作為城市人的我, 每天面對著現實生活, 也總會幻想著幻遊山水之間,與山海為鄰, 與花鳥為伴, 聽著流水的聲響, 也許能放下一點勞累, 尋覓心中的清靜美景。
“芥子園畫傳” 包含了中國水墨畫中常見的物像, 如山水、草木、風、雲、花 鳥、人物等等, 不論是傳統或是現在, 這些物像也同樣是必然元素。 水墨畫沒 有所謂時代的分別, 只在乎觀念、符號、形像。
在畫中的世界, 鳥兒在天空中飛翔、 在遠處太陽高掛在屹立中的巨山,近在咫尺正在暢泳的金魚, 小樹置身在石皺之上, 花朵活在畫中的枝幹上, 大家既不同又融和。
各種物像看似是獨立存在, 而卻又有緊扣相連的關係, 彼此就像你和我。我好像置身在幻遊古今的穿越之旅去創作了這系列作品。創作過程中的悠然自得, 也許並不真實, 而真實生活中的甜酸經歷卻又不自覺地融入在畫中, 表面在遊山玩水似的, 達致一種平衡作用。
繪畫、 攝影及不同媒材的混合使用, 令各物像各得其色。木板的粗糙瘕疵造成 了作品的最自然風貌。木板的紋理和毛筆的精軟, 形成了剛中帶柔的結合。而 當觀念一改變, 每種不同媒材就像在溝通一樣, 即使不同, 也融合在作品之中。
我曾經,在芥子園中漫步.....
謝健華 香港 2015
