During the workshop, both Shuqing and Lin taught the children how to efficiently use the special Chinese paint brushes and paper.
“There is a huge difference between Chinese and Western-style painting,” Lin said.
“Firstly you have the paintbrush which usually has a long tip, is softer, and has a rounder shape compared to Western-styled brushes especially used for oil paintings, which are quite flat and firm.”
Secondly, when it comes to paper Lin said the Chinese artists used a distinct and special paper made from the fibre of different plants and herbs.
“It’s very absorbent, unlike other art papers. Chinese papers allow the paint to spread out more, whereas in Western-style oil painting the paper material doesn’t absorb as much and the painter has to wait for their canvas to dry,” Lin said.
The Gisborne Herald was present when the two masters were at work on Saturday. Sure enough, when Lin and Shuqing were using their paintbrushes to create the image of a panda, even the tiniest of strokes from the brush (dipped in traditional black ink) seemed to stretch out.
Both artists said that pandas were
the preferred subject choice as they
were a Chinese national treasure and
were also well known to people around the world.
“Besides, pandas are also the symbol of peace and harmony, playing a diplomatic role. Hence we thought it would be a good idea,” Shuqing said.
Born in Guilin, Guangxi in 1951. Shuqing said it was his neighbour who inspired him to take up the arts.
He graduated from Guangxi Art Institute in 1974 and has been working as an educator for a long time.
What started out as a hobby soon became a profession for the accomplished artist.
“I hope this workshop inspires children to create their own pathway to arts. Overall this has been very meaningful for me. It’s my first time having an event like this,” Shuqing said.
As a family man and a grandfather to several children, he moved to Auckland from his ancestral home in China to be with his “lovely children” — who had migrated to New Zealand many years ago.
Shuqing wears a number of hats including being the current vice president of the New Zealand Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Institute.
At the moment he works in different community organisations to promote his cultural artistry and frequently provides Chinese painting lessons to retired Chinese elders and interested Maori locals.
Lin said his journey to the arts and migration to Auckland is quite similar to Shuqing’s.
“It was my hobby when I was a child, but became my profession and I have been enjoying painting ever since,” Lin said.
He was sixteen when he undertook
to paint a large oil portrait on his
own.
After graduating from the Fujian Art College with a degree in dance and art, he studied Chinese painting under the tutelage of master Zang Songtao.
Lin furthered his studies at the Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts and entered the landscape painting studio of Li Tiesheng (professor) at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
Shuqing’s artwork features two paintings themed on Māori influence. His other two show the Chinese landscape — in all its mysticism, glory, and beauty. Lin’s artwork focuses predominantly on nature, birds, and the local landscape infused with his cultural art style.
Both are also masters in calligraphy, a visual art related to writing, and said they owe much to the writing art form for making them better painters.
For future artists who might want to take up arts they said interest and passion were the key.
“That’s what you need to pave your own way to the arts.”
