Printmaking and my Art Teacher
a series of interviews about people who live in Tainan, Taiwan.
Why are you here in Tainan?
Tainan is where I am from. I left here for my studies, after serving in the army I was a teacher in Meinong, Kaohsiung. I briefly considered studying aboard, but according to the traditional Confucius values I grew up on, I am morally bound by my family to move back to Tainan as the eldest son instead. Now I’m getting older and so are my parents, I have to stay here.
Do you like Tainan?
I am not sure if I am particularly fond of Tainan. but when I compare Tainan with other cities, I think Tainan is good — a place you can live in. Our home was in Yenhang Back in the old days we lived in a Sanheyaun (a historical type of residence in Taiwan) and were surrounded by farmland. It was so quiet, and I was often woken up by the singings of birds in the morning. Having said that, Tainan is improving in the last few years. The government has put much more focus on the conservation of historic buildings, including the government’s “Good Looking Corner” project in 2004 made many street corners green, the old houses renewal projects, and the focus on humanities and creativity. It will be promising to see the future of Tainan 10 years from now, if the city government keeps moving in the right direction.
What are the places that you would recommend to tourists in Tainan?
I was raised in Yenhang, which is quite a distance from the city center. I only get to know downtown Tainan when I became a teacher in National Tainan Girls’ Senior High School. As I needed to show my students the historical places, so I started to learn more about the city itself I found the area between Confucius Temple and National Museum of Taiwan Literature very suitable for short walks. There are plenty of spaces for walk as well as shops for every need. Scattered between newer buildings are historic sites and greens. You can see the wisdom from the ancestors and enjoy the convenience in the modern life. I feel really relaxed here, as if my heartbeats run slower.
How about the area near Chihkan Tower?
The Chihkan Tower and Wumiao (Temple of Guan Yu) area is too crowded for me. It seems that the city government still have many plans to make the city beautiful. I hope that they could do something around Zhongzheng Rd. and Ximen Rd. There are beautiful houses in this area, but many of them are covered by huge advertisement boards.
Which form of art do you like best?
Instead of taking a preference over others, I would say that I am the most familiar with pen sketches, printmaking and watercolor paintings. I majored in Chinese painting while I was studying in National Taiwan Normal University I learned to draw in watercolor later, from books and studying other people’s works. I combine other people’s techniques into mine. Pen sketching is an art form that can express my thoughts quickly. I draw while doing outdoor sketching. Printmaking is a skill I approached in the 80s. That’s when I discovered the art of book labels (ex-librīs). I haven’t stopped creating since then. The time I taught you, we made acrylic-cut. Since acrylic gets worn out quickly and I tend to create very detailed, delicate works, they would normally last around 10 prints. Therefore, I am more into Wood Engraving these days. These can be modified during printing and can last around 100 prints.
Let’s talk about your Ex-librīs and the other printmaking works.
I don’t view myself as an artist. I think I am someone who can draw. I make prints not because I want to be famous or to make a profit from it. I make New Year’s greeting cards and join some competitions sometimes. I have won some awards, which I took them as encouragement and it motivate me as well. I start to gain my own style as I keep working on my works, and I prefer dots over lines to represent shadows in my prints. I had a month-long exhibition in Hsinying, Tainan. I was there every weekend to tell the stories of my works to interested viewers, to help them understand my creations.
These years I am getting in touch with Japanese printmaking lovers and collectors. There are much less of these people in Taiwan.
I like to be creative and add variations into my works, such as the Don Quixote rides on a toad or the mayfly floats in the sky at night. This kind of surrealism means a lot to me. With the dark tone in most of my works, there is a mystic, tranquil feeling, like a reflection of myself. And I like using toad as a subject in my works.
How do you begin working on a new piece? Do you take pictures as reference?
No, I always started with sketches. Everyone has his or her own way, and I choose to draw first, and then engrave it on wood. When it is almost done, I will do a few trial prints. Every trial print helps revealing the details, which still need to be adjusted. My work is never the result of a single engraving session, but an iterative process over time. The finished works show my experience and hard work in the past decades.
Some of Ex-librīs about Orchid Island, why Orchid Island?
I visited Orchid Island in 1987 the first time. I saw a beautiful sunrise at Dongqing Bay at that time, and it became my memory of the island since then. I have been to Orchid Island for over 10 times, including one just this month. I want to create some new works with their traditional canoe as the subject, so I would like to see how the Orchid Island people makes their canoe with my eyes and feel their atmosphere. It didn’t work out in the end, because of the rains. When I sketched outdoor, I always walked on foot. I wanted to strengthen my body and my soul against loneliness.
Why does everyone call you Sanquan (literally Three Springs)? Did it come from your students?
No. The story begun when I was studying Chinese painting at university. We were required to sign our works, but the last character of my name is really difficult to write when it is small. My classmates invited teacher Wang Zhuangwei to give me a new name. Teacher Wang was thoughtful in calling me Musan (Literally Three Baths, with the character Mu a composition of water and wood, and San is three). There was a feeling of emptiness in this name, which I don’t find myself associated with, so I took the last character of my name (Xun, written as three characters Quan, meaning Spring) and call myself Sanquan (Literally Three Springs). For some reason, I became happier when I started using this new name.
It seems that a name could really affect a person! What are your future plans?
I would like to host a few more exhibitions for my Ex-librīs works if I find the right people and locations for them. I am planning to have an exhibition in Meinong, as I wish to do something for the place I lived before. I may participate in more competitions. I want to follow my heart to create works and devote my thought and stories into my works, even though it may not be understood by my viewers. Printmaking is very interesting, but it requires a lot of physical strength and eyesight. In a few years I might go back to my watercolor paintings, but I would try to do everything I want while it is still possible.
How would you describe yourself?
This is hard, uh, I don’t know. I guess a part of me is a little bit aloof. Like the toad in my works, I prefer to watch quietly from aside. I don’t like to enter a fight or quarrel. I am kind and unaggressive. I want to help a lot of people, but I get frustrated when I discover I couldn’t.
Text & photo: Huiwen Chen
Editing: Sanford Poon
Chinese version : http://hwchensfotostudio.blogspot.tw/2014/07/living-in-tainan-x-interview-004.html
