One Wellingtonian’s artistic inspiration for the Lunar New Year
View this year’s celebration artwork —
Daniel’s ‘Golden Dragon’ and hear how he creates his watercolour masterpieces for our community
Year 7 pupil Daniel has emerged as Wellington’s resident artistic champion of Chinese culture. For three years now, he has eagerly volunteered his painting skills to celebrate traditional Chinese festivals like Mid-Autumn Festival and the Lunar New Year. And he never fails to wow our community with talent well beyond his age. The coming Year of the Dragon is particularly special for Daniel, as it is his zodiac animal. And, as you will see in the painting he has submitted this year, the mythical animal is a powerful source of creative inspiration for him. Here he tells us about how he continues to grow as an artist, his New Year wishes and what dragons mean to him.
We interviewed you last year about your artwork for the Spring Festival. How have you grown as an artist since then?
I think I have made a lot of progress in the past year in terms of my fine brushwork. This was useful, as I needed more control and flexibility when drawing outlines.
Read 'A brush with greatness', our interview with Daniel last year
What is special about this year’s painting as it relates to Chinese New Year?
This New Year is the Year of the Dragon, and in China, the dragon is a really auspicious, sacred animal. Everyone loves the Chinese dragon. So, I really had a lot of fun drawing them!
Do the colours in your painting have any significance? Tell us more about the details.
Dragons are seen in many different colours in traditional paintings, but the most noble must be the golden dragon, which is very powerful and mighty. The dragon's head, his hair and eyes are the most difficult parts to get right. They need to reflect the dragon's majesty but should also not be too fierce — a tricky balance.
How long did it take you to paint this year’s piece?
It took me three days to finish it, and it took me almost seven hours to finalise it.
What are your favourite subjects to paint?
I like the splashed ink landscapes in Chinese paintings the most, which are more freehand and stylistic.
What feelings or ideas do you like to express in your work?
I hope that everyone can return to their families for the New Year. This being the Year of the Dragon, there can be no more powerful or important family gathering!
You clearly love traditional Chinese painting. Do you ever think about pursuing another medium or style?
I like Chinese painting very much, but I am also interested in experimenting with combining Western and Chinese art styles. I think it would be interesting to see what a fusion of cultures would look like.
Where do you see your artistic talent taking you in 10 years?
Traditional painting has given me more understanding and love of ancient Chinese traditional culture, and I hope that 10 years later, I can let more young people from different countries know that Chinese traditional painting is also a very international and very fashionable art, so that more traditional paintings can decorate our environment more beautifully, and the traditional pieces can be very fashionable!
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