We are Wellington | A brush with greatness

I was in year 3. My mother asked me to learn calligraphy, but I found calligraphy boring. I was jealous of the pupils in the Chinese painting class next door. They got to use colour and could scribble. So, I asked my mother to help me switch over to the Chinese painting class. 

I especially like Qi Baishi's paintings. The works he did in his later life are these simple, minimalistic, uncomplicated paintings — a cabbage, a birthday peach, three persimmons, a few chrysanthemums, two radishes. They were a great inspiration for me when I was first learning how to paint. I am also starting to really enjoy landscape paintings. I copy many famous Qing Dynasty landscape paintings, including the calligraphy in them.

I am extremely proud and happy that my paintings can be used at Wellington, I am very grateful to my school and teachers for giving me this opportunity, I love my school, and I hope that through this event, my parents can feel happy and proud of me!

I think there are many magical things about traditional Chinese art. The ancients could use such a thick brush, such black ink, but they painted the poetry of China's great rivers and mountains.  Works like "Qingming Shanghe Map" and "Fuchun Mountain House Map" portray the beauty of life. Recently, I have been learning to paint images of the Buddha from the Dunhuang murals with my teacher, using the most ancient techniques. It entails painting layer by layer and outlining lines, repeatedly. I am looking forward to the finished product. When it’s ready, I want to give it to my father, because he is a Buddhist.

My paintings are traditional, but I also bring a sense of mischief to my work. I have a lot of modern ideas that I integrate into these paintings. For instance, I have a painting of an ancient Jiangnan water village, and among the many houses, I wrote "WC" on one of the walls. Because, even in ancient times, people needed to know where the WC was.

The biggest challenge for me is writing Chinese characters with a brush. It is so difficult. No matter how hard I try, it is never as neat as it is when I use a pen. In the future, I hope to study Western oil painting and learn how to combine those techniques with the traditional style I work in now. I think I could create something really special by combining these two styles.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to display my work at Wellington during traditional Chinese festivals. The ongoing pandemic has made things challenging for all of us. Hopefully, I can help to spark some optimism in the hearts of my fellow pupils as we welcome a New Year. So, my Spring Festival-themed painting has rabbits, of course, but it also features fruits of spring, like red cherries, which symbolise a year full of life and vitality.