Sam

I had previously arranged to visit Treasure Hill with Teacher Gao Yongcang and consult him on some painting-related questions. Walking and chatting with Teacher Gao was incredibly enjoyable, as he always offers unique perspectives and insights on various topics.

One of the most important things we discussed was the interplay between emptiness and fullness in his paintings, as well as the idea of not setting limitations that would bind oneself. Teacher Gao mentioned that most people currently tend to paint too much, leaving little space for the “emptiness.” I share this sentiment, as I often find myself overpainting.

During our conversation, I also learned that Teacher Gao has extensive knowledge about alcohol. He shared an interesting story about a whiskey distillery. Despite being able to achieve a perfectly refined taste, the distillery chose to retain the flavor of the local water. While this decision preserved the uniqueness of the local character, it cost them half of their customer base because not everyone liked the taste of the local water. This story left a deep impression on me and made me reflect on the approach to painting. We cannot please everyone, but we must preserve our most unique flavor.

Teacher Gao also generously gifted me three art books. He told me that he always invests a lot of money in producing them because the quality of the books represents the image of the artist, and therefore, texture and presentation are crucial.

A few days later, I traveled north again to visit Teacher Cai Zhirong. My connection with Teacher Cai originated from the exhibition in Venice, Italy. When it comes to things I don’t fully understand, I always maintain an attitude of learning and absorbing.

Teacher Cai shared a perspective with me: the themes I am currently painting are based on events from over a hundred years ago. He suggested that I should focus more on contemporary events as the basis for my discussions and research. This perspective once again challenged and reshaped my way of thinking.

The abstract paintings I create today are rooted in an art movement that began more than a century ago. Meanwhile, contemporary art has already progressed to include installations, multimedia, video art, and even integration with AI. So, what should I do?

As of now, I don’t have an answer. All I can do is continue researching and gradually piece everything together. I hope to one day find the answer within myself.

I am deeply grateful to Teacher Gao and Teacher Cai for their generous guidance to someone as junior as me. Thank you so much.

之前和高永滄老師約好了要去寶藏巖走走，並向高老師請教一些繪畫的問題。行走中和高老師的聊天非常的愉快，他對事情總有不同的角度和看法。而其中最重要談到高老師的畫裡面的一些虛與實的部份及不要自我設限讓自己綁住自己。高老師說目前大部分都畫的太多。比較少做虛的部分。這一點我有同感，自己總是畫得太多。另外聊天當中，我知道高老師對於酒非常有研究。他舉了一個例子譬如說有一瓶威士忌工廠，對於味道他明明可以做到很好，但他卻保留了當地水質的味道，可是他為了保留當地的味道卻損失了一半的客戶。因為這另一半的客戶不喜歡當地水質的味道。這一個威士忌的故事讓我很深刻的思考畫畫的問題。我們並沒有辦法討好所有的人。我們需要保留自己最獨特的味道。高老師贈送我三本畫冊。他告訴我說他每次製作，都花了不少錢。因為畫冊代表這個畫家的形象，所以質感非常的重要。

隔了幾天我又再度北上拜訪蔡志榮老師，和蔡老師的緣份在於義大利威尼斯的展覽，對於不了解的事物我一直採取著學習和吸收的態度，蔡老師給我了一個觀念是我現今畫的主題是在一百多年前的事情，我應該更關注當今當代發生的事物來做主題討論研究，這種種的觀念又再度打破了我的想法。目前我畫的抽象繪畫已是100多年的事情，目前藝術已走到裝置、影音、錄像。現在更走到和AI結合。所以呢？目前的我還沒有答案，只有再繼續研究，再整個統整起來。期望早日找到自己內心的答案。

再次感謝高老師以及蔡老師對於晚輩的不吝指導 。感恩