Zhao Fucai merges traditional Chinese techniques and Western realism in his dynamic watercolours
Watercolour paintings can be as objectively realistic as Western oil paintings, and they can express the same emotions as abstract traditional Chinese paintings. Watercolours fascinate me. When I drew, I would forget to eat and sleep.
I’ve enjoyed drawing since I was young. In my teens I attended art school and began to receive orthodox painting training. During this period, I did pencil sketches, oil painting, gouache paintings and Chinese traditional paintings. During my time at school, I painted oil landscapes almost every day. Training and practice gave me a solid art foundation. Later, I entered the China Academy of Art studies under some famous painters like Zhisheng He and Ziliang Cheng. The rigorous pedagogy and exquisite techniques of those senior artists have led me to improve my painting techniques. I benefited from those skills for the rest of my life. At that time, I had developed a strong interest in watercolours. Despite the heavy teaching workload after becoming a teacher at Hainan University, I did not allow myself to let go of the brush. It made me cherish the time I had to paint even more. After teaching my classes, I put almost all my free time into my watercolour paintings. The more time I spent on practice and experiment with watercolour, the more I grow to love it.
I enjoy outdoor activities and exploring new places. During my trip to Tibet last fall, I had to overcome the altitude sickness, but it gave me the opportunity to create several landscape sketches. Sketches release my artistic feelings, and their creation can allow me to think about the big picture. Many of my sketches turned into watercolour paintings in the end. My watercolour paintings represent the scenes in the natural world. They all have beautiful symbols. People are eager to find beauty in the busy modern life. I want to give viewers a glimpse of beauty from real life that I captured through my paintings.
This story is from the June/July 2018 edition of International Artist.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June/July 2018 edition of International Artist.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Intrigue in the ordinary
I've \"'ve never had any formal training always had a strong attraction to the arts and the practice of painting
Paper Textures
John Lovett guides us through the varying properties of different watercolor surfaces
Creating Ambiance
Mona Parker Weidner selects colors palettes and light sources that emphasize the mood of her interior scenes
Visual Depth
Blending and smoothing with solvents, Holly Siniscal creates painterly portraits in colored pencil
Sharp Precision
Working with craft blades and tattoo needles, Conor Smith etches realistic renderings of wildlife
The architecture of water
When Then I moved from Toronto to a tiny community in Nova Scotia, I became fascinated by the ocean, its reflections and endlessly shifting patterns of color and light
Saturated World
Emphasizing the beauty of nature, Joe A. Oakes paints landscapes with warm colors and imaginative compositions
Pure Bliss
Working alla prima, Andreas Liss takes on a loose, unbridled approach in his artwork
Sculpting the Paint
Using a palette knife allows oil painter Maria Iva to create clean colors and rich textures
Forwad MOMENTUM
Artist Lisa Gleim shares the evolution of her career and how she grew into her preferred medium of pastels