A slash of Blue, 2022

Ink and Acrylic Paint on French watercolor paper with Emily Dickinson’s Poem “A slash of Blue”
157 x 180 x 17 cm


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In early Taiwan, "Drawing" was once translated as "素描" (sùmiáo), and later some curators rendered it as "捉影" (zhuō yǐng). However, neither of these Chinese translations fully expressed my understanding of Drawing. In 2009, I began using the term "塗畫" (túhuà) to describe my creative form and state. Here, "塗" (tú) is a verb that can refer to painting, drawing, or doodling. "塗畫" encompasses all related experiential domains, such as intimacy, informality, immediacy, subjectivity, memory, etc. In my work, the openness of "塗畫" responds to my emphasis on sensation.

My "Rolling Project" series typically begins with a flat painting, which then undergoes steps like cutting, rolling, arranging, and pasting. What sets apart the piece "A salash of Blue” is that after pasting, I doodle or collage blocky color blocks at the bottom of the composition. I even add poetry lines describing colors by the American poet Emily Dickinson next to these color blocks. Viewers must peek through the gaps in the paper to see these color blocks and words. The text becomes an unfolding of another dimension beyond the visual, akin to a conversation with the author of the words, adding another layer of reading pleasure to the artwork.


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A slash of Blue --
A sweep of Gray --
Some scarlet patches on the way,
Compose an Evening Sky --

A little purple -- slipped between --
Some Ruby Trousers hurried on --
A Wave of Gold --
A Bank of Day --
This just makes out the Morning Sky.

— Emily Dickinson "A slash of Blue"