Modern Express News (correspondent Wang Zhuang Du Yang reporter Zhang Xiaopei) gourd harmonic "Fulu", is a symbol of auspiciousness, an ordinary gourd, after a pair of craftsmen skillful hands polished, can become exquisite lighting, auspicious ornaments. "Pizhou craftsman" Gu Chang has been fascinated by gourd making for more than ten years, and has been silently adhering to the road of inheritance, and he has accepted some apprentices on the Internet, both domestic and foreign. His gourd works gradually became popular in the industry, attracting many people to come to the door to "seek treasure".
Because of his love, he practiced the art of carving
"Gourd used to be a tool for scooping water and holding wine in the countryside, but now with the development of society, it is gradually replaced by plastic products and lost its value." Gu Chang is a native of Picheng City, Pizhou City, 33 years old this year, 20 years old, a chance, he found that the gourd hollow light after the shape of the light is particularly beautiful, he was fascinated by the gourd lamp production, this is more than 10 years. "At that time, I thought that as the representative of 'Fulu' in traditional culture, hulu must have greater deeds."
So, Gu Chang began to carve on the gourd, but after trying for a while, he found that it was not simple. "The gourd itself grows naturally, and each gourd not only looks different, but also has different thicknesses and textures in different locations." Gu Chang said that when carving gourds, it is necessary to have a precise grasp and use different forces, "light can not break the wall, once the force is too strong, it will be abandoned." ”
In Gu Chang's view, although the art of carving is known as "the dance on the tip of the knife", the actual carving process is boring and cumbersome, and it is common to accidentally slip your hand outside the pattern. "A gourd is carved into a beautiful lamp, it takes almost half a month, in the early days, a small opening in the hand, a small crack in the gourd, is very normal. If it's not very passionate, it's hard to stick to it. ”
After more than 10 years of research, after countless failures and attempts, Gu Chang has a clear understanding of the gourd. "What kind of gourd to do, what kind of lamp is suitable for making, you must have a number in mind." While Gu Chang's carving skills brought "new life" to the gourd, the gourd also achieved his craftsmanship. Design sketches, hand drawings, engraving with different engraving knives, finally sanding... Gu Chang, who was fascinated by the gourd lamp, began a long road of research.
Live teaching, inheriting the "craftsman spirit"
The gourd lamp made by Gu Chang has both the beauty of decoration and the practicality of lighting. Today, his works have been preliminarily divided into five series, hundreds of fancy styles. Gu Chang believes that this is the charm of pure hand carving. "I always think that as long as there is creativity and inspiration, you can dig out something more beautiful, it is different from the products produced by industrial mass production, the effect of 100 lamps is 100 effects, that is, 100 kinds of beauty."
Today, Gu Chang's home is like a small "gourd museum", filled with a variety of gourd products. As the inheritor of the craft, Gu Chang also innovates and changes in the inheritance, combining the traditional auspicious pattern with modern culture, so that the "gourd baby" in his hand goes further.
"I also designed and produced gourd wine pots, small pendants, handle pieces and other carvings, almost every night will live teaching, teaching staff how to make gourd lamps, but also received some apprentices on the Internet, some domestic and foreign." Gu Chang said that after the number of products he made reached a sufficient number, he began to sell goods live, and a live broadcast could sell almost everything.
A humble gourd, through Gu Chang's hand, has become a small object that can bring blessings and auspiciousness to people, and his gourd lamp has gradually spread in the industry, attracting many people to come to the door to "seek treasure". Speaking of the next step, Gu Chang told reporters: "The next step is to combine the unique folk culture and customs of Pizhou, carve them all on the gourd lamp, show our Pizhou culture, and also want more people to understand our Pizhou gourd lamp." ”
(Courtesy of the correspondent Editor Zhang Aihong)