Qilu Evening News Qilu one-point reporter Tian Ruye Jing New Year
Recently, Pan Jianhua, a 58-year-old painter in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, suddenly caught fire. It is also because three years ago, he was admitted to the advanced training class of imitation and creation of flower and bird painting variants of the China Academy of Fine Arts, and graduated as an excellent student last year. At present, while working as a painter in his old profession, he began to take students to learn the basic skills of painting.
With paint brushes on one side and paintbrushes on the other, Pan Jianhua has already switched between the two identities. For him, working as a painter is to support his family, and painting is the dream.
With the continuous study and practice of painting, Pan Jianhua is getting closer and closer to his dream of painting well.
A well-known local painter
Pan Jianhua's family has been a painter in Jine Village, Deqing County, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, for 42 years, and his craft is already well-known in the local area. Every morning at 7 o'clock, Pan Jianhua rode a battery car to the construction site and finished work at 5:30 p.m. to go home.
Speaking of working as a painter, Pan Jianhua recalled that the conditions at home were not good in that year, and he stopped studying after finishing primary school and began to help the family do farm work. At the age of 16, under the persuasion of his family, Pan Jianhua decided to learn a craft. "Everyone in my family asked me to learn a skill, and the poor family's daughter-in-law depends on this to support the family." Pan Jianhua was humble and thoughtful, and decided to follow his cousin to do a decoration carpentry. At that time, most of the furniture of people's homes was handmade by carpenters, who decorated and married needed to make beds and wardrobes, after learning this craft, the work was close to home and there was no shortage of market. As a result, Pan Jianhua became his cousin's apprentice, "We have very few local painters, but there are many people who want to make furniture." ”
Pan Jianhua started quickly. Some people pay attention to people to draw some patterns on wooden furniture, through the furniture pattern design to increase the sense of beauty, so that the furniture does not appear monotonous, the locals call this kind of painting "eraser painting", Pan Jianhua also began to try to paint on the furniture wood board.
Pan Jianhua began working as a decoration carpenter at the age of 16 (Photo courtesy of interviewee)
The steps to draw an eraser are relatively cumbersome. In the past, the conditions were not good, and the wooden boards needed to make the wooden bedside needed several small wooden boards to be synthesized. Pan Jianhua usually uses paint to color the wooden board first, wait for the paint to dry thoroughly, and then according to the different colors of the furniture, use sand skin to polish smooth over and over again, and then use oil and oily paint to paint on the wooden board, and finally use eraser or tire skin to wipe the places that do not need color, and the remaining color can become a pattern.
Pan Jianhua was a particular person, at that time, the patterns painted on the wooden board were mostly Meilan bamboo chrysanthemums, he usually first traced the patterns on white paper, and then carved them on the wooden boards one by one after he drew smoothly and skillfully. "After all, the wooden board is not white paper, and if the wooden board is not brushed well, it will be scrapped." As he came and went, Pan Jianhua painted more and more rubber paintings, and he was already comfortable with drawing patterns familiar to folk artists such as flowers and birds.
Pan Jianhua has good craftsmanship, works quickly, and soon has a reputation in the local area. Whoever needs a wardrobe, a barrel, a wooden bed, comes to him. At the age of 19, Pan Jianhua began to take apprentices, bringing 4 in one go. "Now that I think about it, it's still fun to be a painter, and I'm free and free to work."
Pick up a brush and start drawing
Pan Jianhua really picked up the brush and started painting in 2016.
When he met Huang Jian, an art teacher who was teaching at Deqing County University for the Elderly at the time, he said, "I showed Teacher Huang the paintings I copied on my mobile phone, and he said that I had a talent for painting. This is the first time that Pan Jianhua's paintings have been affirmed, but he does not dare to boast that he has a talent for painting, after all, people pick up paintbrushes in middle age, rely on the basis of making eraser painting, and practice on their own.
In the Chinese painting class of Deqing County University for the Elderly, Pan Jianhua replaced the paint brush in his hand with a brush. On the first day of class, he hit a wall. After all, the brush is not a paint brush, and Pan Jianhua's pen holding posture and drawing method are wrong in the eyes of professional teachers. "The teacher said it many times, but I was still not used to it, and I was the student who was the most criticized at that time."
Pan Jianhua painting (courtesy of the interviewee)
Despite the constant criticism, Pan Jianhua chose to continue to paint. "Because I like it, I don't feel ashamed." After each class, he insisted on practicing until nine o'clock in the evening, which was the most diligent one in the Chinese painting class of the old university.
It was about fifteen minutes from Pan Jianhua's home to the university for the elderly, and he never missed classes once a week. Here, Pan Jianhua mastered the professional pen holding posture, and also systematically learned the painting method of Chinese painting, and he also became the fastest improving student in the class.
In the summer of 2019, the 55-year-old saw the enrollment brochure of the Chinese Academy of Fine Arts Seminar forwarded by others in the circle of friends. Although the seminar was not an older class, he decided to give it a try after seeing that the age of the trainees could be relaxed to 60 years old. So he spent two days painting four paintings of flowers and birds, "I didn't think about drawing anything, only the most painted pheasants and insects." Pan Jianhua did not hold out hope, and he sent his painting to the designated mailbox according to the requirements. A week later, he received an acceptance letter from the Advanced Course on Copying and Creation of Variations of Flower and Bird Painting. "I couldn't believe it after I received it myself, after all, I didn't have the foundation and conditions like others."
After receiving the acceptance letter, there were also voices of doubt and opposition. The first person who opposed Pan Jianhua's learning to paint was his family, "My wife said, what is the use of painting, it is better to do more work to earn money when you are old." ”
Pan Jianhua's daily practice of painting flowers and birds (photo provided by the interviewee)
On one side is life, on the other side is dreams. After hesitating for a week, Pan Jianhua resolutely paid the tuition. The tuition fee of the seminar is 25,000 yuan, Pan Jianhua's average annual income as a painter is 70,000 or 80,000 yuan, when he takes out this money, Pan Jianhua is not soft, after all, the happiness brought to him by the realization of his dream of painting is no less than that of a painter.
Since September 14, 2019, Pan Jianhua has become a regular customer between Deqing and Hangzhou. The course of the China Academy of Fine Arts seminar is two days on the weekend, and on the weekend, when he puts on the drawing board and picks up the paintbrush, he changes from a painter master to a student of the seminar, "My apprentice also asked me, Master, aren't you tired?" "Pan Jianhua never felt tired, he went to school to paint in the class, sketched outdoors, he was the happiest student in the training class.
Effort always pays off. In 2020, Pan Jianhua's paintings participated in the "Flower Language and Harmony - National Invitation Exhibition of Flower and Bird Painting", which was the most accomplished time since Pan Jianhua had the most painting. "The exhibitors are some famous flower and bird painters in the country, and my paintings can be exhibited, which is the greatest affirmation for me."
In January 2021, Pan Jianhua graduated from the China Academy of Fine Arts Seminar, and he was also rated as an outstanding student in the class.
I want to keep painting
Paint brushes on one side and brushes on the other. Working and leisure, painter and painter these two identities, Pan Jianhua has long switched freely.
A small table, paint and brushes, spread rice paper, the surrounding walls are full of paintings, is Pan Jianhua's studio, in this homemade small studio, Pan Jianhua has painted thousands of paintings.
Pan Jianhua's favorite paintings are plum blossoms and bamboo. Every day when he came home from work, as long as he had time, he would pick up the brush and draw a few strokes, and the shepherd boy herded cattle, lotus flowers, flowers, birds, fish and insects, which he had already painted hundreds of times. "You can make money as a painter, but it costs money to paint." Pan Jianhua knows that behind the dream of painting needs the support of cost, a good album needs four or five hundred yuan, plus the cost of paint, brush, rice paper, the daily expenses are not low, but Pan Jianhua intends to continue to paint.
Pan Jianhua's painting (courtesy of the interviewee)
Nowadays, everyone in the village knows that Pan Jianhua can paint with paint brushes and brushes. The owner of a hotel once specifically asked Pan Jianhua to paint wall paintings. In eight days, he painted 7 wall paintings and got 2400 yuan. Pan Jianhua is more concerned that everyone sees his painting level, "In fact, the meaning is not how much money is taken, but they recognize my painting level." ”
Pan Jianhua now has apprentices who learn to paint, and every Monday and Wednesday is the time for Pan Jianhua's disciples to paint. "I don't dare say I'm a teacher, because I also need to continue to learn to draw." In Pan Jianhua's view, teaching others to paint is also a way to improve himself, and he is more willing to exchange feelings and experiences with his apprentices.
Pan Jianhua also knew in his heart that he was old and could not work as a painter in a few years, but the paintbrush in his hand could not be stopped. "I'm not at a certain level yet, and I still need to keep practicing." Pan Jianhua has long planned his own painting path, and he hopes to continue to practice his painting skills and bring his paintings to participate in more provincial and national exhibitions.