On The workbench of Gillix is filled with corals and shells.
The Dahao Fishery Shell Experience Hall has a collection of 1,000
A variety of shells.
Ji Lishi's original "fish scale painting" is vivid.
In the Dahao Fishery Shell Experience Hall on Haochengkeng Dry Road in Haojiang District, Shantou City, there are more than 1,000 kinds of shellfish in the collection, not only shellfish from Haojiang Hong kong, but also shellfish from Somalia, Malaysia and other distant oceans. Crafts made from corals and shells are eye-catching. This experience hall is not an official institution, but was spontaneously established by Ji Lishi, a fisherman in the Hao River.
Shellfish and fish scales are common to people who grew up by the sea, but in The Eyes of Gillith, these are the gifts of nature. He entrusted his inner beauty to these marine creatures and reflected in the artworks he made by himself, creating a wonderful artistic world.
The collection comes from the farthest reaches of the Somali waters
Ji Lishi's ancestors have been fishermen in the Hao River for generations, and he has been dealing with the ocean since he was a child, and he has developed a great interest in marine life. "When I was young, I lived by the sea, and my grandparents would follow me every time I went to the dock to buy raw fish, and when I didn't need to go to the sea, I would look for shells in the feed fish pile." Ji Lishi recalled with a smile that after the reform and opening up, the family began to carry out distant-water fishing operations, which also allowed him to provide conditions for his collection.
At first, it was not deliberately collected, and Gillith only remembered that it was only because he wanted to decorate the monotonous fish tank, so he began to consciously collect some shellfish and corals, and later accumulated more and more, unconsciously more than 30 years have passed. Due to the large number of shells, the family can no longer put it down, So Ji Lishi has specially vacated a floor in the factory to build a shell experience hall.
"This is the African bottle snail, the colorful girl snail, the Webers snail, the witch conch, the brandy vortex snail, the seven-star treasure snail..." Ji Lishi's lover Wang Huihong introduced while taking the reporter to visit the shell experience hall. Don't look at Wang Huihong now talking about the head of the shell is the Tao, at first she did not understand her husband's hobbies very much.
"When I first started collecting these shells, I didn't quite agree. Because the seafood that has just been salvaged has a great odor and fishy smell, it needs to be cleaned for a long time, making the home smell very heavy, and the production process of some specimens is also more cumbersome. Wang Huihong said that later, it was her husband who continued to popularize the knowledge of the ocean to her, telling him that these collections can let the next generation know how to protect the ocean, and she gradually understood and supported her husband's hobby.
In the process, the well-known Ji Lishi was often given "good things" by fishermen in some areas, and the most precious collection was a shell from the somali sea. Ji Lishi introduced that this shell is a testimony to the fact that Chinese fishermen were allowed to go out to sea for distant water fishing in the early 1980s. A fisherman had been treasured after catching the shell, and later learned that Ji Lishi specialized in the collection of shells, so he gave it to him.
In the Shell Memorial Hall, the reporter noticed many handicrafts made of coral and shells, and only after careful questioning did he know that this was a unique creation of Ji Lishi. "Once I broke my hand while cleaning corals, and they broke into many pieces, and I think it is a pity to throw them away. Later, I tried to restore them, put them back together, and then added shells to make flowers, which were particularly beautiful to stick, and I slowly collected these scraps. He said.
In 2008, Ji Lishi gave Wang Huihong his debut work "Coral Flower", and this unique romance made Wang Huihong touched and amazed, "I didn't expect that these small items that were used to this combination had such a wonderful chemical reaction." ”
After that, Wang Huihong also began to pay attention to the integration of her husband's hobbies, accompanied her husband to participate in shellfish exhibitions at home and abroad, built a shell experience hall together, and silently accompanied her husband when he was creating. "Even if it withers, he will 'resurrect' it to form a spiritual work, bent on making everyone feel the beauty of the ocean." She said.
Innovative creations using fish scales
In the shell experience hall, a painting of a "rooster" attracted the attention of reporters, and Ji Lishi told reporters that it was made from the fish scales of red-billed magnum. Last year, during a cleaning of the scales of the red-billed eel, he was attracted by the luster emitted by the scales soaked in the water, and looked at the full basin of fish scales.
The snow-white scales of the eel can clearly see a circle of texture under the sunlight, which brightens the imagination space of Ji Lishi: if this piece of fish scale is put together, what kind of visual effect will it have?
He took a few pieces of fish scales and pieced them directly on the ground, feeling dissatisfied, and picked up the scissors and created them. One knife, two knives, three knives, under Ji Lishi's skillful hands, a small piece of fish scale was cut out of the pattern, some like claws, some like feathers. "Then use fish scales to form a rooster!" In Ji Lishi's view, the rooster is a symbol of punctuality, with a beautiful meaning, and he used it as the first theme of the creation of fish scale paintings.
In order to better understand the morphological characteristics of chickens, Ji Lishi can stay in the chicken farm for half a day and observe the appearance of the rooster. After thorough observation, he drew the outline of the rooster on the cardboard himself, and attached a part of the feathered fish scales and a complete fish scale to different parts of the chicken. After the glue is dry, use scissors to trim each part of the fish scales twice, and the last "rooster" made of fish scales will be baked.
Although the narrative of the process is simple, it actually takes at least one or two months before and after the creation of the fish scale painting. Ji Lishi told reporters that fish scales need to be rinsed and soaked repeatedly before making to remove salt and impurities. Before the formal production, it is soaked in boiling water until the scales are fully unfolded, and then classified according to the thickness and gloss of the fish scales to see if they are used to make "feathers" or other parts. After using glue to paste the fish scales on the paper, it is necessary to press for two or three days to make the scales fully attached, and at the same time do a good job of moisture-proof measures, and then correct them after they are completely dry.
It is reported that a molded work needs to be cut with 20,000-30,000 knives and thousands of scales. "It's not a big project, but it's not that easy either." Wang Huihong told reporters that in order to create fish scale paintings, Ji Lishi can be described as a waste of sleep and forgetfulness, and he can forget everything when the inspiration is on the head, "At first he cut it unsuccessfully, and then he constantly cut, started, spliced it up, and continued to accumulate, so that it was layered." She said.
Willing to share this skill
Zhu Guangqian, an aesthetic master, once said: "All artists must be half craftsmen and the other half poets." Although a craftsman, Ji Lishi used his skillful and imaginative brain to turn his life into poetry. A few ordinary scales came into his hands, which were both sea-like and solid and beautiful.
It is precisely because of understanding her husband's love for the creation of marine art works that Wang Huihong has been silently supporting behind her back. Since last year, Ji Lishi's fish scale paintings have been completed more than ten times, most of which are themed with roosters and peacocks, and the works are vivid.
In the craft of fish scale painting, Ji Lishi draws on traditional skills such as traditional paper-cutting, carving, and grass painting, and integrates the style of Haojiang into his creation, and walks out of an artistic path of his own. "My paintings are characterized by the expression of auspicious elements in traditional Chinese culture, the life of the Dahao people and their expectations for the future." But he also admitted that the current process research time of fish scale painting is relatively short, the technology is still relatively weak, and it is still in the exploration stage. "It's still difficult to cut out the texture of the feathers, depending on the stage of feeling on your hands." He said.
When it comes to the inheritance of craftsmanship, Ji Lishi said that as long as someone is willing to learn, he is willing to popularize and share this skill. "I used to paint day and night, but now I've reduced my work for physical reasons, but I hope this craft can be passed on." Wild red-billed egret scales are a limited raw material and difficult to collect, and Gillith says he is looking for suitable freshwater fish scales to replace and reduce the cost of creation.
"With the development of the times, many folk crafts are unconsciously disappearing, and the inheritance and protection of folk art is very urgent." Mr. and Mrs. Gillith hope that by using marine materials to produce works of art, we will arouse everyone's attention to marine resources and protect them. It is also hoped that through the collection and display of these works, the next generation will understand the knowledge of the ocean and deepen their sense of belonging to their hometown.
Text/Photo: Nanfang Daily reporter Yu Dan
Intern Zheng Qinyuan