Artist Statement
Cat and Fish
My series, Cat and Fish, is about a cat and a fish living in the countryside. In this world, Cat is a retired swordsman who is tired of his bloody life and decides to spend his old age in a quiet countryside house. But Fish is not willing to be like other companions in the water with dull face, repeatedly swallowing food, and a short fish memory. Fish had a dream of becoming a great swordsman and made an exchange with the underwater witch so that he could walk on two legs. For now, these two characters, Cat and Fish, live together in this little house with a pool. They had a sweet and simple farming life.
The narrative in my painting series is divided into spring, summer, autumn and winter. The protagonists, Cat and Fish, abide at their homes. The environment and the costumes for the characters are inspired from my own cultural background. I combine Chinese architecture with some Chinese festivals. In “Spring”, I added harvested plums, fishing, and falling petals painted in the colours of light green, light pink to show the lovely spring. In “Summer”, I added lotus flowers, watermelon and zongzi, a sweet glutinous rice cake from the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. In “Autumn”, I added the fallen leaves, kites, harvested apples with deep yellow. In “Winter”, I added snow falling late at night, the pines outside filling with snow, and the warmth inside.
The whole painting series is actually a reflection of my heart. I want to live an ordinary life. I also want to put my dream of being an illustrator into my heart. However, I am still practicing my skills, just like the fish trying to walk. The series is intended to give people a light heart. I hope seeing these paintings will simplify your life and release stress, but also allow you to face your own dreams at the same time.