by Juana Almaguer
Chinese ink painting is the part of Japan that I brought home with me. When I was living in Sapporo, Japan, I wanted not only to pick up art again but to learn about Japanese culture at the same time. I went to Sapporo’s cultural center and looked at all the paintings on the wall. There were the usual oils, watercolors, and pastels, but then my eye caught a painting of bamboo. It was a simple painting done in variations of black and white. I instantly knew that this style of painting would be my vehicle back to art. I signed up for the class immediately and met with the teacher. She gave me a list of supplies to buy: brushes, black ink, “rice” paper, Chinese watercolors, a sheet of felt, a paperweight, ceramic dishes and a plastic container for water.
I arrived for class the next day full of hope, excitement and ready to paint. The bamboo painting looked so simple that I knew I would be able to paint it in no time. I was in for a shock. Chinese ink paintings are more difficult than they appear. Van Gogh says it perfectly:
"If we study Japanese Art, we see a man who is undoubtedly wise, philosophic and intelligent, who spends his time doing what? In studying the distance between the earth and moon? No. In studying Bismarck’s policy? No. He studies a single blade of grass.”
That is pretty much what I did for the entire time that I studied Chinese ink painting. I painted the same strokes over and over again for each subject I studied. After the first few months, I began to feel that I wasn’t making any progress on painting bamboo. I was frustrated and on the brink of boredom. My teacher noticed and said that if a person wants to be good at something, they must work at it every day. There are sacrifices that must be made now for the joy that will come later. I realized I hadn’t been putting in enough time. From that day on, I made sure I painted every day before leaving for work. Progress came sooner and “boredom” took on a new meaning. I gained faith that today’s efforts, no matter how tedious, frustrating or seemingly unimportant, are necessary to the excitement that comes tomorrow. I know now that each moment I spend on my art gives force to the next moment, and therein lies my reward.
During my 16 months of studying the art in Japan, I had three group exhibitions, which included paintings of bamboo, frogs and grapes. I felt that my works were equal to other works on display. The days and days of practice had paid off. My teacher seemed to have confidence in me because she encouraged me to move forward at a faster pace. As a result, I was able to learn how to paint a greater number of subjects than average in those 16 months. The bamboo that gave me so much frustration in the beginning is now one of my favorite subjects to paint.
After living in Sapporo, Japan for four years and saving every penny we could, my husband and I quit our full-time jobs and moved to Zacatecas, Mexico. I am now able to work on my art full-time. I continue to incorporate the lessons I learned from traditional Chinese ink painting into my oils, drawings and modern Chinese ink paintings. I like to give the viewer “a piece of the whole” in my artwork. Regardless of the medium I am using, the subject is usually off-center and appears to be ‘coming into’ the painting. In Chinese ink painting the subjects are depicted off-center, and I’m sure this had a direct influence on my current method.
One more valuable lesson I learned in Japan is self-discipline. It was part of the equation to becoming a better artist. I am the only one here to push myself and that usually takes a great effort on my part. My self-discipline improved by keeping a schedule. That is, (as I mentioned earlier) I set aside a certain number of hours every day to paint. I have kept this basic principle ever since then, and I feel I would not have kept it had it not been for my experience with Chinese ink painting. As a result, I already know that I am going to paint today because I have painted every day in the past. That is my routine. This is how the young Japanese student learns Kanji (Chinese characters). There are close to 2000 basic characters, not including the combinations of those characters, essentially making the number much larger. Each character has a particular stroke order, which must be strictly followed.
To the foreigner, the task looks unapproachable, but to the Japanese student, it is part of the “schedule," a part of life, and they learn to discipline themselves to practice every day. Because they’ve been learning the Kanji since they entered elementary school, decision is not an issue. There are days when they may not want to practice, but the inertia behind the repetition of the task is strong -- because it is what they did yesterday, it is what they will do today. Art must be the same for me. Because of this self-discipline, the transition from having a boss who gave me that daily quota to meeting a self-given quota was much easier.
After spending the last three years painting in oils, I have picked up Chinese ink painting again. I am currently working on a series of paintings using traditional Chinese ink painting materials (Chinese ink, “rice” paper, Chinese brushes, Chinese watercolors and gouache) to paint the male figure. I try to paint the figure using the same strokes I would use if I were painting bamboo, kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) or eggplants in the traditional manner. The negative space also remains just as important in these modern Chinese ink paintings as it does in traditional ones. In other words, I am creating the “unpainted” space on the paper as much as I am painting the figure.
I believe there is an overall order to what I do. The moment of creativity brings with it a history. It is not one moment in and of itself, but a culmination of all prior moments. Because the hand works from memory, creativity is discipline in disguise. I have come to understand the importance of practicing the same brush stroke, in a particular order, time and time again. Through discipline, the brush strokes become an instinctual part of me, allowing creativity to lead, and the picture soon becomes itself with little effort.
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About the Artist
Ms. Almaguer was born and raised in Fresno, California. She now resides in Zacatecas, Mexico, a colonial town located at 8,000 feet. Self-taught in oils and drawing, she works full-time on her art. Ms. Almaguer combines her training in Chinese ink painting with the rules of Western painting, in order to capture the spirit of the object and the moment, as the Chinese strive to do in their paintings. One way of doing this is to present the subject off-center, which makes the negative (unused) space of the drawing just as fundamental to the drawing as the positive (used) space is. For her summer exhibition at Arte Americas, Ms. Almaguer will be using traditional Chinese ink painting materials and techniques to paint the male figure.
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Artist’s Statement
I find it easiest for me to express emotion and movement by drawing and painting people. Each person, I believe, has a history, a story that can be communicated in a drawing or painting. Some of my drawings and paintings are of people I have actually known or seen and some are from an idea I have had. I find the expression of the human body beautiful, and not at all outside of me, but flowing through that “vein of life” in all experiences.
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Next Art Exhibition
Arte Americas, June 20 to July 31, 1999, Fresno, California
Contact Information:
email:
galleryjuana@threegraces.com
http://www.threegraces.com/GalleryJuana
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Juana's Portfolio
is under construction
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