Shu Guoping: The key to wood carving

One of the leading figures of Chinese wood carvings, “The City of Chinese Woodcarvings”-the master of wood carving in Putian, Fujian, created the “Four Beautys” and other masterpieces. The masters' traditional sculpture heritage and the college's realistic style combine with the atmosphere of the college. Sense of heroes. Although the works are excellent, they are modest and simple and straightforward. This is how the reporter interviewed Lao Guoping in recent days because he can open his heart, unfollowed and shake his skills in wood carving with his knives, materials, etc. It is possible to point out flaws in the existing wood carving arts without fear of offending people.

One thousand dollars per knife carved out of the knife carelessly pay Dongliu Reporter: You are a national master of arts and crafts, over the years brilliant achievements, numerous awards, may I ask in the years of wood carving art career, you have any creative experience? Most of your winning works are character woodcarvings. Why do you have a soft spot for these difficult-to-create subjects?

Ruan Guoping: My grandfather was a famous woodcarver in Fujian Province. I learned wood carvings with him since childhood. I learned the basic principles of knife and wood picking in elementary school. The father is on the subject of characters, flowers, birds, landscapes, etc., I naturally won his true biography. After working, I went to school several times to learn. In the process of rejuvenating the technology, I discovered that there is an extra talent for the character woodcarving, and I am very interested in it because I think it can express my thoughts more directly.

Reporter: When you were in elementary school, you already mastered the skills? Craftsmanship is a determinant factor in the art of woodcarving. What are your experiences with knives?

Ruan Guoping: Yes, knife and knife is the key to wood carving and it is directly related to the success or failure of the work. The special wood carving tools are very sharp. It can be said that there are “effects” that are “a little difference and a thousand miles” in a gentle stroke. It is the so-called “carving out a thousand pieces and accidentally paying attention to the east”.

In practice, I summed up the method of "slowly thinking". As far as the operation time of a theme is concerned, I usually only need a day or two - this is a very fast speed. Why is it so neat? Because I had deliberately thought about it before, the basic prototype of the work has been formed in my mind, so that the knife is decisive and the speed is fast. It can be said that it is a stable operation.

In addition, wood carving artists must learn to use modern tools. If a piece of work is still using traditional tools when it is carved into the finest, there is a risk of mistakes. At this time, you must learn to use high-speed drills, grinding machines, etc. to complete these "very dangerous steps." Moreover, the artists must use the techniques flexibly and use knives according to the content of their works.

Reporter: I mentioned that the basic principle of timber selection, I think that in terms of technical operations, wood carving and jade carving, tooth carving, porcelain carving compared to the advantages of materials due to the difference has disadvantages, how do you avoid weaknesses?

Ruan Guoping: There are many kinds of wood carving materials, such as hardwood, cork, big wood, small wood, etc., and the color, annual ring texture and so on are also different. As for how to avoid weaknesses, it depends to a certain extent on the artist's experience. I usually practice in two ways: First, according to the actual situation of the material conceived theme, such as elegant rosewood, I will try to retain its original shape and weight; Another way is to select materials based on subject matter, fine Choose different materials, such as big, small, hard, soft, red, yellow, etc., for the best results.

Of course, no matter how good the wood is, there will be flaws. Therefore, when I create materials, I have stricter choices and checks. In general, I will choose the best wood for creation. Take boxwood for example. There are many places of origin. I will Choose the best quality Hubei boxwood.

Inspired by students to create a masterpiece for a reporter: Since the wood carving is a traditional folk unique skill, it is bound to face the problem of inheritance and innovation. Do you think the current artists have done well in these fields?

Ruan Guoping: For thousands of years, it is the generations and generations of woodcarving artists who have devoted and inherited and created many outstanding works. Fujian woodcarvings and even Chinese woodcarvings have always maintained their vitality. To evaluate the merits and demerits of a piece of wood carving, in addition to its techniques and forms, the most important thing is the artistic connotation. Of course, this is not something that can be practiced overnight. It requires the artists to be in place in terms of creative ideas, artistic vision, and cultural cultivation. I think that a good wood carving creator should not only pay attention to the technical level but also must strengthen the artistic quality.

It is undeniable that there are still many skilled craftsmen in the field of wood carving art today, but few outstanding and creative masters are extremely unfavorable to the development of the wood carving business. Without the top art talents, there is no artistic quality, and people are desperate to die. It!

Reporter: In order to cultivate more outstanding wood art talents and reserve forces, you created the Putian Xinghua Sculpture Research Institute and became the dean. As the saying goes, “Teaching is good at teaching”. Did you feel this way in cultivating students? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the young generation compared to your generation of artists?

Ruan Guoping: Our generation is more professional and unitary, and young people are more ideological, more active, and more versatile. If they will use jade materials, stones, crystals, and other materials for creation, this is something we never thought of before. Their innovative thinking was inspiring to me. For example: I once bought a very beautiful conch from the seashore. When I was watching it at home one day, a brilliant idea suddenly flashed in my mind - it could be created with woodcarving. A girl, let her become a work with this conch. The idea soon formed. It was Conch Girl and it worked very well.

My growth, apart from my own efforts, is inextricably linked to the selfless teachings and teachings of teachers. Therefore, I have been trying every possible way to guide my students to avoid detours and to become successful as soon as possible, so that the wood carving art is inherited from generation to generation.