February 23, Asia News Network - He was not born with a paintbrush in his hand but Luo Xiao Cong always had a pencil in his pocket. He made cartoon characters come to life on paper and drew comic strips for hours on end.

When this little boy from Jiangxi province in China grew up, he ventured into Chinese bird-and-flower and figure painting. He never gave ceramic and porcelain art more than a cursory glance until he was assigned to teach a ceramic art class at the Academy of Fine Arts, Jiangxi Normal College (where he was studying then).

“That was how I discovered the blue and white art form,” says Luo, 46. He then explains that while the conventional way is to apply the blue pigment to the porcelain body with a brush, coat it with a clear glaze and fire it at a high temperature, he has made modifications to the technique.

“My trademark ‘peeled blue’ technique combines the contrasting properties of wood carving and the refined elements of Chinese ink-and-wash painting. Using both knife and brush (instead of just the brush) for blue decoration is part of my distinctive style as an artist,” adds Luo, whose artwork is also inspired by folk paper-cutting.

“Ceramic and porcelain art has been a part of Chinese culture for over 1,000 years. I wanted to breathe new life into the art form without compromising its characteristic features.”

Travelling extensively in search for inspiration, he is particularly drawn to rural villages and the stories that whisper to him from the walls of old folk houses. His ceramic and porcelain instalments often depict these quaint houses nestled in valleys with picturesque mountains in the distance.

“Each village has a romantic secret to tell. I look for these local tales and get my inspiration from them,” he says, explaining that he aspires to evoke a sense of tranquillity and simplicity with his artwork.

Luo, an associate professor at Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, finishes one art piece before moving on to the next. Although he is an avid photographer, he does not work from photographs.

He has collected hundreds of sketches from his travels but when he puts brush and knife to porcelain, he paints and carves directly from his imagination.

“I do not sketch on paper – I do everything straight on the porcelain body. I start with Chinese brushes, then use knives to carve the blue away from the white. Even the clouds are cut by knives.”

Showing abundant details and layers with a uniform hue of blue decoration may seem like an arduous task, but Luo says the physical challenges of an artist’s medium is never the main concern.

This father of a 17-year-old boy says there is nothing more demanding than consistently creating artwork that is better than the last one, but the challenge can be overcome with the necessary know-how and the right attitude.

“It is not about the medium but the mindset you adopt. Are you willing to learn new things? Are you determined to improve? Are you open to new ideas?”

On his part, Luo spends about three months every year sketching and oil-painting.
He likens art to sports: “You need to participate in different kinds of sports to keep yourself in tip-top condition. Therefore, I dabble in different kinds of art.”

Embracing hard work as part and parcel of being a successful artist, he says his proudest moment was getting his creation, Chinese Flavours, included in the collection of the National Art Gallery in Beijing.

“It is an honour to be included as they have very high requirements. The artwork no longer belongs to me – it is now officially the property of the country and will be housed there indefinitely.

Luo hopes to have an exhibition at the same gallery within the next five years.
“I take pride in the content of my artwork and the emotions it evokes. The most important thing about a piece of art is not what you draw but how you draw it. It’s always the details of the work that can make or break a painting.”

Although he acknowledges the need to get away from it all at times – when Luo is not wielding a brush or knife, he sings and listens to music– he discloses that he saw very little of his wife while preparing for his first art exhibition in Malaysia, held at Oval Kuala Lumpur in January.

“I prepared about 60 pieces for this exhibition. I work very hard – and my wife has not seen me for about two months! I went home very late at night when she was already asleep and left for work before she work up in the morning,” he says, laughing.