"Virtual Reality I"

Original watercolor drawing by Wu Hsichi

"This was created in 2013. I have a habit that tends to experiment with different techniques and mediums during various phases of my career. The lines here are drawn with ink, and the colors are of watercolor. During the experimental process, various components can be combined and integrated. Even though the watercolor is not widely used in my current work, I believe it contributed to my overall creativity down the road.

For the sky, I used the flat wash method. I alternate the usage of water-coloring techniques, such as wet in wet, wet in dry, etc. For the mountains, I still use oil pastels to draw the lines and areas. Due to their different characteristics, I realized that watercolor could present a misty effect which the oil pastel could not. I tend to experiment and combine various mediums to explore their effects and outcomes. I think mixed media is a huge realm worth exploring and I have been doing so since the beginning of my career. In this part, the sky is dreamy but the view below is realistic. Life is like that, always floating in and out between reality and fantasy; that is what we call the impermanence, an everchanging status.

We are often mistaken and believe that we must live this way. Art has a way to break this cycle. I believe art can provide the spirit a sense of freedom no matter its status. I believe there are no restrictions in creating art and this freedom will not harm anyone else. Therefore, the core value of art is to be able to express your truest thoughts. It does not matter whether your thoughts are aggressive or kind, because they would not hurt anyone. I believe it is a rare opportunity to be able to express one’s spiritual trueness through art."