Ye Huanwei: An Artist out of This Planet

Emma Lee   June 24, 2014

 

A story starting with color, aroma and flavor

 

Courtyard of Green Wood Garden

 

Although I was quite familiar with the many “hidden workshops and crouching cafes” of Xiaozhou Village, I couldn’t help breathing out sighs of wonder when Dong Yidian opened that heavy-duty door and revealed the world behind.

 

It was a quaint temple. We were immediately greeted by a variety of lush plants: low, luxuriant, aquatic, scandent, bustling all over the courtyard; layers of tile roofs took over the skyline; a deep hall extended around, with works of the artist hung up on the walls; and an exquisite wing-room consummated a trip of awe.

 

When we were drinking in the dainty details of the enchanting “Green Wood Garden”, the host had prepared a table of delicious food: steamed fish with spices, soy sauce chicken, taro and vegetables--- it went straight to the hearts of the delegate from downtown. Meanwhile, Dong Yidian pulled over the friendly-looking chef who had been standing aside, saying:”This is the host of the day, Mr. Ye Huanwei, artist and chef.”

 

That was how we met Ye Huanwei--- a chapter of color, aroma and flavor, as we Chinese say! What kind of host could it be residing at this peaceful courtyard--- so peaceful as if you could hear the time flow by?

 

Painting & cooking

 

Ye Huanwei and artist friend Dong Yidian

 

TPA: What’s your life like now (how did you come up with the idea of setting up “Green Wood Garden”)? Any progress compared to last year?

 

Ye: As an artist, you need to find a relatively stable place to create. “Green Wood Garden” is a resort of fine art and fine food that supports my work in art, but what’s more important, I enjoy making delicacy, which is another way of fun besides artistic creation, and it provides consistency to the latter.

 

For the past few years, I’ve been devoting half of the year in the restaurant, casual creation and sharing of ideas, life, and art with friends of all sorts, and another half in concentrated creation and traveling. It took a considerable amount of time, money and energy to design and set up the resort as well as move my studio here last year. I’m just getting settled this year, and more devoted to the main job of my life: oil paintings.

 

A believer of Taoism

 

Ye Huanwei and friends at Green Wood Garden

 

TPA: What do you have in mind now about art and life? Is there an ultimate goal you want to achieve?

 

Ye: For now, I am trying to put more time in ideas and creating. It’s better to say “a dream” than “an ultimate goal”. The route of life takes turns according to surroundings. “An ultimate goal” is too stiff; I admire the idea of “letting nature taking its course” from Taoism; artistic creation would be disturbed by excess of ideas anyway.

 

TPA: How did you choose art for your life’s pursuit? What would you rather do if you had a choice?

 

Ye: People want different things in different stages of life. I wanted to be an artist when I was a child, and I’ve been working on that ever since. It’s neither accidental nor necessary that I chose to pursue art for my life; it’s like a seed finding the most suitable soil after an explorative journey of twists and turns; I’ve ended up with art in the same way--- it is natural and it suits me; it doesn’t matter if it’s right or wrong; I will continue the “solitary” pursuit of art for the rest of my life.

 

Living with solitude

 

Ye Huanwei at work

 

TPA: Would you like to talk about the proposition of “artist and solitude”?

 

Ye: What an artist works on is originality and uniqueness; he’s a man of principles and insists on his own artistic pursuits; he’s “different” in the eyes of others; a world of solitude follows. Solitude calms down a person so that he can think clearly and imagination and creativity result anyway; that’s why an artist wouldn’t care if people understand or appreciate him or not.

 

TPA: How do you find your inspiration when you create?

 

Ye: Art originates from life; every art piece is rooted in life; inspiration certainly comes from life too. Pay attention to the bigger world around you, find something that reaches your heart, gather your creative excitement, and present it with techniques you are good at.

 

There are many conflicts you have to deal with in everyday life: new and old, society and humanity, desires and needs... “Drink” is about food and safety; “The Magnified Mitten” is about tear-down and build-up, namely the birth of the new and death of the old. Problems of society and life leave their prints on my mind, and I grasp the pulse of the times by way of oil paintings of different everyday tools and objects.

 

A humble master of peace

 

The peaceful Green Wood Garden

 

The interview was finished, and Ye Huanwei was sitting there, humble as usual, with a friendly smile. “Green Wood Garden”--- what  simple words! Yet you could hear your own soul there.