Recently the studio received inquiries from two churches in the U.S. to use the painting "Jesus Walking on Water" in their services. This painting is about the only painting I did on religious themes. Below is the story behind the painting.
近日畫室收到兩個在美國的教堂詢問可不可以用基督履海這幅畫用在禮拜講經的PPT中。基督履海這幅畫我所作的維一以宗教題材為主題的創作畫。以下是這幅畫的創作背景。
I moved from Mainland China to Hong Kong in the early 1980s and rented a small apartment in the industrial area of Kowloon, Kwun Tong. There were a lot of migrant families in this area, residing in cramped apartments. There were also a lot of American and British missionaries promoting Christianity in this area. It was my first encounter of Christianity.
上世紀八十年代初，我從大陸遷居到香港，租住在香港九龍的工業區：觀塘。這裡打工家庭居多，居住擠迫，常有英、美青年到訪傳教。由此，對基督教有了個大約的概念。
When I first started reading the Bible, I realized there were a lot of stories suitable for paintings. So I did a pencil study of Jesus Walking on Water. When I was contracted to provide Simic Gallery in Carmel, California, a number of paintings periodically in the 1980s, I created a narrative oil painting on the topic. Unfortunately, there is no picture of this painting.
初次接觸到「聖經」時，發現其中有許多既富教義又有故事性的〝畫面〞，就取了《基督履海》一節畫了小小的稿。不久，又為合作的美國畫廊以此創作了油畫，可惜現在找不到當時油畫畫作的照片了。
In 1987, the founder of Taipei’s Grace Baptist Church, Zhou Lian-Hua, commissioned a portrait from me. He was very pleased with the result and presented me a hardcover Bible. I read it from time to time. Once, I came upon the passage of Jesus walking on water again and thought of another composition. Why don’t I put the small boat and the disciples in the billowing waves in the front? They were surprised by the scene of Jesus walking on water in the distance. This should be interesting.
1987年，台北基督教「懷恩堂」創始人周聯華牧師請我為他畫肖像，畫完，他很滿意，送給我一本精裝的「聖經」。不時閱讀，一次，突然又翻到「履海」，腦中浮出另一個〝履海〞的畫面：何不將波濤中的小船和門徒置於畫的前面？門徒們突然發現前方在水上行走中的主的驚喜，這樣的畫面應該更有趣味！
It took me years but here is the painting finally after a pencil study, oil painting study and studies of models for characters in the painting.
於是，又是鉛筆稿，油畫色彩稿，請模特兒來校正動作……，終於移上大畫布……。
The pastor of one of the churches that requested permission to use the painting in their upcoming service commented, "It is a powerful illustration and one I believe they would find encouraging in the tumultuous seas we are now navigating." So it seems someone is in agreement with my interpretation of the famous scene.
