島谷織流合作聯盟成員介紹_陳建貴

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走進陳建貴的畫室時，微風輕輕從大片的採光窗吹進來，從室外夾帶的暑氣盡數散去，明亮的陽光灑落，照在滿牆的畫作上，一幅一幅的都是花蓮的日常街景、細流山河，陳建貴打開裝滿著畫冊的櫃子說：「這裡面起碼有上千張畫了。」

水彩速寫是他最常使用的創作手法，不論在哪裡，總會攜帶著畫具，看到有感覺的畫面，就會停駐將它描繪下來，那大片色彩鋪展，寫意瀟灑地呈現出的畫面，不僅有著當日當時的美景，亦有著他當時的心情。

開始繪畫是從孩提時代就被老師看見天賦，自此不間斷的日日打磨，一直畫到了現在，用自己獨特的創作方式，快速完成現場速寫。「我的畫不是要去比畫的多像、多真實，而是我希望可以記錄下那一刻，我被這個地方感動的感覺。」在島人藝術空間展售的作品《立霧溪晨曦》就是他在峽谷中，望著花蓮大山大海，將壯闊的山景、風雨欲來的氛圍留在畫紙上的作品。

會從重重山脈阻隔的台中來到花蓮落地，契機是因為高三那一年的壯遊。「我自己一個人搭客運就來了，身上只帶著我媽給我的三千塊。」講起那一天初到花蓮，尚且有些不知方向的狀況，陳建貴的眼底都是笑意，那個懵懂的少年，只帶著一個想學習石雕的念頭，就踏上了這次的長途旅程。

「那時候很喜歡米開朗基羅，就想要來學雕刻，所以就跑到花蓮找石雕老師。」許是老天爺對他勇氣的賞識，在藝品館亂逛，四處問人哪裡可以學石雕的他，竟真幸運地拜進了首屈一指的石雕大師林聰惠老師門下，學習了一年後，才因為收到兵單返回西部。

兵役結束，他輾轉了幾份工作後，年近三十的陳建貴，開始接觸了花。因為師母在學生時期學習過花藝，他們於是盤算起了要開花店。從一開始只是送花跑腿，到後來憑藉著藝術家對色彩搭配、結構安排的敏銳，他慢慢也開始做起了花藝作品。

「那時候我們在台中佔了一半的市場，一天要出兩百個新娘花。」他說。做新娘花的手藝是花錢找老師學習的，但因為費用高昂、無法持續，所以大多都是靠他自己慢慢摸索，客人對他無師自通的成品也滿意的買單，他便就這樣一路做了下來。

除了會做跟空間、展覽相互配合的花藝作品，陳建貴也用花藝來表達情感。「這個東西是分成表現性跟藝術性的，一種表達純粹的美感，一種則有著故事在其中。」在疫情嚴重，造成多人死亡、人心惶惶的當下，陳建貴用花做了一個祭台，下面掛了寫滿死亡編號的口罩，他用此作品緬懷逝者、也安慰家屬。

「人的一生就只有三個時刻最重要，出生、結婚、死亡，這幾個時間你會遇到很多的花。」花作為一種熱烈地展現生命的狀態，可以被當作一種妝點生活，為空間帶來流動的生機，同時也可以表達出創作者沒有說出來的話。

在畫室充滿自然風景的畫作中，僅有的一幅人像畫醒目地掛在門口。「那是我媽媽在癌末的時候，我在病房為她畫的。」母親去世後，他帶著這幅畫從台中搬到了花蓮，就像是母親也看著他在畫室中的生活，常相左右。僅有著線條的速寫，卻刻進了他的情感、傷懷。

對陳建貴來說，繪畫是一種他記錄生活的方式，當下的情感被收進畫紙，只消一眼便可以回想起來，當時內心的悸動、悵惘、寂寞；而花藝是養活他一家人的生活工具，同時也藉由將他獨樹一格、不同學術的風格傳承下去，作為一種對社會的回饋。「可以把這些經驗傳承下去，這樣也比較有意義。」他在花藝這一路經歷和學習，會成為他的論文編纂成冊，為後進學徒開闢出一條可以依循的道路。

陳建貴的創作始終關乎於生活，他用他的畫筆、葉的編織，去講述他的生命，所見、所感、所想，都在他的作品中呈現出來。像是他說的：「水彩是很難的，它有很多技巧，但如果整張圖只有技巧，那就沒意思了，要用不漏技巧的方式表達。」在他的畫作中，他未曾一筆一筆刻畫一個街景清晰寫時的樣子，卻將那一刻的陽光、風聲與他明朗的心情收了進去。

不論是畫筆或是編織的手，都會隨著生活的推進往前走去，藝術家的創作貴在堅持不懈，時間和回憶都會走遠，但這些作品會收藏著記憶，安靜地存在。

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Entering Chen Jiangu’s studio, a gentle breeze drifted in through the large skylight, dispersing the heat from outside. Bright sunlight streamed in, illuminating the walls adorned with countless paintings—each capturing everyday street scenes and serene landscapes of Hualien. Chen Jiangu opened a cabinet brimming with sketchbooks, remarking, “There are at least a thousand sketches in here.”

 

Watercolor sketching is his preferred creative technique, and wherever he goes, he carries his art supplies. Whenever he encounters a scene that resonates with him, he pauses to capture it on paper. His expansive use of colors and expressive strokes not only portray the beauty of the moment but also reflect his emotions at that particular time.

 

His journey into painting began in his childhood when his talent was recognized by teachers. Since then, he has continuously honed his skills day by day. “My paintings aren’t about how realistic or detailed they are. Rather, I aim to record the emotions I felt when moved by a place,” he explains. His artwork “Morning Mist at Liwu River,” exhibited at the Islander Art Space, depicts the grandeur of mountains and the impending storm atmosphere he experienced in the gorge of Hualien.

 

Originally from Taichung, separated by rugged mountain ranges, Chen Jiangu found his way to Hualien after a transformative hiking trip during his senior year of high school. “I came here alone by bus, with only three thousand NT dollars my mother gave me,” he recalls with a hint of amusement. Arriving in Hualien for the first time, uncertain of directions, the young Chen Jiangu smiles at the memory of his naive self, driven solely by the desire to learn stone carving.

 

“At that time, I admired Michelangelo and wanted to learn sculpture, so I went looking for a stone carving teacher in Hualien.” Serendipitously, wandering through the art gallery and asking around for a stone carving teacher led him to study under the esteemed master Lin Conghui. After a year of learning, he had to return to the western part of Taiwan due to military service obligations.

 

After completing his military service and working various jobs, Chen Jiangu, nearing thirty, began exploring the art of floral arrangement. Inspired by his teacher’s interest in flower arrangement during her student days, they decided to open a flower shop. Starting from merely delivering flowers, Chen gradually began creating floral art pieces, utilizing his keen sense of color coordination and structural arrangement.

 

“Initially, we dominated half of the market in Taichung, making two hundred bridal bouquets a day,” he recalls. Learning the art of bridal bouquets required paying hefty fees to teachers, but due to the high costs, Chen mostly learned through his own trial and error. Satisfied customers appreciated his self-taught creations, and he continued on this path.

 

Aside from creating floral art pieces tailored to spaces and exhibitions, Chen Jiangu also uses floral arrangements to express emotions. “This art form can be expressive or artistic; one conveys pure aesthetic beauty, while the other holds a narrative,” he explains. During the severe COVID-19 pandemic, amidst widespread deaths and fear, Chen Jiangu created an altar with masks bearing death numbers, paying tribute to the deceased and comforting their families.

 

“In life, there are three crucial moments: birth, marriage, and death, each accompanied by flowers,” he reflects. Flowers, as vibrant representations of life, adorn spaces with flowing vitality and convey unspoken sentiments of the creator.

 

Amidst the studio filled with natural landscapes, a single portrait prominently hangs at the entrance. “It’s a portrait I painted for my mother during her terminal illness,” he shares. After his mother’s passing, he moved from Taichung to Hualien, where it feels as if her presence watches over his studio life, always by his side. Though mere sketches with lines, they encapsulate his emotions and nostalgia.

 

For Chen Jiangu, painting is a way of recording life—capturing fleeting emotions on paper that instantly evoke memories of inner turmoil, melancholy, or solitude. Floral arrangement sustains his family, a life tool through which he imparts his unique, non-academic style and values back to society. “Passing down these experiences and learning in floral art makes it more meaningful,” he concludes, compiling his journey and knowledge into a book for future apprentices.

 

Chen Jiangu’s creations always revolve around life. With his brush strokes and floral weavings, he narrates his life—what he sees, feels, and contemplates—all embedded in his artworks. As he says, “Watercolor is challenging, with many techniques. However, if a painting is merely about technique, it loses its appeal. It must convey without missing its essence.” In his paintings, he captures not the precise details of a street scene but the sunlight, the sound of the wind, and his clear emotions.

 

Whether with a brush or weaving with leaves, he moves forward with life’s progression. An artist’s creation thrives through persistence. Time and memories may fade, but these artworks quietly preserve memories, existing with quiet dignity.