Into the wind
When we first launched Pen&inc. in 2019, we featured a beautiful illustration from Chinese artist Yu Rong – but we didn’t manage to speak to her about her work. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to catch up with her for this issue and discover more about her work and inspiration.
AS we were working on the development of Pen&inc., we knew that illustration was going to be an important part of what we covered. For many children, reading is something that goes hand-in-hand with illustration – not just in early years, but as they grow as readers. It is an integral part of storytelling and we wanted to ensure illustrators were represented in the pages of Pen&inc. Yu Rong’s work is steeped in traditional style and techniques, that bring stories to life with vibrant colours and dynamic brush strokes. Yu Rong says that her original desire to become an artist stems back to her childhood, and her father’s influence. “My father was an amazing man, he was good at calligraphy and music. He taught me how to observe life and embrace life. My childhood was full of surprises and fantasies,” she explains. “My father encouraged us to discover nature in all possible ways. I learned how to plant vegetables, feed farm animals, harvest crops. I had so many pets when I was little, any pets one could wish for at that time. Counting stars on a clear summer night was our favourite activity! Bonding with nature in my early years was absolutely the inspiration for me to become an artist.”
Natural treasure “Nature is a treasure trove of knowledge. Under my father’s guidance I became familiar with the natural world that surrounded me. He also trained me to see where beauty comes from nature, to set up our own aesthetic way to discover beauty. This is the
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best gift my father has given me and it has been an inexhaustible inspiration throughout my life.” Growing up in a “big bamboo forest” with “a river going
around it and a little bamboo bridge which connected our house and the forest,” it is perhaps no wonder that the natural world is an influence. But she also cites the traditional techniques associated with Chinese art and calligraphy in helping develop her own style. She says: “It was when I was teaching that I discovered my love of art. In order to pursue my dream to draw, I started to practice art while I was a maths teacher for year five classes. Two years later I passed the entrance exam to study in the art college in the old capital city of Nanjing. I studied a range of different art forms, such as Chinese ink painting, calligraphy, watercolour painting, graphic design and laquer art. I worked as a graphic designer until 1997 when I got married to my German husband and settled in Cambridge. The following year I studied at the Royal College of Art, where I met Quentin Blake, who inspired me became a children’s book illustrator.”
Developing a style
And while her style is rooted in tradition, she has created something new by mixing elements together. She says: “All my work is fundamentally based upon traditional folk craft skills, but I also like to experiment with this ancient technique. The concept of the picture book is the key for me, it helps me to understand who are the true readers of my work. So I try to add bright colour papers to cut, use pencil and colour pencil to create and emphasise details in the illustrations, use brushes and water to melt
Spring-Summer 2024
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