For Kuo Chuan-chiu, painting is a sort of spiritual cultivation. "The act of painting is very similar to the act of meditating. One seems to be looking at something and painting from it, but in fact one is looking at one's heart instead."

The trip to Penghu spawned nearly 60 crayon drawings. She brought them back to Taipei and showed them to an artist friend, Chou Yu. The originality and ingenuity of the drawings captured his heart, and he in turn introduced the creations to Chang Tsong-zung, an art critic and the owner of the Hanart Gallery in Taipei. Chang took an immediate fancy to the drawings and encouraged Kuo to continue developing her talent. Two years later, in 1992, the Hanart Gallery staged the first exhibition of her artwork.

"Artistic creation is a very satisfying thing," says Kuo. "It is a process of self-discovery." Compared with photography, painting is an art form closer to her heart. "Photography is a more concrete art, whereas painting is more abstract. You feel more free in the world of painting. It's like a space you can traverse freely, without any restraint."

Kuo has been fond of painting since she was little. Like most other children, she liked to read comic books and scribble during her leisure time. Aside from the basic painting techniques she acquired from studying commercial design at Keelung Commercial and Technical School in Keelung City, northern Taiwan, she did not receive any formal training in art. She is more like a self-taught artist. "Everyone can paint. It's just that some are better at it. Doodling is an instinct." She does not think that one needs to learn how to paint. "As long as one paints happily and fully enjoys the creative process, that's enough."

Since she decided to paint when she was in her early twenties, she has devoted a large portion of her time to it. But she still works as a freelance photographer on the side. "I didn't want to turn painting into my main source of income--that would have been too much pressure for me. When one has less financial burden, one is freer of worries. Besides, painting is a spiritual thing. I don't want to be tied down by things like money." Actually, Kuo's paintings sell well, but she paints quite slowly and can thus only hold an exhibition every two years.

Kuo lives in an old, rented farmhouse in Hsintien, a suburb of Taipei. Most of the furniture in the house consists of old, used things that were thrown away by other people. She fixed the old things herself and then put them to good use. Her friend Tsai Ya-chin said that people like Kuo, who can wear the same old clothes and use the same old things for more than 10 years, are a rarity in modern society. "Yet even though her material life is simple, her spiritual life is very rich," said the friend.

Kuo's rich spiritual life can be seen from her paintings, which reveal an unrestrained and vigorous mind. Most of the scenes in her paintings are not faithful representations of the human or natural world, but semi-abstract or distorted images that embody the painter's agile imagination. Looking at her paintings, one seems to be drawn into an enchanting world of vibrant colors and rich images that allow one to fly as freely as a bird.

Some say the surreal, dreamlike world created by the artist gives the viewer a sense of magic realism [a term used by critics to describe a mingling of the ordinary and the fantastic]--a big eye floating in a dark, mysterious night sky, or a human figure in a shower of green rain. People are curious to know how she comes up with these mystical, fanciful scenes. "Maybe because I was born with a heightened sensitivity to a world beyond our own." But most of the time, she herself does not know where the images come from. "Sometimes even I am surprised by what I create." She pointed to a work of hers. "Take this painting for example. I set out to paint a mountain, but in the end a head and a flower emerged." The painter says it is hard for her to elucidate the origin of her creations. She will leave it to art critics to explain.

When she paints, she usually begins without any preconceptions of what to paint. She simply allows her paintbrush to wander freely on the drawing paper or canvas. An abstract form thus produced might lead to the creation of a complete imaginary vista. Kuo says that by painting this way, she allows herself to unfold and "grow naturally" in the painting.

Her artistic creations are popular with critics as well as the public. "Kuo captures for us the wonders of a curious mind and the marvels of life," said Chang Tsong-zung, of the Hanart Gallery. "In looking at her paintings, we are reminded of the fascinating world of children's stories or illustrations for timeless allegorical tales. Her highly symbolic scenery has the intensity of condensed life experience."

Art critic Peng Ming-hui said that upon first sight Kuo's style seems simple and unadorned, like the naive and innocent style of children's paintings, but that actually her use of colors and emotions expressed are refined and full of meaning. "The techniques she employs are not hard for most art students, but the profundity and depth of her paintings are beyond the reach of many professional artists. Her work reminds us that in artistic creation, what is most important is a fresh, sensitive, and broad mind, not techniques or skills."

Kuo's early paintings are darker in tone and often depict night scenes. In recent years, however, her colors have become brighter and more transparent. She explains that it has to do with the change in her mental state. "When I was younger, I was uncertain about many things in life. It was as if I was constantly looking for something and unable to find it." So the colors she used were dark and the outlines of her subject matters were less clear and often merged with the background. As the years went by, she gradually emerged from the state of confusion and became more sure of herself. She contributed this change to the influence of Buddhism. "Buddhism changed me, my heart, and then my paintings."

She first came in contact with Buddhism after a serious car accident in 1986. During her convalescence, she read books on Buddhism that made her feel very peaceful. When she was well enough, she went with a friend to different temples to listen to lectures given by Buddhist masters. Her friend later became a nun while Kuo chose to cultivate herself in the common world.

She says that she became more perceptive and insightful after studying Buddhism. She is sensitive by nature. Early on, she felt that life seemed to be governed by the force of impermanence. Her father was a fisherman and she grew up in a fishing village. After a typhoon, people in the village would go to the seaside to collect things that had been washed up on shore. Sometimes, there were even corpses on the beach. The relentless force of nature and the fragility of human lives made a deep impression on her.

"The realization that nothing is everlasting in the world made me feel uneasy." At first, she painted in order to soothe her heart and to give vent to her emotions. Later, Buddhism helped her to dispel her feeling of uncertainty and gain a clearer perspective on life. "Buddhism is a very good thing because it taught me that if you allow yourself to be influenced by the things that happen around you, you will never feel at ease. Your heart will always be affected by this ever-changing world. When you have learned that the changing phenomena are not that important and have tried not to be controlled or bothered by them, then you will find real peace."

Over the years, Kuo has come to feel more and more that painting is something that requires a lot of energy because "It is a kind of creation, not imitation." The heart of the artist is very important. If an artist has a lot of positive energy, the viewers will be able to feel it; likewise, if the artist has a lot of negative energy or emotions, the viewers will be able to feel that too. "Actually, a painting not only influences the viewer, it can also influence the environment. For example, when a dark painting is hung in a room, it gives one a completely different feeling from when a bright painting is hung." Understanding the influence her artistic creations might have, Kuo hopes that the messages conveyed by her paintings are constructive and uplifting and can make the viewers feel pleasant. "I think the reason why art is such a precious product of the human civilization is that it reflects the goodness of human nature. In looking back on the history of mankind, we find that works considered masterpieces of art are often ones that embody truth, goodness, and beauty." She takes issue with artists who asks a lot of questions in their works but provide no answers. "In this world full of chaos and confusion, what we need is a positive answer, a direct and clear message, not something that makes us feel bad and uncertain."

In order to produce paintings that are uplifting and contain a positive force, an artist has to have enough positive energy. How, then, does Kuo cultivate herself and accumulate positive energy? "We have to constantly look into and reflect on ourselves. Taiwan is a small island. I often feel that we are being constantly influenced by social values, which are like a mighty torrent carrying us forward. We should listen to our own voice and encourage ourselves to think independently. This way we will not fall into a rut, but will be able to keep our creative powers active."

She always encourages herself to learn as much as possible. In addition to acquiring technical knowledge related to painting, she also reads Buddhist scriptures, literary works, and even books on philosophy. She also travels to open her mind. "Leaving a familiar environment and visiting new places tend to bring about inspirational feelings, which greatly help me to create my paintings." Every time she returns from a trip, she always brings back a lot of sketches and notes that record her feelings and impressions. She stores all the feelings and impressions in her heart. When the time is right, they are naturally transformed into images and scenes in her paintings--only of course, after "They have been edited and purified in the artist's mind," as critic Wang Chia-chi said.

For years Kuo has led a quiet, peaceful life. She thinks it is important to live peacefully. But being peaceful doesn't mean that one should be like a pool of stagnant water. "While living peacefully, you should still try to live with vitality and verve."

Kuo does not like to look back on the past or think about what her future paintings should be like. She believes that what is most important is to live in the moment. As long as she lives fully and constantly enriches herself, inspiration will keep surging upward and everything will come naturally for her. "The most important thing is your heart--whether you have new feelings or fresh perceptions. That's what's most important in life."