Hsu's enthusiasm for art was kindled early. As a child, she liked to doodle on the white walls, frosted glass windows, and sliding paper doors of her home, covering almost all the available white space with her primitive drawing. Her mother, a loving woman, never scolded her for all that scribbling and did not even try to remove it when she cleaned the house. She also collected all the paintings her daughter created and carefully stored them in cardboard cartons. Her attitude greatly encouraged Hsu, who felt her talents were appreciated. "I'm really thankful to my mother," said the painter. "She put a lot of trust in me and gave me a lot of freedom. And she never failed to express admiration for things I did--even today, she still praises me a lot." In addition to her mother, Hsu's father was also an important influence for her. Interested in literature, music, and calligraphy, he helped immerse Hsu in the arts and humanities. Undoubtedly the nurturing Hsu received during her childhood stood her creative mind in good stead and helped her artistic talent to bloom.

Hsu considers herself very lucky that she could grow up in the loving, nurturing environment her parents provided. "A French art agent once told me that my paintings were very 'bright and positive'--I think it can definitely be traced to the influence of my parents and the happy childhood I had. My parents gave me so much love and encouragement that even though later on in my life I ran into some difficulties as a struggling painter, I still tended to look on the bright side of life and was not so easily knocked down by frustration." She says that because her mind is healthy, the paintings she produces are filled with a positive energy. "Childhood really has a lifelong impact on one's life."

Although Hsu demonstrated a distinctive talent for art throughout her childhood and adolescence, she did not major in art at university. She explains that although she was good at painting, she was also a gifted student who maintained an outstanding scholastic record in elementary and middle schools. Because of that, she found it extremely difficult to settle on what to study at university. Taking a teacher's suggestion, she decided to pursue a degree in the humanities and ended up being an education major. At university, her keen intelligence once again shone through and she excelled in her school subjects. But at the same time, she did not give up on painting--she joined a school painting club and spent a lot of time painting. She greatly enjoyed it, so when the time came for her to graduate, she was again torn between pursuing art as a profession and entering a graduate program in education. Just when she was vacillating between these two options, a teacher said something in class that helped her clinch her decision: "In that class, we were discussing 'meaningful learning.' The teacher, Zheng Shi-yan (鄭石岩), observed, 'Learning can only be meaningful when one is truly interested in what one is learning.' It was like a wake-up call to me. After some deliberation I decided to give up on the MA exam, and after graduation I embarked on the path of artistic creation, where my heart truly lies."

Since then, she has stuck to the creative path with a constant, unswerving dedication and enthusiasm, even though, like many professional painters, she has had her share of financial difficulties to contend with. "At one time, my financial situation was so strained that I didn't even dare to buy a simple box lunch." Fortunately that was some years ago. She is now doing quite well with the support and promotion of the Capital Art Center, which began to act as her agent in 2000. Hsu is also thankful for the loving support of her husband, Liu Wen-bin (劉文斌), whom she married in her early twenties. "There are many women who have a talent for art. But after they get married, many of them have to give up their artistic passions in order to take care of their families. Compared with them, I'm really fortunate, because my husband has been so encouraging and supportive of my creative talents. He is one of the main reasons that I can still be devoted to art today."

When Hsu first started out, her style was representational. But as her art progressed, she gradually gravitated toward semi-abstract and abstract expression. She ascribed the stylistic change to the influence of Buddhism, which she came in contact with when she was in her thirties. She says that Buddhism has taught her that the place we live in is not the only space that exists in the universe, and that this life we are living is not the only life we have--there are also the previous lives and afterlives. Inspired by the broad-minded outlook of Buddhism, she has learned to look at everything not from a single perspective, but from a wide range of viewpoints. "For example, when you look at a glass from some distance, it has the clear shape and form of a glass. But when you hold it extremely close to your eyes, it's only a blurred, abstract mass." Likewise, when one looks at a flower from a certain angle, it is a flower, but if one imagines oneself as a mosquito which circles around a flower, the view will definitely be different. "When you change your angle, you may even see into the heart of the flower--and that's something abstract again." For her, abstraction allows for more imagination and inspires one to think; it is consequently a more apt medium to express the diversity, complexity, and profundity of life. Liberated from the constraints of mere representational form, her art provides her imagination ample space to navigate. "I believe that an artist should not live only in this space; his or her imagination should be able to traverse the past, present, and future, and thus transcend the limitations of time and space."

Hsu's art has often been noted for its compositional care. Every stroke, line, and mass of color echoes and responds to each other in a harmonious unity carefully thought out by the painter. The artist observes that she seeks in her painting "the middle way" as espoused by Confucianism, a balance between solid and void, light and heavy, dark and bright, yin and yang, stillness and movement. "Of course it is not some sort of stiff, inflexible balance. Sometimes it can even be asymmetrical. But even when it's asymmetrical, you can still find a balancing point in it." She says that the balance and aesthetic harmony achieved in her painting is one of the reasons why people often find her art pleasant to look at. On the other hand, by balancing and confronting two opposites, a kind of contrast or tension is generated that adds to the intensity and force of her art.

Hsu is often asked how she begins and completes a picture. She says that she usually begins a painting without a preconceived notion of what to paint. When the urge to create arises, she simply follows her intuition and allows her paintbrush to wander freely on the canvas, seeking a spontaneous and poetic dialogue with dots, lines, colors, shapes, and forms. Then, after an indefinite period of time, when she feels that the urge or desire to paint is spent, she puts down her paintbrush and takes a break. She either goes for a walk, sweeps the ground, listens to music, reads, bakes bread, or does some gardening--all of these activities, she says, can refresh her mind. Then a couple of hours or even a few days later, she returns to the painting, takes a deep look into it, and begins to contemplate its possible meaning and spirit. At this stage of creation, she needs to do a great deal of thinking--about composition, color, tone, texture, and other elements of artistic creation--until finally a satisfactory work is brought into being. "So my creative process usually begins with intuitive spontaneity and ends with a lot of creative analysis and logical thinking."

Hsu now lives with her husband and son halfway up a mountain in Muzha, a suburb of Taipei. There she plants vegetables, herbs, and fruits, leading a pastoral, idyllic life. She greatly enjoys living in full communion with nature, which has been a major source of inspiration for her artistic creation. In addition to nourishment from nature, her wide range of interests--including literature, philosophy, architecture, music, dance, and floral arrangement--have also greatly enriched her life and her mind, thus helping to fuel the brilliance of her creative career. With such a vigorous mind as hers, no wonder she never runs out of inspiration. As she is still in the prime of her creativity, we can surely anticipate more wonderful work from her. Let us look forward to even greater delights to add more beauty and goodness to our life.

In the sidebars on the following pages, more of Hsu's paintings are showcased. We hope the readers will take pleasure in responding to the vibrant, poetic rhythm captured in the color and form of her art. [Readers who are interested in Hsu's art can visit her websites: www.yessy.com/pihua and www.pihua101. com.]