我曾經嘗試用大色塊來構圖，想表現出什麼意念或跟別人不一樣的東西來，這是當時的作品之一。

仔細端詳──小小的一塊「綠」在大面積的「紅」包圍之下，竟然像翠玉一樣的澄明剔透，耐看又好看。可見「萬紅叢中一點綠」也沒有什麼不妥的，反而更有韻致了。

錢松喦先生認為「中國傳統水墨畫用色簡單，因而形成中國畫色彩的獨特風格。但是今天為了繼承和發展，使國畫色彩豐富起來，不妨兼用洋畫顏料。」云云。

錢先生的話深得我心。記得讀高中開始學水墨畫的時候，老師要我們使用日本透明水彩代用傳統國畫顏料，原因是傳統顏料容易褪色，種類也少，有時無法如意的表達出自己要的色調。老師說：用替代顏料有何不可？豐富又耐久，不必抱殘守缺。

I once often used large patches of color in my compositions in an effort to express certain ideas or differentiate myself from other artists. This is one of my works from that period.

A close look reveals a small patch of green surrounded by a large expanse of red. Somewhat surprisingly, the green appears as gleaming and bright as a piece of green jade, which gives it great appeal and magnetism. We can see that there's nothing wrong with having a spot of green in a great thicket of red, and this even lends the painting greater charm.

According to Chien Sung-yen, "The simple use of color in traditional Chinese ink and wash painting is what gives the colors in Chinese paintings such a unique character. However, in order to harmonize evolutionary development with preserving the past, we might as well use some foreign pigments to enrich the colors of traditional Chinese painting."

Chien's words touched a chord in my heart. I remembered that when we were beginning to study ink and wash painting in high school, our teacher wanted us to use transparent Japanese watercolors instead of the traditional pigments used in Chinese painting. His reasoning was that traditional pigments fade easily, come in relatively few types, and sometimes cannot readily produce the tones one wishes to express. His view was that there was nothing wrong with alternative pigments. Since they are richly varied and highly durable, why must we stubbornly use outdated materials? ＠

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責任編輯：昌英