「石頭的個性很像我，我感到與石頭有一份很深的連繫。」UUendy拿起塗了小塊金色顏料的石頭說。是如石頭般堅強或頑固嗎？書上卻寫著「The Unconfident Stone」，大概很少人會形容石頭是沒有自信吧。「這本小書是早前在大館舉辦的Art Book Fair中推出的，由於反應不錯，所以想做一個完整的系列。」UUendy續說：「我經常不自覺地把自己的個性投射到大自然裡，這次創作了三個主題的藝術繪本：沒有自信的石頭、猶豫不決的樹枝和沒有耐性的樹葉，我想像它們的遭遇和感受，描畫出來並配上簡單的字句。」透過UUendy奇怪的想法和天馬行空的幻想，讓讀者對大自然有一個屬於自己的看法和感受，並思考人與自然的關係。
“The character of stone bears a strong resemblance to mine. I simply feel deeply connected to stone,” UUendy says as she picks up a piece of rock painted in gold color. At first, I thought it was the toughness and stubbornness that she saw herself in the quality of stones, but reading the title of her zine The Unconfident Stone, I was left feeling puzzled. Why would someone describe a stone as unconfident? “This zine was launched during the Hong Kong Art Book Fair that was held in Tai Kwun not long ago. The feedback was quite positive, therefore I’ve decided to turn it into a complete series,” UUendy says, “I often unconsciously use things in nature to depict my personality. This series consists of illustration zines based on three themes, The Unconfident Stone, The Indecisive Branch, and The Impatient Leaf. I wanted to turn their experience and feelings into illustrations and words.” UUendy’s peculiar and comical imagination has brought to her readers a completely new perspective to explore the relationship between human and nature.
In her new series, UUendy attached some seemingly negative adjectives and mindsets to stone, tree branch and leaf, while not forgetting to give them an adorable personality. “The story of The Unconfident Stone is about confidence. There is a chapter about picking up a stone that is particularly important to me. I picked up one piece of stone among many other pieces in my garden. When doing so, I began to wonder, if I were this piece of stone, would I consider myself identical to the stones around me and question what made me the chosen one? I chose this piece of stone not because it was pretty or because of its smooth surface; I chose it because of its uniqueness. This stone can easily go unnoticed if it was sitting on the pavement or in the soil, but when I placed it at the corner of my home, I can develop some emotional attachment to it and recognize its beauty.”
UUendy jokingly says that she did not gain much confidence from studying in the UK, but. It is the process of picking up stones that taught her the fact that disregarding the appearance and characteristics of the stone, there is always someone out there who can appreciate these qualities. “Nature shows me nothing on earth is perfect. We need to learn to believe in our uniqueness and have more confidence in ourselves.” UUendy is healed by nature, she is, as well, constantly learning from nature. “I have my indecisive moments, like a tree branch, my thoughts are always extended into multiple subbranches. When I saw no matter how many offshoots a branch has, they would all point at the same direction, I finally got to know that I can totally trust my instinct, because all my thoughts would lead me to the same goal,” UUendy says cheerfully, “My creative processes show me how much I can learn from nature, I have learned to become a better person and create a better environment. I have also learned the way to coexist with nature.”
UUendy returned to Hong Kong from the UK two years ago. After visiting Peng Chau a few times for trekking, she decided to rent a space there and use it as her studio. “Nature has the power to make people stay open and honest, it is where we can all be our true selves. The existence of nature is so authentic,” explains UUendy, “Unlike other islands, Peng Chau may not offer as many shops. But I really enjoy how quiet and relaxing it is; I can also explore the natural habitat here. Living in a village house, I usually leave my door open. This allows me to establish a close relationship with my neighbors. They sometimes bring to me the vegetables they grow or fishes they catch, the plants in my garden are also grown from the seeds and sprouts they shared with me. Their friendliness and generosity have an influence on my creativity.” UUendy has put three paintings in her garden, in the paintings are the two stray cats living nearby and birds that sometimes rest in her garden. “Every day after I’ve finished working, I would go to my garden to tend my plants, sometimes I would walk downhill to the beach or go uphill for a hike. Not only do I live in a natural environment, but I also spend a lot of time and effort to blend with nature, which in turn has become an inspiration to my art.”
This piece of stone that is smaller than my palm is painted with golden color, which surely made this rough and ordinary stone shine. UUendy says, “When taking a stroll, we tend to overlook the stones lying on the ground, and the branches and leaves that fell from the tree. If we could take a moment to observe them, we can see how unique these creations of nature are. They are all gifts from nature. I want my publications to go beyond illustration zines. They consist of stones, branches, and leaves that I carefully selected and polished. Depending on the perception and feeling I have for these objects, I would paint a dash of golden color on a different spot. I am trying to give them personality, appearance, and texture. My readers who bring my zines home can communicate with me, the artist, through the shape and texture of these objects. Most of my artworks are about communicating with my audience through physical objects.” Surrounded by nature, we seem to know better how to be honest to ourselves, we can then be more vividly connected to our inner mind and the outside world.
Stone, Branch & Leaf — Mini Book Set & Home Ornament
