Artpic Artist: Yong Fei Guan

Spread throughout the Milner library like brilliant eggs, Yong Fei Guan’s personable watercolours are all about nature and pets, which of course are really the same thing. Eight years ago, she left the Chinese city of Foshan, where “people thought art was useless when I was growing up.” But studying at the Emily Carr art and design school in Vancouver, she developed a new respect for water, including in her work.

She talks first about pets, then water. “Pets are from nature. When people bring nature into their home, nature becomes second nature because it is manipulated by human will. They are good subjects to me because I learn not only their animal traits but also about human characteristics. Some people may want to own a piece of nature at home to remind them of their fundamental roots.

“I used to hate watercolour. I found it very difficult to control water on paper and it seemed to go everywhere. I changed my attitude to watercolour when I studied in Vancouver. During that time, one of my professors, Rita Wong at Emily Carr, introduced me to ideas about environmental ethics. She wrote poems about water and often invited her class to walk around Granville Island with her. Once at the edge of the shore, she squatted and cupped a handful of sea water in her palm and stared at it for a while. I was moved by her gentle gesture. Through her action I found the beauty and fundamental aspect of water, which I had previously taken for granted.”

Excerpt from Edmonton Journal