The Artist - Mr. Tim Wang

( A Survivor of the Cultural Revolution )

Being an artist, I seek and capture the beauty in my surroundings through works of art. I create all my works with great passions through the use of my right hand. In 1994, a sudden stroke left me partially paralyzed; I lost the function of my right side. Being right-handed, I was no longer able to paint; life had dramatically changed since then.

During the past eight years, it was the Bible that provided the light in my darkness. The Bible gave me hope and strength to restart my career.

One day as I was reading the Bible, a verse so profoundly moved me that it incited me to put it into a work of art. It is from Isaiah 40:11 and it reads "He tends his flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart, he gently leads those that have their young"

As I was reading the verse, a beautiful picture came to my mind. Sunlight folds the earth, there are sheep all around, and Jesus Christ is holding a little lamb in his arms walking towards us. With great excitement, I grabbed a brush with my left hand and created this work. I call it "The Shepherd".

【自敘 】

我是一個畫家,用我畫家的特有的眼睛,去洞察周圍的一切,捕捉形象,色彩,構圖….用豐富的想像力去創作每一幅畫作,用我的充滿靈感與激情的筆觸和技巧完成一張張出色的作品。

隨之而來的是出版, 展覽,訂單… 源源不斷。記得有一位著名作家道:

“…畫家不是上帝, 但從藝術闡釋那方面看, 每個稱得上藝術家的畫家, 都有上帝之 能。”…  嘿!  那不是畫家是僅次與上帝的人了嗎…？ 我不禁暗暗自喜。

九四年初冬,突來的惡運,使我躺倒,半身癱痪,那握筆的右手動彈不得—我得了 中風 。我痛哭失聲, 力竭聲嘶:”神那,救救我! …” 畫家的自信高傲瞬間從顛峰跌倒谷底。那年才剛四十七。

一本奇妙的書, 使我從極端的痛苦與頹唐中蘇醒,開始知曉 世間的真諦,又與重新思考人生的價值,在重重烏雲中看到一縷曙光,那本書就是 ─ 聖經。

在病塌上我一篇篇讀著神的故事,苦苦思索著耶穌的模樣─三十出頭, >瘦高個兒,眼神中流露出慈愛,嘴角稍帶威嚴,寬大的白長袍滿腮子…。

領著十二個門徒奔走在耶路撒冷,加利利海邊,在猶太全地給人講道,

治癒大痲瘋病人,瘸腿的竟能跳躍,死者在他手中復活,與孩童們嬉戲,

但竟跪著為人洗腳,最後被人釘死在十字架上, 又死而复活,昇天去…。一幕幕象電影般在腦中 展開。

燈下當我讀到聖經以賽亞書四十章十一節“祂必象牧人牧養自己的羊群, 用臂膀聚集羊羔抱在懷中慢慢引導那乳養小羊的。”… 漸漸地眼前呈現一幅油畫 ─金色的朝陽灑滿大地, 遍地的羊群咩咩地叫著緩緩簇擁著朝前挪動, 揚起的塵土和耀眼的陽光使人睜不開眼來,晨曦 的光輝中漸漸地現出一位人影來,就是祂! 就是祂! ─羊群的主人。

逆光下雖不能辯清祂的身影與面目… 但就是我們在夢中常見到的那一位…。祂懷中摟抱著小羊羔，安祥地帶領著遍地的羊群由遠而近慢慢朝你走來了。