He Huaren's "Owls and Falcons" Print Series: Walking Through Life and Death with the Spirit of Raptors, Carving Life's Tenderness and Strength

"I went to Taitung in September to watch hawks. Over here is Dulan Mountain, and below is the Beinan River," he said. That day's crescent moon rose in broad daylight, and flocks of hawks circled around it, the sky becoming a boundless canvas. Printmaker He Huaren described this work, "Hawks Circling the Moon," in detail to visitors at his exhibition.

Turning around, he continued, "This is how the hawks land at Manzhou - a flock of hawks radiating outward around the setting sun." The closer hawks appeared larger, gradually creating a sense of distance. As he explained "Hawks in the Sunset," the sun in the picture happened to be right above his head.

Having just held his solo exhibition "Owls and Falcons" at the Howard Salon in Taipei, He Huaren's works in this exhibition and sale were mainly a series of prints featuring peregrine falcons and owls. They are called "series" because "Falcons by the Sea" and "Little Owl Among Flowers" each consist of over a dozen to twenty works, each presenting its own interesting narrative.

However, the two giant prints of the Crested Goshawk and the Grey-faced Buzzard at the salon entrance were the works that most shocked visitors. Besides their grand composition, He Huaren used his printmaking skills to bring the sky canvas right before the viewers' eyes, as if everyone were personally present on that trip to Taitung. Standing quietly before the paintings, silently observing the air currents stirred by those wings, one could almost hear the prints equipped with speakers, spontaneously chanting poems of wild birds.

During military service, he admired birds in flight and became one half of a writer-painter bird-loving duo with Liu Kexiang

He Huaren is a well-known "bird man" in Taiwan's art circles, and his fascination with birds' graceful bearing began as early as his military service. When stationed at Hualien Port, compared to the discipline and obedience pressed upon soldiers, He Huaren faced waterbirds by the sea every day, which made him deeply yearn for the freedom and unrestraint of flight. At that time, he made up his mind that after leaving the military, aside from work, he would devote himself entirely to birdwatching.

After his discharge, He Huaren got his wish and joined the China Times as an art editor for the "Human World Supplement." Across the hall was the office of the China Times Americas edition where Liu Kexiang worked. Liu Kexiang often dropped by "Human World" to chat, and the two bird lovers thus built a long friendship. They often went birdwatching together, and after returning home, each would create - one writing, one painting - each expressing their passion for birds in their own way.

This went on for five or six years, until He Huaren reached the milestone of turning thirty. At that time, Taiwan's newspaper industry was at its peak, and working at the China Times was like holding a golden rice bowl. But He Huaren felt that the newspaper job was too comfortable. He wanted to fly and venture forth like a bird, to trace a beautiful arc of flight across his own sky, so he submitted his resignation.

Immersed in birdwatching and bird painting in the Liugui forest; after being invited back to the newspaper, he switched to printmaking

In early years, Taiwan did not have many illustrated books about birds, so He Huaren could only seek reference from foreign publications. He discovered that in addition to field guides, there were also many books depicting bird ecology. "So painting birds could also become a profession," he realized. With this discovery, he gave himself one year to go to the Fanping Work Station of the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute in Liugui, where through fixed-point observation, capture, and banding methods, he came to understand the ecology of Taiwan's forest wild birds.

Although the salary was not high, he could watch and paint birds every day, which brought him great joy. The works accumulated during this period were later published as "Illustrated Guide to Taiwan's Wild Birds," a very important reference on bird ecology at the time, and it allowed He Huaren to share his birdwatching gains with readers.

However, that year the press ban was about to be lifted, and newspapers urgently needed staff. Wu Fengshan, president of the Independence Newspaper Group, personally called to invite him. Unable to refuse such warmth, He Huaren returned to the mundane world, serving as the Independence Newspaper Group's art creative director. As for his bird-painting career, he could only pursue it in his spare time.

At first glance it seemed he had sacrificed his interest, but unexpectedly it opened another door to creation. As a member of the Taipei Bird Club, He Huaren was often commissioned to create posters or educational picture books. Those single watercolor works had crisp and awe-inspiring brushstrokes, and people often praised his lines for having a printmaking style.

After returning to work at the newspaper, He Huaren could not spend as much time as he had in Liugui meticulously rendering fine details. However, the nature of printmaking is that the conception period is long, while the time spent actually carving is relatively short. He therefore used spare moments at work to think about composition, then spent two or three hours completing the framework of a print. As for the remaining carving work, he could finish it in fragmented moments, without the pressure of completing it all in one sitting.

Relying on self-taught printmaking skills, he carved out works that became his "trademark"

But switching from watercolor to printmaking is not like flipping a switch. Where would He Huaren find time to apprentice under a master? It can only be said that the artistic talent he had shown since childhood had already laid the foundation for him. He learned printmaking techniques from books, groping his way forward step by step with a few Japanese books teaching woodblock printmaking skills. At first, his cuts were not smooth enough, so the raised lines could not pick up enough ink. But he threw himself into practice. After carving sixty prints, he went back to the books and gained different insights, also identifying key points and steps he had previously overlooked.

"Actually, I still only half understand many printmaking techniques, but I just keep painting and keep carving." With passion and perseverance, He Huaren decided to spend the rest of his life doing only bird-related work. After serving at the Independence Newspaper Group for over seven years, he submitted his resignation, and from then on never took any salaried job again. "I am very lucky - I have never lacked money my whole life." He Huaren was grateful and devoted himself to repaying those who had supported him along the way with ever-better works. On the path of a professional artist, what he cared about most was creating works that were like a "trademark."

Although quite a few people in Taiwan paint birds, there are not many "bird painters" as single-mindedly devoted as He Huaren, and using printmaking for creation is even rarer. "When I create, I keep thinking about whether anyone has done this before." As long as there is a predecessor, doing the same thing again is a waste of time. "I want to make works that people recognize as mine at a glance," he said boldly.

Extending from single works to picture book stories, sharing with more people

In 1992, He Huaren held his first solo exhibition and received great acclaim; subsequent exhibitions were equally well-received and popular, and collectors gradually began to pay attention to his works. Having gained a firm foothold on the path of a professional artist, He Huaren could truly make a living by selling paintings. But he began to question himself: "Isn't the purpose of my creation to share the many faces of birds with everyone?" Yet according to the "rules of the game" in the printmaking world, each edition is printed in a limited quantity - perhaps three or five copies. After the exhibition ends, aside from collectors, no one else can see these works!

From then on, He Huaren began trying to create in the form of picture books and children's books. He broke away from the previous single-sheet, field-guide format and instead used storytelling to connect multiple prints with text, stringing them into a complete work, thereby introducing birds' environments and habits, as well as his own long-accumulated insights. "I hope that through words and illustrations, I can turn my observations of birds into tangible creations that can be passed down forever."

Living up to He Huaren's expectations, several of his works achieved excellent sales. "The Owl on the Island" has four editions - Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese - selling over ten thousand copies in total; "Wow! There Are Hawks in the Park" also sold six thousand copies. In addition, he is a frequent winner of various competitions, having received recognition from the Golden Tripod Award and the Good Book Award multiple times.