Charlotte Fung Miller exhibits this December at Gallery 2622, an office and gallery combined on 2622 Wauwatosa Avenue, or 76th Street, located just north of North Avenue. Her authentic Chinese brush paintings reveal her heritage that began with her childhood where she grew up in San Francisco's Chinatown. While she claims she was a poor student in regular school, there her teacher let her stay in at recess to paint, which she says built her self esteem. Miller also attended Chinese school, where she eventually graduated as Valedictorian. At the Chinese school she experienced her first exposure to brush painting while learning to write the Chinese alphabet. However, in her 20's Miller studied the art of Chinese calligraphy and brush painting under Master Lui-Sang Wong. She also devotes some of her time to teaching this art, but after painting for over 40 years and winning multiple awards, this Mukwonago, Wisconsin artist speaks about the creative life she enjoys.
Q: What is the philosophy of Chinese Brush painting?
A: Basically, Taoism plays an important philosophy, experiencing the right path to life. You learn from nature, not to take it over and not to destroy it.
Q: What mediums do you use in brush painting?
A: Brush painting uses watercolor on rice paper. The fewer strokes, the simpler the picture, but the harder this is. With fewer strokes, you aren't able to cover any mistakes. It's like spontaneous sketching. Watercolor needs gradation of color, to build the strokes. And there's the pressure of the brush. It's a soft edge instead of a hard edge, so I can create many line thicknesses with one brush. It's also very quick [to apply] and dries quickly.
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Q: What kind of rice paper do you use?
A: I buy most of my rice paper overseas, in Thailand, Taiwan and China. When I'm there I bring back 100's of pieces back to the states, which I think will last a lifetime, but they don't. Otherwise San Francisco and Chicago carry rice paper, which I buy when I'm there.
Q: What subjects does traditional brush painting incorporate?
A: Many include birds and flowers, or bamboo, which can be hard to do. This took me a while to learn. But now artists are combining both Eastern and Western traditions so your own personality comes out in the painting. Birds and flowers come easily to me, but I also enjoy landscape and animals. Both my children paint and my daughter Kim does dragons, paints them for her subjects. She was three years old when she started and has been with me, painting, and at art shows [her entire childhood], so she knows everything about the art world.
Q: You've been painting 40 years…what do you enjoy the most about painting?
A I like painting, anything that doesn't talk back to me. It's peaceful, positive and like meditation. I'm encouraged by the gratification of people who buy my paintings. And I like different subjects, so I'm never bored. I will do painting forever.
