Subtlety / 微妙

植物標本館建於1929年，裡面來往的人多半是上了年紀的志工，有時候很老很老的教授會來串門子，我趁空閒之際瞄一下四周的環境，這裡連花瓶裡的花也是乾了的標本，如果用色調來形容，這裡的主色調是棕黃、土黃色和咖啡色。

TAI Herbarium was established in 1929, and it is one of the oldest buildings in National Taiwan University. Every day retired volunteers come and go here. From time to time, really old used-to-be professors come for a chat. I glimpse the room before getting down to work. Even decorative flowers in the vase are dried. The main color tones here are withered-leaf yellow, ochre and brown. 

        每拿出一份泛黃報紙包的標本，我會稍微注意年份和當時的新聞，接下來便研究要如何美麗地把乾燥過的植物固定在台紙上，這不禁讓我想到，如果人體可以拿來這樣處理，我會希望自己以好看的姿態供後人研究。前輩們和我提到貼膠帶或縫線時，要注意視覺平衡，而膠帶要順著葉脈貼，原來關於死亡的很多道理和活著是一樣的。

   The yet-to-be-made herbarium specimens are wrapped in old newspapers from different countries. First, I take a quick look at the year when the plant sample was collected, where it came from and the headlines in the papers. Next it takes time to figure out the layout, i.e., how the specimen can be best seen by researchers. This reminds me that if human bodies could be dealt with in a similar way, I'd hope to be beautifully displayed. My experienced colleagues teach me the importance of visual balance when I fix the specimen onto the paper with tape and threads. Also, the tape should be applied parallel to the veins. It turns out that life and death share much in common.

        之前美欽聽我說要去做標本時，以為我是綠手指，我很不好意思地說，曾經放在辦公桌上的盆栽都被我毀得差不多了，她還是送了我一盆香草植物，我把這個禮物當做新的開始，每天認真地照顧它。從標本館回到家，心還被泛黃的氛圍籠罩著，可是一看到植物們無敵的生長速度，突然腦波的頻道從死亡轉到生命，我感到踏實的欣喜。

   When I told Meichien I was learning to make herbarium specimens, she mistook me for a green thumb. I admitted in shame that I had killed all the bonsais on my office desk. Still, she gave me a small bonsai as a gift. I decided it would be a brand-new beginning for me, so I make efforts to take care of it on a daily basis.

   Coming home from the herbarium, I am still obsessed with the thought about death. However,  the visible growth of my plants pulls me back to the reality, and I feel the joy of life rising in me.

        為什麼我喜歡植物？因為連生和死都在微妙之中看似淡淡地、卻深刻地上演。

   Why do I have a thing for plants? Because life and death are played out in seeming subtlety while they can be so overwhelming deep down.

observed drawing II / 觀察畫法（二）

這幾天的行程和我得做的都慢了半拍，例如說我現在應該要趕快開始新的速寫本，可是我一直忙到下午才有空坐到電腦前整理影像。

I am trying hard to catch up with what I am supposed to do on the agenda. For example, I should be working on my new sketchbook at this moment, but I was occupied with different plans until this afternoon.

第一本速寫本封面 / the cover design of my first sketchbook 

上週四看了別人的作品之後，覺得自己的東西太守規矩，所以上週五我嘗試了許多新想法。

After I peeped into others' sketchbooks last Thursday, I found my works too conservative. Thus I explored the unknown territory and expanded my works on Friday. 

手邊可以黏的貼的，我全都放進速寫本裡。

I put everything I could lay my hand on into the sketchbook. 

畫鞋子的好處是有很大的想像空間。

The advantage of drawing shoes is that there is a lot of space for imagination. 

最近大家都一直教我要畫陰影，這是我的陰影。

Lately everyone has been telling me to draw shadows. Here are mine...

有沒有落單的鞋子？

Is there a missing shoe? 

畫跑鞋對我來說是心理治療，當時因為擔心膝蓋，特地買了氣墊鞋，可是我始終覺得膝蓋痛是我對未來的恐懼，所以我把貼布也拿來用，希望可以克服我的不安。

Drawing my sneakers was a form of therapy for me. I was worried about my knees back in summer, so we went for a pair of shoes with insoles. However, I've always thought that knee pain is a symbol of my fear for the unknown future. Thus I cut and pasted medicinal patches in one sketch hoping to overcome my anxiety. 

在家畫到要蒸發了便出去公園寫生，經過的黑人女孩問我賣不賣畫。

When I was about to dehydrate after drawing for a whole day at home, I went to the park to sketch. A black girl passing by me asked if I sell my works. 

我把鞋子的外形和鞋帶畫成小書，至於背景是上週日去乘船時，風景太美卻沒有畫紙可用，只好借用背景的空白頁。

I made a concertino book for the shapes of the sneakers and the shoestrings. The background was done last Sunday when I took the cruise from Camden Town to Little Venice. The scenery was so fantastic, but I didn't have extra paper. I made use of the blank pages here. 

這是依鞋子的大小畫的。

This image is about the actual measurement of the shoes. 

左上角和右下角的黑筆畫是上周日早上六點爬起來畫的，其它部份則是因為我們去到位於Camden Lot 一間很有味道的咖啡店，我受不了只好把畫具拿出來速寫，凱特琳娜把她袋子裡有的紙都翻出來讓我做拼貼。

The pen drawings on the right bottom and upper left were done at 6 am last Sunday. As for the other parts, I was inspired when we went to a very lovely cafe in Camden Lot. I was tempted to take out all my drawing apparatus. Caterina donated pieces of paper she could find in her handbag. 

這是嘉蕊（左邊）、我（右邊）和凱特（上面）三人的鞋，我和嘉蕊用左手畫圖。

These are the shoes of Jazel (on the left), me (on the right) and Cate (on the top). Jazel and I used our left hands to draw. 

我在公車上先從上面那張圖開始畫，空間沒量好，便翻頁畫下面那張，空間還是沒量好。嘉蕊很想著色，而且她的出發點是色盲人士應該沒有顏色的限制，我覺得很有野獸派的風格。

On our bus ride, I started from the image on the top. I wasn't being very careful with spatial arrangement, so I turned to the following page to draw the image on the bottom. Still, I ended up being inaccurate with the space. Jazel wanted to try how color-blind people draw, and I found her work to be very Fauvist. 

這是贈送頁，是凱特琳娜的鞋子，美麗的小圈圈是她的作品。

This is the bonus page. It's Caterina's shoes, and the frottage is her contribution. 

本書結束！

The end of this book! 

老師給我的評價還蠻高的，他說有客觀和實驗性作品，但我應該要更注意畫圖的精確性和動感同時存在一張作品中。

Matt thought pretty highly of my sketchbook. He said it's an objective and experimental book,  but I should try to combine the static and moving qualities of lines in an image. 

接下來幾天我得好好工作了！

During the following days, I'll have to work very hard!