謝宏蓮 Hsieh Hong-Lien

活著只為發現美，其他一切是一種等待的形式，撒一粒種子，大地會讓你收穫一朵花，向天空祈求，一個夢想，天空會帶來你所愛！　～ 紀伯倫

2000 年以前，我的人生在世人眼中是多彩而豐盛的，卻在高處跌落至不見底的深淵。

2005 年我發現了光，然後遇見了繪畫，彷彿是兒時記憶乍然清晰，那個老家小鎮的海邊，風光騎著粉紅色腳踏車，愛畫畫的小宏蓮。

我狂熱地四處學藝，媒材、技巧、觀念……為的是將自己更深的投入到在油彩厚實的基底上創造出的無限空間。從此，我過著半隱居的生活，只讓靈性與藝術充滿。

2017 年生命之神給了我一個試煉，因病在加護病房與死神搏鬥的歷程，腦中浮現的，竟只是「還有許多想畫的畫，還沒畫完……」，人世間的一切親情、愛情似乎皆可放下，唯有作為一個畫家的工作是未完成的遺憾。

這遺憾留住了我，一年多來，生命的重心只在創作。源源不絕的作畫靈感，仿若神的話語，經由我的手顯化在畫布之上。

宛如重生般，我謙卑地看待生命。只因生命的可貴不在長度，而在深度；能決定長度的是上天，而深度取決於我對生命的態度。我獻身藝術，以所有的時間供養，因為我明白，總有一天身體會離開，畫作卻會活著，永無止盡地傳遞愛與美的能量。

近來在分享畫作的過程中，總會得到「宏蓮老師的畫作有一股溫暖與喜悅的能量」這樣令人感恩的回應。紀伯倫曾說：「如果你歌頌美麗，即使身處荒漠中心，也會擁有聆聽者。」愛是我的信仰，美是畫作的靈魂，我相信透過藝術分享愛與美是我的使命。

感謝這十幾年來一路上支持我鼓勵我的焦士太老師、繪畫路上一同扶持的前輩、親愛的家人及朋友們。大家都是藉由各種美好的緣分，在藝術的追尋中，上天派來幫助我的天使。

在活著的時候死過一次，現在的我，珍惜每個將自己奉獻給藝術的當下，正如草間彌生大師所言：「到死都還想畫下去！」

‘We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting’ “sow a seed unto the earth, It will yield you a flower, dream your dream unto the sky it will bring your Beloved”　— Kahlil Gibran

I was blessed with success, joy and contentment before the year 2000, but then I fell from my success and hit rock bottom. I felt lost. It was five years later, in 2005, that I found the light when I encountered the world of art.

This enlightenment, so to speak, brought back vivid childhood memories:
the seashore in my hometown, my little pink bicycle, as well as my passion for drawing and painting. Since then I have been frantically searching to gain knowledge about materials and mixed media, learning new painting skills, and at the same time building up my concepts on painting, in general.

I devoted myself completely to my oil paintings, allowing spirituality and artistic elements to exclusively fill my life, in a way becoming a semi-hermit. In 2017, I had recovered from a critical illness. One may say, God gave me another chance. All I want to do now, in this new life, is to create the paintings I have yet to paint and finish those I had started before. If I don’t become a professional painter, it will be a regret I will live with forever.

I am focusing now on the creation of art in my life. The inspiration for my paintings seem to me to spring from God’s love and grace, revealed through my hands painting on the canvas. Life is not measured by its length but rather by its depth. I believe good paintings are long lasting. The paintings themselves have a way of distributing love and beauty endlessly. When looking at my paintings, people say they sense warm and joyful energy from within my work.

“If you sing of beauty, though alone in the heart of a desert, you will have an audience”. Kahlil Gibran

Love is my belief, while art, I think, is a commitment to the beauty of the soul. I regard it as my task in life to deliver the message of love and beauty through my creations. I am grateful to Mr. Chiao Shis-Tai, who encourages my efforts and guides me on the right path, and to my loving and supportive family and friends. They are my guardian angels, giving me strength to go on searching in the world of beauty. I cherish all I have, and constantly try my best to give it expression in my oil paintings. As Kusama Yayoi once said, “I will keep painting until I die”.