Shen Jialiang was sent down to the countryside where he learned to make porcelain. He returned to Shanghai and learned to paint. Now he paints on porcelain, fires up his kiln and finally withdraws his "babies," writes Tan Xian. 　

An oil painting on a porcelain vase, each one a work of art? It's not an illusion. Under Shen Jialiang's hand, the two totally different genres become an East-meets-West work of art. 　　

Porcelain, one of China's most delicate and intricate legacies, has undergone a revolution in both design and technique through Shen's creations. 　　

Shen, inventor of the unique "Haipai (Shanghai-style) porcelain," has many secret skills of porcelain coloring. And a show of his artwork is now running at Levant Art Gallery. 　

Shen is bold in the use of some pigments that most of his peers don't have the courage to try. Thanks to his mastery of certain pigments, he has even created a series of oil painting-textured vases, a perfect combination of traditional Chinese art with Western elements. 　　

Shen insists in solving all the problems by himself during the creative process. 　　

"It is my ability to fix all the difficulties that make my work and style unique so that no one can imitate or copy them," he says. "I love conquering the difficulties that others fear." 　　

According to Shen, glazes liquify when heated to 1,300 degrees Celsius, so it's very difficult to control them when they flow.And different thicknesses of a pigment can result in different colors, so the colorful painting only can be appreciated after it is fired. 　　

"The result is never what you had precisely in your mind - it can be very close but not exactly the same," says Karen Zheng, owner of Levant Art Gallery, who majored in relics appreciation. 　　

Just weeks before, one of Shen's recent pieces won the first prize at this year's Shanghai Art Fair and was sold for 200,000 yuan (US$25,600) 　　

Shen thinks he is lucky: On one hand he knew how to paint and started out as a painter, and on the other hand, he knew the skills of making porcelain. 　　

"Many painters have excellent designs, but they can not deal well with pigment and glaze; while many artisans have good skills, they do not know how to create," Shen explains. 　　

During elementary school, Shen began to learn drawing with Shen Manyun, one of the masters of comic strip art in Shanghai at the time. His teacher helped him form the habit of observing and sketching, a habit he maintains to this day. 　

Shen stayed in Jingdezhen, widely known as China's capital of porcelain, in Jiangxi Province, and studied how to make porcelain since he was 16. He came back to Shanghai in 1993, when the city just began its rapid development. 　

"I often sketched during my time in Jingdezhen and I still remember the zigzagging villages and the small hills that greatly influence my work," he recalls. 　　

Shen's series "The Fun of Kids" featuring a naive little girl with her eyes slightly looking up seems to show that innocent countryside influence. 　

He says that for a long time his mind was filled with a vague image of a little girl, but he couldn't paint her from his imagination. Then he saw a student who was taken to his painting class by her mother (Shen teaches kids painting in the Children's Palace). 　

He finally took his inspiration from the innocence and shyness of this little girl, who lifted her eyes a little when greeting him. "But I haven't seen this little girl again after several months," says Shen. 　　

The artist sees all his works as his "babies." And when the kiln furnace is to open, he's just like an anxious "father," waiting for the birth of his "children." 　　

"In my life, the happiest moment is the time when the furnace opens," says Shen, "and I find all my 'babies' are safe and sound there." 　　

When asked whether his son will inherit his "secret skills," Shen says mildly: "He has his own choice, and he is not and won't be me." 　　

Shen believes that it's his history and his experience that created him. 　

"I was sent to the countryside when I was young, which enabled me to learn all the basic skills of making porcelain. And I'm so lucky that I finally came back to Shanghai, and was shocked by its modern and new ideas. 　　

"All these things - old and new - formed me and my work, not my son," the painter-ceramist adds. 　　

(Shanghai Daily January 5, 2007)