Newman Huo

DUTCH artist Susan Reijnders developed a fascination for oysters and botanical plants, regularly using them in her ink paintings during her artist-in-residency program at the Shenzhen Fine Art Institute over the past two months.

Reijnders is displaying her recent works at a solo art exhibition, “Zest for Life,” at the Shenzhen Fine Art Institute until Jan. 8.

“Nothing is a greater source of inspiration than nature and its indestructible beauty,” said Reijnders, 43.

“Both the visible and non-visible aspects of nature arouse deep emotions in me,” she said.

“My paintings are my interpretations of nature and its importance.”

“I also incorporate some techniques of traditional Chinese ink painting with my ‘Western’ senibility,” she added.

Reijnders came to the Shenzhen Fine Art Institute on Oct. 24 this year. As her car was crossing the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor, Reijnders noticed oyster-raising fields in the sea.

“I had seen oyster-raising fields in Portugal earlier this year and I thought they would be an appropriate subject for my ink paintings,” Reijnders recalled.

Born in the Netherlands in 1968, Reijnders studied etching, lithography, graphic design and illustration at the Royal Academy of Arts and Design in ’s-Hertogenbosch from 1986 till 1992.

She got a chance to study the basics of traditional Chinese ink painting under Zhou Jun, a painter who ran Chinese ink painting workshops in Europe, from 1996 till 2002.

After her arrival, Reijnders began to explore Shenzhen with the help of her friends. She had a valuable experience spending a few days with oyster-raising villagers on the eastern coast.

One morning, a fishing boat took Reijnders to an oyster field in the sea, where she was able to see how oysters grow, and how they are collected.

“My curiosity has been rewarded as I have now been able to make the beauty of the invisible life below the surface of the water visible to my Chinese audiences,” Reijnders said.

Besides oysters, another common subject of her ink paintings is botanical plants.

“Botanical plants are a nice metaphor for the speed at which this city has grown,” Reijnders said.

Traditional Chinese ink painting has proved to be a suitable form for what Reijnders wants to express. The immediate flowing off of the ink at the slightest touch of the rice paper fascinates her. But the precision it requires has been challenging.

“Due to the contrasting effect of richly flowing ink and almost dry brushstrokes, I can convey the contrasts of life and death, vitality and old age, flourishing and withering,” she said.

Besides her recent works on oysters and botanical plants, visitors can also view some of the Dutch painter’s earlier works from the “Willow Tree” series and the “Vineyard” series at her solo art exhibition.

Dates: Through Jan. 8, 2012

Venue: Shenzhen Fine Art Institute, Yinhu Road, Luohu District (罗湖区银湖路深圳画院)

Buses: 4, 5, 7, 201, 218, 222, 301, 315, 360. About five minutes’ walk from Yinhu bus stop