Through the critical moment of life and death with the spirit of Raptor, the engraving of he Huaren's Chapter of the Falcon shows the softness and strength of life.

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"I went to Taitung in September to see eagles. Here is Dulan Mountain, and below is Peinan Creek." the new moon rose during the day, the eagles circled around the new moon, and the sky became a boundless canvas. Printmaker he Huaren gave a detailed account of the painting "the Eagles and the Moon" to the audience who came to visit the exhibition.

When he turned around, he continued, "this is the appearance of a Manchurian falling eagle, which is flying around the sunset." the nearer the eagle is, the bigger it is, gradually pulling out the distance. When he explained this picture of "the Eagles at sunset," the sun in the painting was right on his head.

As soon as the solo exhibition "Chapter of the Falcon" was held at the Fuhua Salon in Taipei, the works sold this time are mainly a series of prints by peregrine falcons and owls, which are said to be "series." because "there are Falcons by the Sea" and "Flowers see Little owls" each have more than 20 works, each showing interesting stories.

However, the two giant prints of the red-bellied eagle and the gray eagle at the entrance of the salon are the most shocking works for visitors. apart from the huge layout, he Huaren used his printmaking skills to pull the sky canvas in front of the visitors, as if on that day's trip to Taitung. Everyone was there in person. Standing still before the painting, watching the air flow driven by the wings, I seemed to hear that the prints were equipped with speakers and chanted poems of wild birds one after another.

He Huaren fell in love with bird watching since he was young. he taught himself printmaking to form his own family (courtesy of Zhang Hongming). When he was a soldier, he envied the birds flying, and became a man with two birds with one article and one painting with Liu Kexiang.

He Huaren, a well-known "bird man" in Taiwan's art world, was fascinated by the rich posture of birds as early as when he was a soldier. When he served in Hualien Port, compared to the discipline and obedience on the soldiers, he Huaren faced the waterbirds by the sea every day, which made him yearn for the freedom to fly. At that time, he made up his mind to devote himself to bird watching in addition to his work.

After leaving the army, he Huaren joined the China Times as the art editor of the Human Supplement, opposite Liu Ke-hsiang's office of the China-America edition. Liu Ke-hsiang often visited the "world". As a result, the two bird lovers established a long-term friendship. They often go out to see birds together, and when they return home, they each create works, one for writing and the other for painting, each expressing their passion for birds.

After five or six years like this, Ho Hua-Jen came to the 30-year-old hurdle, which was also the peak of Taiwan's newspaper industry at that time. To be able to work for the China Times is tantamount to holding a golden rice bowl. But he Huaren thought that the work of the newspaper was too comfortable, and he wanted to fly like a bird and draw a beautiful arc of flight in his sky, so he tendered his resignation.

He Huaren's works: there are falcons (courtesy of Zhang Hongming) diving in the six tortoise forest to watch and draw birds, and then reprint after being invited back to the newspaper.

In the early years, there were not many picture books on birds in Taiwan, so he Huaren could only find foreign works for reference. He found that in addition to illustrations, there are also many books that depict the ecology of birds. "it turns out that bird painting can also become a profession." with such a discovery, he gave himself a year to go to the six turtles fan flat workstation of the Forestry Experimental Institute to learn about the ecology of wild birds in Taiwan's forest by means of fixed-point observation, capture, and release.

Although the salary is not high, it is a pleasure to watch and draw birds every day. The works accumulated during this period were later published as the Atlas of Wild Birds in Taiwan, which was a very important reference for bird ecology at that time, and enabled Ho Hua-Jen to share his bird-watching harvest with readers.

However, the ban on the annual report was lifted, and people in need of each newspaper were in a hurry, and Wu Fengshan, president of the independent newspaper department, personally telephoned and invited him, so he Huaren returned to the mortal world as an independent art creative director. As for his bird-painting career, he can only take advantage of his spare time.

At first glance, it seems that interest has been sacrificed, but it opens another door to creation. As a member of the Taipei Bird Club, he Huaren is often entrusted with drawing posters or educational picture books. those single watercolor paintings are neat and awe-inspiring, and his lines are often praised for their printmaking style.

When he returned to work for the newspaper, he Huaren could not have as much time to draw meticulous brushwork as he did in the six tortoises. However, the characteristic of the printmaking is that it takes a long time to think and less time to write. As a result, he used his spare time at work to think about the composition, and spent another two or three hours to complete the backbone of the printmaking. As for the rest of the stereotyped work, he could use the spare time to complete it, without the pressure of getting it done in one go.

Relying on his self-taught skills, he Huaren created many prints of wild birds in Taiwan. (photography / Zhang Hongming) develop printmaking skills by self-study and carve works with "registered trademarks"

However, the conversion from watercolor to printmaking is not a switch. How can he Huaren have time to learn from a teacher? It can only be said that the artistic talent he has shown since he was a child has long laid the foundation for him. He learned the work of printmaking by reading books, and he began to explore step by step on several Japanese books that taught woodcut skills. At first, the knife was not round enough, so that the convex lines could not touch too much ink, but he practiced hard until he had carved 60 pictures, and then looked back at the book. He had a different experience, and also found out the key points and links of previous negligence.

"in fact, I still have a little knowledge of printmaking skills, but I just paint all the way and carve it all the way." With enthusiasm and perseverance, he Huaren decided to do only bird-related work for the rest of his life. He tendered his resignation after more than seven years of independent service, and has not taken up any paid job since then. "I am lucky that I have never been short of money in my life." He Huaren is grateful and wholeheartedly gives back to the people who have carried him all the way with better works. On the road of a professional painter, what he cares about most is to create works like a "registered trademark".

Although there are many people engaged in bird painting in Taiwan, there are few "bird painters" like Ho Hua-Jen, let alone using prints to create. "when creating, I will always think about whether anyone has done this before." As long as there are ancients, it is a waste of time to do the same thing again. "I want to make sure that others know it is my work as soon as they see it." He said proudly.

The 18 prints of "there are Eagles in the Park" (Photography / Zhang Hongming) extend from a single work to a picture-book story to share with more people.

In 1992, he Huaren's first solo exhibition was highly praised; later, several art exhibitions were also popular, and gradually collectors began to pay attention to his works. On the road to being a professional painter, he Huaren can really make a living by selling paintings, but he begins to question, "isn't the purpose of my creation to share all kinds of birds with you?" However, according to the "rules of the game" in the printmaking world, a limited number of three or five copies are printed in each edition, and when the exhibition is over, no one but the collector will be able to see these works!

From then on, he Huaren began to try to create in the form of picture books and children's books. he jumped away from the specifications of single pictures and images, and changed to a series of stories, combining several prints with words to form a complete work, thus introducing the environment and habits of birds, as well as his own experience over the years. "I hope that through writing and drawing, my observation of birds will be turned into a tangible creation, and then it can be passed on forever."

Living up to he Huaren's expectations, several of his works have sold well. The Owl on the Island has four editions: Japanese, Korean, Fanzhong and Jane, and has sold tens of thousands of copies. "Wow! "Eagle in the Park" also sold 6,000 copies. In addition, he is the winner of all kinds of competitions and has been affirmed by Jinding Award and excellent Book Award for many times.