艺术贵在纯与真，艺术家贵在坚持和不断向自己挑战。不管任何艺术形式和风格，只有建立在对艺术本质的纯粹追求，以及本着至真的情怀和态度去探索，才能达到一种超脱尘俗的高度，那是一种蕴含着艺术家思想和展现着精湛技法的、经得起时间考验的艺术。

　　观念是艺术的灵魂，形式是艺术的驱壳，技术是艺术的法度，三者的精妙结合始能产生动人的真正有价值的作品。形式是传达艺术家的思想和艺术家与观众之间沟通的一个载体，中西艺术皆然。而载体之中的内容必须经过作者的整理、提炼、升华，最终寻求到一个最佳的、与众不同的表述方式，这就是观念。我们不要把观念看得那么神秘高深，它并非西方当代艺术的专利;中国的传统艺术何尝不讲观念，所谓冥思、立意、意在笔先，都是在酝酿一种表达的观念。技法不等于一切，但掌握高妙的技法，才能更自由地、有效地演绎艺术家的观念。不少信奉所谓前卫艺术的人，难免有一种藐视技法的心态。事实上技法是一把锋利的双刃剑，掌控得不好，确能对作品产生负面的影响，此即所以某些描绘过于甜俗的具象绘画容易为人诟病之故。

　　笔者去国三十余年，初抵纽约时以超写实(Super-realistic)的画风切入画坛，但其后很快就偏离了那种只强调客观地移植图像的照相写实主义(Photo-realism)。在创作的过程中，一直在寻求中西艺术精神的交汇点，在参考当代西方写实绘画的观念和构成特色的同时，融入中国传统绘画的审美观点，探索一条适合自己发展的道路。在三十多年里，目睹几度的潮流兴替，但从未作跟风之想，一路坚守个人的探索方向。我深信一步一个脚印走出来的路才是真真正正的个人道路，那是不受潮流和市场左右的“纯与真”的艺术。

　　数年前回归岭南，多在珠三角地区收集素材创作。面对一个常年翠绿的空间，唤起青少年时候的亲切乡情。记忆中葱绿透明的田园美景，与今天饱受污染的河涌和日渐消逝的绿色生态环境，形成一个明显的落差。我期望通过笔下的描绘，将一个未经人工破坏和污染的原生态的天然景象，重现观众的眼前，这就是一种纯与真的艺术心态。在描绘“岭南绿”此一课题上，相信不少画家都曾遇到过困境。绿色之难以捉摸，无论是在强烈的阳光与湿气交加的环境下，抑或是处在阴天的微光所显现的层次，都是极高难度的演绎，这就是一种挑战。再者，艺术并非是平铺直叙的描绘，它需要精纯的提炼和浪漫的夸张。故此如何超越常规的视角，以主观的心象来重组理想中的绿色空间，又是另一种挑战。只有不断地自我挑战，不断地超越自己，才能不断攀登新的高峰。具有个人性格特质的艺术道路，就是在不断攀登的艰辛过程中开拓出来的。其可贵之处，就是“纯”与“真”两个字。

　　The fundamental value of art is pure and true. Persistence and self-challenging are the integrity that artists should cherish. Despite of numerous forms and styles of art, artists should aim at the authentic quality of art with truth and right attitude in order to achieve the level beyond. This is a kind of art that endue the testimony of time through the mind and techniques of the artists.

　　Concept is the soul of art. Style is the frame of art, and technique is the rule of art. The perfect match among these three qualities will truly create astonishing and valuable art works. Eastern and Western alike, forms are the media that the artists communicate with the audiences and reveal their actual thinking. The content of these forms must be organized, condensed and modified by the artists in order to seek for the best and extraordinary expression. This is the true meaning of concept of art. Actually concept is no mystery and profound, also is not a patent of contemporary western art. In traditional Chinese art, the concept usually be revealed, that before artists start their work, they emphasized on meditation, determination for a new approach. This is the way to brew a kind of concept of expression. Technique doesn’t mean everything. But if the artists can manipulate superb techniques, they can express their concepts freely and effectively. Many of those avant-garde artists may care nothing on techniques. As a matter of fact, technique is a double-blazed sword. If you cannot control it well, negative results will be created. That’s why some mediocre and vulgar realistic paintings are easy to be criticized.

　　I left my home country for more than 30 years. I started my painting with Super-realistic style when I first arrived in New York. No sooner, I steered away from Photo-realism that emphasizing on transferring the photo image onto the canvas objectively. During the process of creation, I never stop trying to find the spiritual point of encounter of Western and Eastern art. While research on characteristics of western modern art works and concepts, I blended in traditional Chinese esthetic point of views and explored a path that fit for myself. For the past 30 years, I experienced a few changes in styles in the art arena. But I never following trends and persisted that I should stick to my goal. I believed that the road that I created step by step is the real path for me, and this road led by purity and truth will never affected by current markets.

　　A couple of years ago, I went back to Southern China and explored some new ideas for my works. When I faced the evergreen environment, it reminded me of the cozy feeling when I was young. There is a great difference between the old days where the green fields with transparent feeling and the polluted rivers in the shrinking green environment of nowadays. I really hope that the beautiful, tranquil, primary environment that not yet polluted can be resurfaced through my paintings. This is the purity and truth of art. Many artists faced the same obstacle when they tried to work on the topic “The Green of Southern China”. Green is a kind of hue that is hard to get hold of. No matter whether it is the kind of green under strong sunlit or under dim environment when the weather is overcast, they are very difficult to be depicted, that was a challenge. Moreover, art is not a straight forward transition; it needs purification and exaggeration in romance. That’s why, how to cross beyond the normal point of views and use the subjective feelings to reorganize the ideal green space is another challenge. We can reach another summit only if we repeatedly self-challenge, and overcome every hurdle. The path of art that reflected personal characters is opened up under such process. The essence is basically contained in two words: pure and true.

　　English Translation: Amien Lau, San Francisco