Artist Regina Linke, author of 'The Oxherd Boy'.
the Wonderful regina linke
Every now and then you suddenly come across someone who completely inspires you, out of the blue - and you wish to know more about who they are, their work, what inspires them, and how they do it.
Regina Linke is one of those special people I came across last year. We have since been in touch by email and I’m so glad to know her and more about her work.
Regina Linke is a Taiwanese-American artist who specializes in contemporary Chinese ink illustration. Her work aims ‘to inject an ethereal quality into everyday scenes, reminding readers young and old alike that the miracles of tenderness and beauty exist all around us.’ Regina ‘focuses on Chinese, meticulous-style brush painting on stretched silk and rice paper. Subjects include historical and legendary Chinese characters and motifs out of East Asian philosophy, religion, and folklore.’
Regina is writing a series of books ‘The Oxherd Boy’ and she drew her inspiration from the questions her young son would ask her, that even adults struggle with. ‘I was inspired by Charlie Mackesy's work and wanted to give my son something similar based on Chinese traditions.’
I feel truly blessed to know her and was delighted when she asked if I would read through her latest book ‘The Rabbit and the Sparrow’ before it’s release. Well, I honestly don't know how to express myself - I absolutely LOVED everything about her new story - and I couldn't find a thing to suggest to her. I read it through a few times and it became even more vivid and magical with each read, and the paintings are so beautiful, oh my goodness me! I love her artwork. It's beautiful, simple, clean and gentle. And it has so much expression in it that each individual piece tells an individual story - which is where she also shines. As an adult I loved it as much as if I were still a child. (I am at heart) and as a child I was fascinated in ancient China and ancient Eastern culture.
I lived in Singapore for many years and travelled the Far East and even China! I have a true appreciation for such beautiful ink illustrations and such a peaceful and harmonious existence which we all yearn for. If I had young children, I would certainly buy these books for them, in fact, as an experienced teacher, I would most certainly have them in our school and classroom library.
the books
‘The Rabbit and the Sparrow’ is the first story in a series of companion books where the Ox, the Rabbit, and the Boy help each other through simple but universal philosophical dilemmas that all children (and adults) go through. Regina explains that the characters of the three are taken from the ancient philosophies, ‘The Three Harmonious Teachings’ - the foundation of Classical Chinese Education - of Buddhism (The Ox), Taoism (The Boy) and Confucianism (The Rabbit). This is particularly valuable and interesting to me as I have been practicing Falun Dafa (or Falun Gong) since 2011 which teaches Truth (The Dao School) Compassion (The Buddha School) and Tolerance (Confucian). Falun Dafa | Falun Gong | 法轮大法 | 法轮功 - FalunDafa.org
Regina shared some big news recently, that she’s signed with an agent and they are working together to adapt The Oxherd Boy into book format. She said it is a long journey ahead still, but an exciting one.
You can find out more about Regina’s work and the release dates of her books on her website - The Oxherd Boy | Inspiring Chats
The Rabbit and the Sparrow
Three friends - an ox, a rabbit, and a boy - become unexpected parents to a baby bird and struggle over whether to keep it safely caged or set it free. Meanwhile, Mother Nature has other plans.
A Birthday for Ox
Tender-hearted Ox would do anything for his friends, the Boy and the Rabbit. But when their plans for his birthday leave him feeling all but happy, he must decide whether to speak up for himself at last.
“THREE HARMONIOUS TEACHINGS
THREE (NOT ALWAYS) HARMONIOUS CHARACTERS
”Three Harmonious Teachings” or 三教合一 (sān jiào hé yī ) is the foundation of Classical Chinese education. We learn to understand and apply the merits of or even combine philosophies from Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism to our daily lives. The goal is to develop peaceful relationships with nature, with society, and with ourselves.
However, that doesn’t mean disagreement doesn’t take place. Part of the art of applying the Three Teachings is debating and deciding which wisdom to apply to each situation. Conflicts do arise, but it is part of the process to surface the wisest solutions.”
Regina is currently based in Taipei, Taiwan and open for commissions and illustration opportunities. She kindly offers free digital postcards of her work which she gladly wishes to share with the world - they are stunningly beautiful - Shop | The Oxherd Boy and she also has a number of videos which show people how to make a Chinese painting. Have a look, they’re fascinating to watch. On her website you will find she also has a really interesting blog where she writes about Chinese traditions and culture.
“I moved to Taiwan in 2018 and started taking gongbi lessons under Zheng Zhihong, who encouraged me to pursue my own artistic voice by combining traditional Chinese painting techniques with a Western eye for composition. I’m so glad I followed his advice, because The Oxherd Boy would not exist if I hadn’t. I created this to share my love for Chinese culture and share the wisdom of its masters with you.”
