Interview with Phyllis Chua
Growing up with a father who is an orchid cultivation expert and a mother who is a tailor, how did these familial influences shape your approach to design and creativity?
Born in Perak, Malaysia, to a father who was an orchid grower and a mother who was a seamstress, I grew up with a love for beauty, art and aesthetics, and a unique perspective on beauty. These factors stemmed from my childhood environment. Outside the house was my father's orchid garden, where colorful plants and flowers, and even butterflies, bees and dragonflies invariably became my childhood companions, and a major source of inspiration for my future artistic creations. Inside the house were my mother's fabrics in a variety of colors and patterns. My mother's influence on the design of the brand's products is particularly reflected in the selection of the right fabrics and cutting techniques.
Can you share the story behind the launch of your brand, Phyllis van CHUA, in August 2016, and how your vision for it has evolved since then?
Phyllis van CHUA was founded by me, Phyllis Chua, an artist and print designer. What is special is that I chose to start my own business at the lowest point of my life, when my parents passed away after a long illness and I had no one else to turn to, so I decided to start my own business in the field of art and aesthetics, which I love, and to help me get out of the doldrums. CHUA is my family name, symbolizing my gratitude to my relatives, and the creation of the brand is a metaphor for "my father's interest in life, which is now extended to the meaning of Phyllis Chua's life as an artist and designer". The core value of the brand is to bring people joy, hope, and freedom through art, and at the same time, when using printed products, people can feel the warmth, beauty, and practicality of the hand-painted products, so as to achieve the art of living and the art of living. In addition, from spring 2024, we will start teaching certificate courses in art creation and print design, hoping to enhance people's aesthetic quality and artistic creativity through teaching, so that beautiful things will continue to be extended, and the body and mind will become more "rich and abundant" through the baptism of art.
Having traveled extensively in Europe and the U.S., how have these experiences and the diverse cultures you encountered influenced your design aesthetic?
Travelling has not only enriched my horizons and improved my aesthetic qualities, but also enabled me to see and feel for myself why painters of the past created such dreamlike and beautiful landscapes. At the same time, the lines of modern buildings and the stained glass of churches in many European and American countries have enriched my artistic creations, including the use of colors and geometric designs. On the other hand, I also like to explore 'color', the significance of color as a cultural symbol for different races or ethnic groups, and because I come from a multicultural country - Malaysia - and I majored in Cultural Anthropology during my university years, I often combine culture, color and flowers in my designs. Because of this, in 2019 I was shortlisted for an award at the Taiwan Pattern Design Festival, participated in my first print design group show, and won a pattern licensing opportunity. Moreover, the apparel items of our collaborators were swept away, which gave me a lot of confidence in my creativity.
You've mentioned a deep love for nature. How does this passion manifest in your surface pattern designs, and why do you think nature is such a powerful source of inspiration?
Phyllis van CHUA's products are full of colorful and vibrant floral patterns and designs. Phyllis van CHUA's core concept and features are mostly based on greenery and flowers, which stem from the fact that since I was a child, I have been living with flowers and plants, and I feel that the world of flowers, plants and plants is full of joy, carefree, comfortable and at ease, and that I am passionate about collecting treasures of the natural world. I remember my father's orchid garden is a good medicine for my spiritual enrichment, and the flying winged insects in the garden are regarded as an image of "freedom", which is the goal that I want to pursue most, so I incorporate the concept into my works.
Your work often features winged animals like butterflies and parrots. What is the significance of these elements in your designs?
To me, these winged animals symbolize "freedom". From the perspective of anthropological evolution, human beings have a smart brain and sensitive limbs, but lack a pair of colorful wings to fly. Therefore, I often fantasies that I have a pair of wings and can fly freely in the air overlooking the beauty of nature, so I put my fantasies into practice in my creations. When I share my creative ideas with my clients, I can feel their love and recognition of my work, which makes me very excited and gives me great motivation to continue creating.
Could you walk us through your creative process, from initial inspiration to the final product, especially in terms of how you blend hand-painting and digital techniques?
I always collect my favorite pictures intentionally or unintentionally, or take pictures of special plants when I see them on the road. Whenever I want to create something, I will look at the pictures I have collected, and memories of my childhood will also come back to me. At first, I would draw by hand and color on paper, then scan them into the computer for editing and layout. By using different ways of layout in the computer software, it's like telling a story to express my inner world, and if I need to adjust the colors, I will also use the software to modify them. Basically, I will edit twelve patterns for one theme, and eventually send the electronic file to the printing factory for printing. These patterns can be used for home accessories, women's clothing, even stationery, kitchen utensils and wallpaper.
You use a variety of mediums like watercolor, technical pen, and plant rubbings. What do you find appealing about each medium, and how do you decide which one to use for a particular design?
Personally, I favor "composite" creations, so there are two to three combinations of media in my art creations. Each medium has its own characteristics and effects, and when they are combined together, they create a rich sense of visual layering, generating attraction and even curiosity. Especially when combined with paper collage, it shows the reality and fiction, or ink and digital printing silk fabric, it shows the three-dimensionality of the artwork, and makes the whole artwork come to life. The choice of media depends on the future use of the artwork. If the artwork is to be made into a commercial product for sale, we try our best to use media that is acceptable in the market. If the design is special and there is no limitation on the media to be used, it can be customized.
Having graduated from the Department of Anthropology, how do you see your academic background influencing your work as a designer?
Anthropology is a very unique discipline that requires both theory and fieldwork. In particular, fieldwork has taught me how to collect and categorize data, and I have a keen interest and curiosity in culture, which has led me to explore the meanings behind cultural constructions. In 2019, I participated in the Taiwan Pattern Design Festival and the theme of the competition was "Animals". It was my first time to challenge myself to paint an animal, and after thinking about it, I decided to use anthropological research on Taiwan's Austronesian to explore the mascots in the culture and create a pattern design, which was shortlisted to participate in a three-month group exhibition. The most popular ones are the flying fish of the Dawu tribe and the butterfly of the Rukai tribe, and the butterfly of the Rukai tribe won the 2020 Asian Illustration Award, and the work was exhibited in Shanghai.
You've spoken about the intersection of art and life in your work. Could you elaborate on your philosophy about how design interacts with everyday living?
"Art for Life, Art for Living" is the mission of my personal brand, so that everyone can enjoy the hope and joy that art brings to people, enhance their aesthetic qualities, and achieve "richness and abundance" of body, mind, and spirit. My designs are inspired by flowers, plants and winged animals. In addition to my paintings, I scan my manuscripts into the computer for editing and layout to become patterns, and choose suitable materials to make merchandise, such as silk scarves, hats, handbags, home decorations, pillows, bed sets, and curtains. These are all items that are closely related to our lives, so hand-drawn prints add fun, warmth and practicality to our lives.
Looking forward, what new themes or techniques are you eager to explore in your future designs, and are there any specific projects you're particularly excited about?
I find myself increasingly drawn to abstract painting, perhaps inspired by observing the texture of stones and tree bark. I have begun to challenge the theme of abstract style, some of my works are not overly floral, only using color and free lines; others are abstract combinations of flowers that I am familiar with, I want to interpret the power that flowers bring to people, and be grateful for the nourishment of the earth, so I have created the 'Cosmic Flowers Series'. I am very excited about this series and I look forward to extending it. In addition to this, the five senses of the human face is a theme that I have been interested in recently, but I am still exploring it. This is challenging for me because it is a very different element from what I have done in the past, and I am looking forward to the realization of the work.
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