Shandong master craftsman creates vivid feather pictures

Master Wang Shaonian – a leading artisan in the making of feather pictures, based in Lanling county in Linyi city, in East China's Shandong province – has innovated the traditional skills behind the craft, to give his works a very high appeal to the public.

The feather picture is a traditional Chinese handicraft which uses high-quality poultry feathers as the main materials.

To get the desired effect in his pieces, Wang strictly uses the feathers of poultry and birds without any rendering or coloring.

He gets results through exacting scientific processes and screening, biological disinfections, rinsing and anti-corrosion measures, as well as through careful pasting and fixation of the feathers.

Wang's pictures covering a raft of categories such as landscapes, figures, flowers and birds, fish and insects and animals. He has a preference for ancient historical celebrities in Shandong province, such as Confucius and Wang Xizhi.

The biggest feature of Wang's feather pictures is that they are done without pen and ink – as well as the use of bird feathers which are thoroughly disinfected. He then employs Chinese freehand brushwork techniques, combined with cutting and pasting, to create the work.

Moreover, faced with the shortcomings of inefficient conventional mountings, Wang designed a scroll style feather painting on rice paper and silk, which is widely said to improve their value to collectors.

His works have often been given as a gift by government departments to international friends in promoting cultural values and they are said to promote cultural exchanges. (Edited by Chen Chuxuan)

Hawks perch and take to the air in another of Wang Shaonian's pictures. [Photo provided for chinadaily.com.cn]