Interview with illustrator Wen Hsu
by Marjorie Coughlan*

Born in Taiwan to Chinese parents, illustrator Wen Hsu moved to Costa Rica when she was two years old and has been living there ever since.

She graduated in Architecture from the University of Costa Rica in 2000 and worked for a few years before deciding to go back to school for Illustration. She enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2004, and received a BA in Illustration with honors in 2006.

Wen was awarded the 2008 Grand Prize in the ACCU Noma Concours for the illustrations for her story Nadi & Xiao Lan.

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Many congratulations for winning this year’s NOMA Concours Grand Prix! What preparation did you do for your entry; and what were you doing when you found out you’d won?

Thank you very much!

To prepare for the entry, first I had to choose a story. I knew I wanted one that was Kuna, since my latest paper cut experiments were inspired by the colorful Molas made by Kuna women and I thought entering the contest would be a great way to divulge Kuna culture. With help from a Kuna friend, Mani Güeuigdinapi, I read all the traditional myths I could get my hands on, as well as contemporary Kuna storytelling. I struggled for a good while, seeking for a story to illustrate, but I was not able to find something that would feel absolutely right.

One day I was sketching and I flipped back a few pages. Among my sketches, I found two girls. The idea of writing my own story about these two girls sparked. From then on, the process flowed very naturally and took shape almost on its own.

I found out I had won the award in the most casual manner, since I wasn't expecting to hear from NOMA so soon (it was November). I was working at my drawing table, when my husband told me I had an email from NOMA. I was nervous, so I asked him to please read it for me. He simply said: “You won. The Grand Prix”. I thought he was kidding at first, then I thought he was reading it wrong. I looked into the monitor and read it several times in disbelief. I think I'm still not 100% convinced that I actually won. It was quite a shock!

How does it feel to be the first Costa Rican to win this international award and what has been the reaction in Costa Rica?

It is very humbling. Costa Rica has talented and hard-working illustrators and artists, who are far more experienced than I am. I consider myself a “young” illustrator, who is just starting out. I never expected to win a prize in NOMA, let alone the Grand Prix.

I believe the reaction from fellow illustrators was very joyful. There is an association of Costa Rican illustrators called GAMA. The market for illustration in Costa Rica is tiny and it is tough to find work as an illustrator so we try to keep each other motivated. More established illustrators share their experiences and advice with younger ones, such as myself; and whenever any of us spots an opportunity, such as a job opening or a competition, we share it with the rest. This is how I heard of the NOMA Concours. So in a way, the award was an accomplishment for the whole group and we all celebrated it.

There was a note about the award in a Costa Rican newspaper (La Nación) that I think might help the Costa Rican public understand what Illustration is, since it is yet to be known as a profession by the general public. When I tell people what I do for a living, the following question is always, "What does an illustrator do?" And then they usually ask, "So you are like a Graphic Designer, yes?"

Your winning illustrations are for a story called Nadi & Xiao Lan. Can you tell us about it? Is it based on your own childhood in any way? Are there any plans for it to be published?

It is definitely based on my own childhood. I think that is why the process flowed so naturally after I decided to tell the story of these two girls. Growing up as an immigrant child has its challenges, but it also has many advantages, such as an openness to experiencing new things and a certain ease in dealing with change.

Other characters are based on reality as well. Xiao Lan's father is based on my own father, who would tell us traditional Chinese stories as a way of preserving our Chinese heritage. Just like Xiao Lan's father in the story, my parents would always make a great effort to celebrate all the Chinese festivals, even if the celebrations were small.

The story is about two girls who come from completely different cultures (Nadi is Kuna and Xiao Lan is Chinese) but share the experience of being a child in a family living in a culture/country other than their own, which in this case is Panamá. That common reality turns them into best friends, which in turn allows them to experience and learn from each other's culture. First, Xiao Lan is invited by Nadi's family to Kuna Yala, where they take part in Kuna celebrations, listen to Kuna legends (one of the illustrations depicts the myth of the Kuna Tree of Life) and learn how to cook Kuna food, guided by Nadi's grandmother.

When Xiao Lan tells her father about this, he decides to go back to Kuna Yala with the girls. On the night of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, he gathers all the children in the village, sits under a huge breadfruit tree with a big box of Chinese Moon cakes and tells the story of Chang-Er and her flight to the Moon.

Regarding plans for publishing the book, I am actively seeking a publisher who would be interested in this story, which tells a little about the lives of immigrant children.

Your illustrations combine Chinese cut-paper art with the artistry and look of Molas, a traditional hand-sewn costume of the Kuna woman of Panama. What are the main characteristics of these two art forms, and what inspired you to combine them?

I learned how to make traditional Chinese paper cuts on one of my childhood trips to Taiwan. I was taught by a friend of my grandmother, who would cut them out with traditional paper cut scissors. She explained how the paper cut scissors would have more iron on the tip to make them more suitable for their task. We cut several New Year's paper cuts and decorated windows with them.

Many years later, I took up the paper cut technique again for a class assignment at RISD and made several paper cuts telling the story of my grandmother, a young widowed mother of five. Since then, I have kept on working with the paper cutting technique. It feels like a very natural form of expression and exploration for me.

The other technique I adapted is the reverse appliqué technique used by Kuna women to make their Molas. I have always found Molas to be very attractive. It is a textile art, so its aesthetic “language” is a bit different from that of painting with a brush. Molas are used to enliven clothing, hence they are full of decorative elements with unexpected combinations of very bright colors, yet the subjects depicted are distilled to the simplest shapes.

For me, folk arts reflect the heart of a culture better than the fine arts. In this case, both techniques synthesize themes and elements that are important to their culture or found in their surroundings into very simple forms and in their own unique way. Chinese paper cuts are very Chinese, and Molas are very Kuna. So when I decided to tell the story of a Chinese girl and a Kuna girl, combining the two techniques seemed to make sense.

What was it like, growing up in Costa Rica and spending holidays visiting family in Taiwan? How has it affected your development as an artist?

I think that it affected my development as a person, which in turn shaped who I am as an artist. Growing up with two cultures at the same time made me who I am. I believe this to be inescapable and that everything I create will reflect my bi-cultural background.

As a cultural hybrid, one is always a bit of an outsider. At school in Costa Rica, not only my face, but also my lunchbox looked different. Back in Taiwan, I would be the “foreign” cousin, who dressed differently and talked with her hands too much. This would make for comical situations, sometimes even awkward ones, but it also helped me develop an eye for spotting things others could not, or to find interest in things that were common to others. This ability is very useful for an artist, since part of our role is to find beauty or relevance in unexpected places.

You are currently working on the illustrations for two children’s books: Sebastian by Micaheal Stewart and Turtle by Rodolfo Dada, a Costa Rican writer and poet. Can you tell us about them and what drew you to each project?

Michael Stewart, a lecturer at Brown University, wanted to create a children's book for adults when he wrote Sebastian. It is a collaboration between Michael as the writer, me as the illustrator and printmaker Kathryn Eshbaugh, who will print and bind five hundred copies of the book. The story tells of the sixteen lives of the protagonist, Sebastian, which are all strangely unfortunate in one way or another.

Nace una tortuguita (A Little Turtle is Born) was written by Rodolfo Dada as part of a collection of short stories about the Caribbean. We are currently working together with editor Yazmín Ross from Pachanga Kids (a small picture book publisher here in Costa Rica) to make an adaptation of this story into a children's picture book. It is set on a beach in Tortuguero National Park, where a tiny green turtle is born at dawn and takes on the perilous journey towards the sea. It is told  from the little turtle's point of view, while she considers each of her options carefully. The writing is beautiful and poetic, and we are hoping to capture that same feeling in the illustrations.

All in all, you use many different styles and techniques in your illustrations. Do you have a particular favorite?

It is hard to choose a favorite. I go through phases in which my attention latches on to a certain technique or style and doesn't let go until it's satisfied!

At this moment I am still exploring the different ways to cut paper, although now I am interlocking instead of layering it. It feels like creating and playing with colorful puzzles, which is absolute fun. Hence for the time being, cutting and painting paper is my favorite technique: but I am certain that will change in the future...

As you follow through each project, with its own demands, how do you find yourself evolving as an artist. Is there a particular direction you see yourself moving in, in the future?

I believe each project is an opportunity to better oneself and an invitation to explore. I really enjoy projects that are challenging and push me out of my comfort zone. This way and with a little luck, discoveries are constantly made: new styles, unexpected ways to create images and one's artistic arsenal is enriched further.

I am aiming to work full time as a children's book illustrator in the future. The quality of images and storytelling published in children's books is continuously increasing, which demands excellence from writers and illustrators. Also, many art directors are willing to take risks and create children's books with art that is unexpected and extraordinary. This is all very exciting for me, so I am hoping I'll be able to enter this field.

As well as working as an illustrator, you run a successful business designing and creating bridal headpieces. What is the general pattern of your days, with so many projects running side by side?

I am a little hyperactive when it comes to creative endeavors and there are so many exciting things I would like to try my hand at: calligraphy, bookbinding, woodworking, needlework, silversmithing, just to mention a few. But if I mean to do quality work in any of these fields, I can only work on two or three at a time.

At this moment, I am trying to concentrate all my efforts on developing and promoting my illustration work for children's books. And I try to keep the orders from the bridal headpieces business to a minimum, only taking on those that are special for one reason or another.

I don't have a “typical day” pattern really. It depends on what projects or commissions I have at the moment and what ideas I have running through my head that urgently need me to sit down at my work table. This is why keeping an orderly and updated calendar with due dates and milestones is essential for me. I try to allocate a certain amount of hours per day to priority activities, such as promotion and of course, sketching, drawing, painting and/or paper cutting.

In March, you went to Japan to receive your Noma Concours Grand Prix. Was it your first visit to the country? What was the experience like for you?

It was a wonderful experience. I met a lot of people from different fields and countries, and most importantly I was able to share ideas with them. I met Mr. Alaeldin Elgizouli Naeim from Sudan, who was the Second Prize winner) and I was also invited by Mr. Takeshi Matsumoto to visit the Chihiro Art Museum. This is a museum dedicated solely to picture-book illustration; its collection consists of about 12,000 works by 168 illustrators from all over the world.

This was my second visit to Japan. I went there for the first time with my cousin from Taiwan, about 10 years go. But it was only during this last visit that I realized how deeply appreciated and enjoyed children's books are in Japan.

You also gave a presentation on Costa Rican children’s books at the ACCU - NOMA Symposium. Can you give us some background to the charming video you made as part of this?

I was asked to prepare a short paper regarding the situation of children's books in Costa Rica and how children relate to books here, as well as some photos or a video to illustrate the paper. In the video I wanted to show that children here, just like anywhere else in the world, love a good story and will eagerly participate when provided with an appropriate environment.

I also wanted to show children interacting with books in different environments. One of the environments I chose was the public library, where reading workshops for children are held during vacation time. Children are guided by a teacher through different activities related to the stories they read, such as illustrating the stories themselves, or making a small play based on one of the books.

The second half of the video shows a book presentation at a Costa Rican book store. A storyteller and songs are developed based on the storybook to enhance the children's experience of the story.

You can find my short paper on the ACCU website here and also the material presented by the other panellists here.

What differences have you found when comparing the present situation in Costa Rica, in terms of children’s books, with what books were available when you were a child?

There are far more books for children available nowadays than when I was a child, when most books would be educational or part of the school program.

With so many new media that children can learn and play with nowadays, books have a lot of competition. You see the shelves in book stores lined up with books that are also extremely colorful, designed to catch the attention of children. There is also much more freedom regarding the subject matter of children's books. A story can be simply funny or silly, whereas in the past most books would end with a moral or warning for children.

Who are some of the children’s book illustrators you admire?

Raul Colón: I really like how his illustrations glow. His pieces are beautiful and romantic, but he goes beyond that and gives us characters that are alive and real, portrayed with great dignity and emotion.

Dusan Kallay: His use of color is something magical that I cannot get my grasp on. His illustrations are subtle, complex, very playful and just full of surprises.

Yu Dawu: I have only recently seen his work but it transported me immediately back to my childhood, when I would spend hours looking at the illustrations in a set of books on traditional Chinese stories.

Can you recommend any children’s books which focus on Costa Rica and its culture?

Cocorí by Joaquín Gutierrez [available second-hand in English - Cormorant Books, 1989] is one of my favorite books. It has been illustrated by different artists for different editions and tells of a small Afro-Caribbean boy who sets out on a quest. Cocorí wants to find out why his rose being so beautiful, lived only a day, whereas the Anaconda or the Crocodile live for ages.

Mo by Lara Ríos (Marilyn Echeverria) and illustrated by Vicky Ramos, is the story of a Cabécar (Indigenous Costa Rican) girl.

Cuentos de mi Tía Panchita by Carmen Lyra (María Isabel Carvajal Quesada), is a collection of short stories based on classic fables and fairy tales, told in a very Costa Rican way with a very distinct sense of humour. It has been illustrated by different artists for different editions.

What new projects do you have in the pipeline?

I am currently honing the writing for Nadi and Xiao Lan in English and in Spanish and am seeking a publisher for it.

There is also a book for toddlers that I want to create, which I have named Te veo, te veo (I see you, I see you). The book shows animals in the tropical rain forest spotting each other. I want to show off the animals that live in our forests which are not often found in children's picture books, such as coatimundis, ocelots and aracaris. I am hoping to find a publisher for it as well. As a sneak peak, you can see two pages for the book in the links below: the ocelot and the aricari lizard.

*Marjorie Coughlan is PaperTigers Associate Editor

Posted April 2009

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