China is his second home

South African artist's works take in his own continent, Europe and now China

Greg Pullen lives in Kommetjie, a village in South Africa's Western Cape, but his second artistic home is Wuhan, a modern metropolis in the heart of China.

Now in his third stint in China in as many years, the South African decorative artist, 53, is working on the Fragrance River Hotel in Muyu, Shennongjia, Hubei province. Its owner, Chen Dabing, is a businessman, arts patron and founder member of the African-Chinese People's Friendship Association.

Pullen's work can be found on ceilings, walls, floors and furniture in England, France, Germany, Mozambique, Switzerland and South Africa. But he has a particular affection for Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, he says.

When Pullen matriculated in Cape Town, he says, he never imagined entering the art world. He did not even study art.

"My first real job was as a photographic assistant. I left South Africa in the 80s and went to London primarily because I'd completed my two years' army conscription and wanted no more part in the camps after that."

Once there he realized that he lacked the killer instinct required of a photographer in such a big pond. So he grabbed the opportunity to work for a master craftsman, Adam Calkin, for the next five and a half years. In that time he also worked as a painter on a satirical TV series, Spitting Image.

In 1994, when white rule ended in South Africa, Pullen and his wife, Jeanette, headed home, where he has worked as a decorative artist ever since. They first lived in Muizenberg, a popular seaside town, where Greg met Chen.

"He was building a home in South Africa and wanted me to paint for him," Pullen says. "Mr Chen always promised that he would one day send me to China, and three years ago I went here for the first time. He has this vision of building a cultural bridge between South Africa and China, Africa actually, but I think his heart is in South Africa.

"He is well connected and promotes my work. Hopefully, it is a relationship that will lead to my continued returns to this great country. I can't say enough about his contribution to me as far as recognition of my work and the chance to paint here."

Elaborating on his art, Pullen says: "It is my life. I paint for myself, canvases, etc. But it is a particular discipline which allows me to combine all facets of art. I love pattern, and therefore this genre is just perfect for me. I do murals and trompe l'oeil. Gilding and faux finishes, stone marble, or wood graining, which is the imitation of wood by painting. All are old traditional skills, practiced for centuries."

He also does painted wallpaper and says that the design aspect is the most nerve-racking.

"It is like seeing the future, in a strange way. I have to decide what it will all look like before completion, so an incorrect measurement or mixed color can cause me huge heartache. It is all about processes though, the most important part of learning during my apprenticeship."

His inspiration comes from ethnic art, the history of decoration, porcelain and religious art, he says.

"I just love art and design. I am not much of a lover of modern or abstract art. I prefer the Renaissance, but my love is art and the image."

He carries his camera everywhere, he says, and hopes to exhibit his Chinese photographs printed on rice paper. Clearly intrigued by Chinese art materials, he says brushes, paper, inks and paints "are all a veritable treasure trove to me".

"The various disciplines and styles appealed to me from my first trip. I have not seen such skill, mastery of the simple, which as an artist one knows is a very difficult thing to achieve. I was very lucky to have attended some exhibitions, university graduation shows, etc. Mr Chen made sure that I was taken to any of interest.

"One of my fondest experiences was when he invited me to look at a portfolio of watercolors with him. Despite being the work of an artist who had died at the age of 84, they were so modern, just gestures of paint, but one could hear the wind and feel the chill of the snowy landscapes. I could go on forever about Chinese art, but suffice to say it has my respect and admiration."

Also memorable was when Chen sent Pullen to the Mogao and Yulin grottos in Dunhuang that are decorated with Buddhist iconography and wall paintings dating from the 5th century. "I would love to assist in the preservation of such an important and historic art site."

He was amazed to find patterns and motifs that had made their way to Europe, he says.

"It was like finding the origin and source of all that I found familiar in European decorative art. Also, in museums, especially the Hubei provincial one, I saw patterns on artifacts, bronze ware, textiles and pottery that I had seen from all around the world. But the age of the Chinese objects far preceded the other. I am sure that the Chinese traveled around the world, maybe many times, before those explorers of our Western history. It's just a theory of mine, but there are many artistic pointers."

Pullen loves Chinese food, the way it is presented and the communal way of eating but says he has been defeated by the fermented tofu that is a Wuhan speciality.

"I love the street food and the odd little restaurants that I have been taken to. Appearances can be deceptive, in as much as some of the best food I have tasted has been served in some pretty dodgy-looking places.

"I suppose that is one of the things I most love about China, the lack of pretence or snobbishness. And the Chinese people have been warm and generous to me."

He is a useless businessman, he says. "But I always operate from a position of honesty and so far it has not let me down. I just do my best to try and give the clients I have what they want. I do what I think is needed. I suppose I am good value for money, but my conscience stays clear."

Pullen and Jeanette have three sons - Khaya, 22, Jethro, 19, and Shaman, 16. Although divorced, they remain the best of friends and she looks after his dog and house when he is away.

Jethro, who has just matriculated, and is still to decide on a career, is helping his father in China. Pullen declares that it the best thing he could have done for his son.

China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly 08/23/2013 page29)