Page 130 - 羅富國校友會（七十五周年紀念特刊）

感恩與迴響

did not offer art after that. I was very eager to get into Art and managed to persuade Mr. Lam
Hon Chiu to accept me, even though there had been a long gap in my art study.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Mr. Lam Hon Chiu like many
art lecturers in the colleges of education, was sent overseas

to upgrade their qualifications and expertise. He told us

that he had been to the Slade School of Fine Art in London.
Having seen the art in the west, he often found our art
disappointing. I still remember his comments on my life

drawing. “They are just like matchstick figures”, he said. I

bit my tongue, not telling him that it was the first time I tried
drawing from life. Art class at NCE 1967-69

Despite occasional failures to achieve Mr. Lam’s high standard, I learnt a lot from the
two years of studying under him. I learnt to use different media in drawing, painting, print-

making, sculpture and crafts and more importantly, how to
apply that to teaching. Mr. Lam had just published a new book

called An introduction to the teaching of Art（美術教育淺談）
in 1966. The book became an important reference for us in

teaching practice and also my first few years of teaching.

We had an easy time in studying Art at Northcote.
There was no homework to be done because I almost always

finished my work before the bell rang. The incentive was the
hot shower after class in the hostel. The hot water would run

out as there were so many of us queuing up once the lessons
finished. The art lessons at NCE still left me with happy
Book published by Mr Lam Hon Chiu
in 1966 memories that I always cherish.

After the two years of studying Art, I began to understand my inadequacy in both the
theory and practice of art. I took many courses in painting, design and art history after work.

My aim was to be able to teach art in senior forms. In 1978, after nine years teaching, I
applied for the third-year specialization in Art at Grantham College of Education (GCE).

Armed with a portfolio of artwork, including contour and gesture drawings from life models,
I was more confident about my work than before. Mr. Lam Hon Chiu was one of the three

members of the interview panel. I hoped he might recognize the improvement in my painting.
It had been he who had started my journey in art.

The Third Year Course was a one-year full time course with paid leave from teaching.

At GCE, Mr. Lam taught us painting and gave us freedom to try our own themes. We also
had models for life drawing. By this time, I was more confident when sketching the models.
I was able to use charcoal, paint and ink to depict what I saw.

128 羅富國校友會七十五周年紀念特刊