作者簡介：

畫家簡介

陳持平 白袍下的感性靈魂



陳持平，行醫將近四十個年頭，是台灣知名的婦產科醫師，名列百大名醫之一，也是產前遺傳診斷的巨擘。一身白袍，一臉自信的笑容，給人的第一印象，就是他那固執追求完美的個性，無論在臨床上、教學上，都一絲不苟、認真以對。在醫界已然站穩地位的陳持平醫師，在將近耳順之年，突然拾起他此生從未接觸過的───畫筆，在二〇一三年的聖誕節前夕，開始每天一畫的「創作淬鍊之旅」。而從他拾起畫筆的那天開始，從無間斷，無論醫師工作有多忙碌、繁重，他仍利用閒暇時間，持續而堅持地，用畫筆豐富身心靈。

素人畫家陳持平醫師所選擇的畫具，不是水墨，不是油彩，而是最原始、最基本的蠟筆。「蠟筆，大概是孩子人生中第一個接觸的畫具，不管是畫在紙上，還是畫在牆上，蠟筆都成為孩子『傳達豐富靈感及想像力』的媒介，而陪伴孩子成長的蠟筆，也是無毒環保的畫具，適合人人使用。」

陳持平從不輕視這「好像沒什麼難度」的畫具，相反的，他很享受並善用這信手捻來、隨時可畫的趣味。他能在閱讀書報雜誌、攝影及旅遊叢書時擷取靈感，也可以在街頭巷尾看見某個場景，立刻在心裡勾勒出初稿；也可以將心中對宗教、生命的熱愛，活靈活現地躍於紙上……一盒蠟筆，一張隨手取得的A4圖畫紙，就開始了陳持平的「快意人生」。

繪畫帶給陳持平的不只是創作的成就感、釋放壓力的愉悅感，更拉近了親子關係，將想與孩子分享的心情，幻化為張張色彩鮮明、構圖生動的作品。陳持平感性地說，兩個優秀的女兒繼承父母衣缽，讓他覺得驕傲滿足，但日以繼夜的醫師工作，使他和孩子聚少離多，沒能陪孩子一起成長，始終是心裡的遺憾。陳持平拿出女兒去年送給他的聖誕驚喜----將他的畫彙編成冊。「我想女兒們明白，爸爸留給孩子最珍貴的資產，不是財富權勢，而是這一張張獨一無二、絕無僅有的畫作，這等於是爸爸的靈魂、爸爸的生命軌跡，也是我最想傳達給孩子的真心。」

如今因為畫，陳持平和孩子們有了溝通話題；因為畫，他與家人朋友有了交流管道；因為畫，他結交了不同領域的朋友……簡單的蠟筆，卻能帶給陳持平深刻綿長的感動，甚至改變了生活。

陳持平感性地說，繪畫是促進心靈健康的仙丹妙藥，自己雖是素人畫家，但他希望以自己為例，鼓勵大家用畫作紓解壓力、用畫作關懷社會、用畫作觀察世界……

對陳持平醫師而言，畫，是藝術，更是人生的縮影。他將持續創作，用這單純而美好的童稚之心，領略世界的美。

Sketch of the Artist

The Artistic Soul in a White Coat

Chih-Ping Chen, a distinguished Taiwanese obstetrician-gynecologist who has practiced medicine for nearly four decades, is not only selected as one of the 100 best doctors in Taiwan, but also recognized as the master of prenatal genetic diagnosis. Wearing a white coat and a confident smile, Chen always gives a first impression of earnestness and meticulousness in pursuing perfection both in clinical and teaching practice.

Despite his prestige in the medical world and his age of nearly 60, Chen started a hobby that he had never tried before—painting. On the Christmas Eve of 2013, he embarked on an adventure of creativity and artistry, and has since drawn pictures every single day in his leisure time, despite his demanding and busy hospital job.

As an amateur painter, Chen did not choose popular materials such as ink or oil paint, but something more primitive and basic—crayons. “Crayons are probably the first painting tool every little kid starts with. Whether they are used on paper or on a wall, crayons have become a medium through which kids show their creativity and ingenuity, as well as a great companion during kids’ childhood. They are also a non-toxic and eco-friendly painting tool for everyone,” said Chen.

Chen has never taken lightly this seemingly easy tool, but truly enjoyed and fully utilized his crayons as an access to spontaneous and serendipitous fun of painting. He would get ideas while reading newspapers, magazines or books related to photography and tourism. He would sketch any interesting scene in any given corner in the city. He would also demonstrate his religious belief and his love for life on paper. With a box of crayons and a sheet of A4-size drawing paper, Chen gets as much fun as he can, at any moment.

Crayon painting has not only given Chen a sense of achievement and pleasure that relieve his daily stress, but has also brought him and his daughters closer, as he shares his thoughts and feelings through one after another colorful and vivid pictures. Chen is proud of his two daughters, who are also medical doctors, but there have always been some regret that he has not been able to accompany them throughout much of their childhood, due to his busy job. During the interview, Chen took out the Christmas surprise his two daughters gave him—a compiled album of his crayon works. “I think they realized that the best treasure their father could leave them is not wealth nor power, but these paintings that are uniquely drawn by him. These works have reflected my inner self, recorded my life, and represented my love for my children,” said Chen.

Thanks to these paintings, Chen has a lot more to talk about with his daughters, and his communication with his family and friends became more frequent, and he even made friends with people in various fields other than medicine. Something as simple as crayons has given Chen a truly different life and numerous unforgettable moments.

As Chen reflected, painting is a great access to a healthy mind, and his experience as an amateur painter could well serve as a case that would encourage more people to ease their daily stress, care about the society, and see the world through painting.

For Dr. Chen, a painting is a piece of art, as well as an epitome of a person’s life. He will continue to create his unique artworks and to appreciate the beauty of this world in his eyes, with a pure and innocent heart.