Jinmei is the mother of Yuchen. Jinmei started to make art at the age of 50. In 2015, she started to draw with color markers on sketch books. The repetitive patterns she created were endearing, stubborn, and mysterious all at once. Stunned by her mother’s talent, Yuchen decided to make a book for her, and began compiling and sequencing the drawings in 2016. In the following years, with a variety of materials including crayon and spatula, Jinmei has created much more complex forms and textures: her self-invented techniques have achieved incredible sophistication; her undulating lines and explosive dots punctuate the elemental force of life itself. In 2024, with the support from Huayu Youth Award, this book was finally published under Yuchen’s new imprint How Many Books. Titled after Jinmei’s signature on her art, “晋美 jm” has 458 pages, encompassing many phases of Jinmei’s passionate and persistent practice, as well as a preface and an interview of Jinmei by Yuchen.
“晋美是我妈妈。二零一五年底晋美开始在纸上画画。先是用水彩笔画在家里速写本的空白页上，后来用蜡笔、色粉等材料画在彩色纸上。从那时起每次我回北京她都会给我看画。在这些画中，我可以感受到妈妈；但感受到更多的，是陌生难以名状的力量。那些看似重复的纹样，每次出现都有些微不同，似与不似之间的张力造成类似震颤的幻觉。重复不是机械性的而是充满情绪的，执着的，脉搏一般地稳健地冲击着我。
我不仅欣赏妈妈的画，更欣赏她作为创作者的工作风格。她无时无刻不在画画：在餐桌或床边，在做饭前，洗碗后，在遛狗和去银行办事之间。妈妈的工作方式让我认识到，艺术并不只在宽敞的工作室和大把不被打扰的时间中才能产生，艺术家也未必需要成为职业，相反，艺术是人的自然而然。像花儿向着阳光，像小草钻出墙缝，妈妈在生活的琐碎与烦恼之间见缝插针地起飞，性情自然舒展，艺术自然流泻。每一次，每一张纸片，她专注而快乐地填满，让吉光片羽被灌注了永恒，平凡的日子也有了光彩 。
过去的7年里，我缓慢地、勉力地搭建着这本书；与此同时，妈妈仍然高歌猛进地生产着，时常请爸爸扫描了新画用邮箱发给我，于是这书的页码越来越多。在我打这些字的同时，妈妈已经在新的画布上尝试新的笔触。这本书，只能是若干片段的集合。画的顺序不完全按照时间，我在她的能量中随波逐流，我希望打开这本书的读者也能体验类似自由的感受。”
– 常羽辰，前言节选
Artwork by Niu Jinmei
Edited and designed by Chang Yuchen
Scanned and photographed by Chang Qing
15 x 21.5 x 3 cm, 458 p.
Published by How Many Books
Presented by DREAMER FTY
ISBN: 979-8-9899923-8-6
First Printing 2024
Produced with the support of the HUAYU GROUP and the HUAYU YOUTH AWARD
牛晋美 作品
编辑与设计： 常羽辰
扫描与摄影： 常青
15 x 21.5 x 3 cm，458 页
初版印刷 2024
多少書 出版
夢廠 出品
ISBN: 979-8-9899923-8-6
华宇集团及华宇青年奖提供项目支持
Cover color will be assorted.
