我读附中的那个年代，没有油画课，图画课都是画水彩的，水彩画是最基本的要求。水彩是我们这一代人绘画的起步，以后我也一直很喜欢。后来因为改画连环画，水彩也丢掉了。

　　考大学的时候本来我想考国画，但当时四川美术学院不招国画，就歪打正着画了油画。但还老是画连环画，上课也经常缺课，经常被老师批评。学了两年后还是去考国画研究生。我古典文学没及格，没考取，但专业课在考国画的学生中是最高的。后来，国画系的老先生还感叹说，如果当初考上了国画系研究生，也就没有后来《父亲》这幅画了。这个也是歪打正着。

　　油画一画就一发不可收拾。

　　后来有很多旅游、休假、出国的机会，就把断了几十年的水彩重新拾起来了。这时候就发现水彩是一种非常方便的东西，可以随时记录自己的一些感受、一些印象。而且，可以画得很轻松，因为油画毕竟是一个很大的摊子，比较烦杂。

　　现在画水彩比较多。

　　In my high school days, no oil painting was allowed. We only painted watercolours, which were prerequisite. Watercolours are rudiments of our gen-eration and I still like them. But I later took to pic-ture-story books and stopped painting watercolours.

　　I applied for traditional Chinese painting at the col-lege entrance examination, but Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts did not enroll this major at that time, so I happened to learn oil painting. But I kept on draw-ing storybooks, playing truant and getting censured by teachers. Two years later, I took the entrance examination for MA candidates in traditional Chi-nese painting, but I failed due to my poor perfor-mance in classical Chinese literature. However, I achieved the highest score in the major subject. An old professor of traditional Chinese painting later said, if I had been enrolled, there would not be any Father. What a coincidence!

　　When I began oils, there was no quitting.

　　When there were more chances of going sightseeing, or vacationing abroad, I picked up watercolours, which had been given up dozens of years before. Then I find it very convenient for noting down some feeling or impressions. They are much easier than the clumsy oils. So I do a lot of watercolours now.

　　（文章来源：罗中立水彩油画风景集）