2006年于中央美术学院
　　雷小洲近几年，先后在新疆、青海、宁夏、陕西、甘肃、河南、西藏、四川、云南、江西、广东、广西等地画了大量油画写生。不久前我和朋友们一起看后，都很兴奋。大家为雷小洲的勤奋工作和丰硕收获而由衷高兴。
　　直接面对审美对象进行写生作业，是西方油画艺术传统中的重要的构成因素。西方现代艺术似乎否定了这个传统，其实，这个传统作为一个遗产，它不仅已被吸附在绘画、设计、戏剧、电影等当代西方的视觉文化当中，而且作为一种独立的艺术品种、作为一种展示人的质的魅力的方式，油画写生在西方仍将继续发展。认为架上油画不久将消失的观点，是一种片面的线性发展观(这种发展观把事物看作此生彼灭的过程，看不到在许多情况下事物共生的必然性)。这种看法与人的全面发展带来的对精神生活丰富性的要求、与油画艺术自身发展的巨大可能性都是相悖的。
　　油画艺术在中国的发展轨迹，与西方不完全一样，因为中国的现实土壤、传统文化的背景与西方有许多不同，但对西方油画传统作深入研究，对于发展中国的油画艺术、对于丰富中国的色彩文化又是必须的。其中，研究西方油画的写生色彩体系这个传统，就是一项重要内容。所谓写生色彩体系，就是通过写生所把握到的色彩变化规律以及它与人们情感的联系。这是我们眼前所能感受到的极其生动的色彩世界的基本规律，是全部色彩文化的基础。对于色彩世界的这种把握，是我们自身文化传统所缺少的。至今，我们在油画、现代建筑、平面设计、服装等方面，常常在色彩上与西方还存在某种差距，原因就在于我们这方面的积累还较薄(可惜不少人看不到这一点)。因此，进一步发展油画写生，对于发展中国的色彩文化，具有独特的现实意义。
　　“写生”并非“照着对象画”，写生作为一种艺术手段，它的本质是通过对对象的把握，来展示艺术家自己的人的“质”的魅力，这种“质”包括艺术家从生物学到社会学意义上的人的全部内容，它是艺术家优质人性的一种呈现。其实，凡艺术皆如此，它们都是艺术家对人的质的魅力的不同方式的追求和展示。正是由此，我们在雷小洲的写生作品中，可以看到他的灵气和善良。
　　雷小洲的画，确实透露出他是一个很聪敏而又和善、宽厚的人。他有扎实的油画的基本功，他能敏锐地发现那些看似平常而又有画意的构图；他色彩醇厚、运笔流畅，始终关注画面的整体效果；在他的风景画里，无论是否出现人物，都会传达一份对人的生存状态的关心，都会表现出自己的某种胸襟。雷小洲的艺术不孤傲、不矫饰，站在他的画前，给人一种温暖的亲近感。
　　中国绘画，有深厚的写意传统，却不看重写生。然而写生与写意并不矛盾，在写生中有写意，在写意中有写生，它们共同为实现对人的质的魅力的追求与展示这一目的而相辅相成。在雷小洲的作品里，我们也看到他把写意与写生结合起来的尝试。
　　雷小洲作为一个成熟的艺术家，尽管对油画技法的磨炼仍然是一辈子始终不能放松的问题，但可能不像以前那么紧迫了，而通过社会实践和艺术实践对自身优质人性的锻造和发掘，则可能越来越成为一个具有核心意义的环节—带动整个事业向前发展的环节。学艺术这个行当，就一辈子处在对优质人性的追求的拼搏之中，没有止境。
　　我们寄希望于雷小洲：他对事业的执著和他的勤奋一定会在今后的征程中带来新的更为丰硕的成果！
　　Preface to Lei Xiaozhou’s Picture Album
　　Professor Du Jian
　　Central School of Fine Art
　　2006
　　During recent years, Mr. Lei  Xiaozhou has done plenty of rough sketches during his  special trips to the provinces of Shanxi, Henan, Sichuan, Yuannan, Jiangxi, Guangdong and the autonomous regions of Xinjiang, Tibet, Ningxia and Guangxi respectively. Not long ago, my friends and I were fairly delighted and excited with his paintings. Actually, everyone expressed their heartfelt admiration for Mr. Lei’s diligence and fruitful results.
　　Doing face-to-face Sketching the aesthetic target is an important factor in the art tradition of western oil pointing, although it seems that the modern western art has negated it. As a matter of fact, this tradition, as a heritage, has not only been anchored to such visual cultures in the modern West as drawing, design, drama, film and so forth. Along with this, as a separate kind of art, a form used to display the charm of people’s quality, oil painting in the west will still develop. The view that oil paintings on the easel will disappear soon is a one-sided linear concept of development, which regards things as a process that as one exists, another disappears, failing to see their co-existence under many circumstances.  Apparently, this perspective is against the fact that people’s all-round development calls for various spiritual life on the one hand, and there is a promising possibility for the self-development of paintings in oil on the other.
　　The development of oil paintings in China is different from that in the west since both China and the west vary in reality, traditional culture and background. However, it is still necessary to devote a deep study to the tradition of oil paintings in the west, which will be beneficial to developing China’s oil pointing art and enriching her own color culture. And study in its color series should be an important item. The so-called “color series in sketching” is meant here to discover the regular pattern in the change of colors through sketching and their connection with people’s feeling. This very basic regular pattern, which shows us the extremely lively and colorful world, forms the basis for all color culture and is what our own culture needs.  Nowadays, when it comes to color, we still fall behind the West in the field of oil painting, modern architecture, plane design, garment design, etc. This has been caused by our slow accumulation of the western techniques in this regard. As a result, it is of particularly immediate significance for the development of China’s color culture to lay stress on oil painting sketch.
　　Sketching is by no means just drawing a picture after a model. Instead, as a means of art, sketch is performed in essence to demonstrate, based on his understanding of the charm of personal qualities on the part of the artist himself. The qualities contain all the contents of an artist both biologically and sociologically. In fact, all arts are alike in that they display how artists long for acquiring the charm of personal qualities and. It is because of this that we can find the native intelligence and kind-heartedness from Lei’s sketch works.
　　Indeed, what reveals in his works shows us an intelligent, general and kind artist. With a good command of basic skills in oil painting, Lei is sensitive enough to detect the presence of a target seemingly usual but with pictorial composition. His works is characterized by pure and simple colors and he wields a skillful brush with ease and grace, (Wielding a skillful brush with ease and grace in his works which are characterized by pure and simple colors, he always directs his attention to the general effect.) Whether there appears human being or not, his landscapes exemplify his concern about human situation and express his forward-looking vision without a slightest sign of aloofness and arrogance, which explains why viewers feel warm looking at his paintings.
　　While the tradition of freehand brushwork is deeply rooted in Chinese paintings, sketching seems to have been less stressed. In fact, these two techniques are by no mean contradictive, instead their coexistence and interaction in the works of a painter can serve him to achieve his goal, i.e., to display his aspiration for the charm of personal qualities. From Lei’s works, we can perceive his attempt to combine both of these two skills.
　　It goes without saying that it is not an urgent task for a mature artist like Lei to train himself in terms of oil-painting techniques though it is still a life-long job. However, to have a fully successful career, it seems increasing important to train oneself to be more responsive and sensitive by involving himself with more social and artistic activities. (get involved in social and artistic activities) After all, adopting a profession in art means a life-long dedication to the aim to aspirate for the charm of quality people. And sky is the limit.
　　We look forward to more of Lei’s artistic attainments through his perseverance and diligence on his new journey.