gummi Chandelier ii in detail

gummi Chandelier ii in detail
Inside the gummi bear Chandelier Jr.

Friday, August 29, 2008

sculptor's mess

Studio is piled up with unfinished projects. Like an irresponsible lover, I have abandoned projects waiting in line to hate me.

Working on the mangrove tree for weeks now, results still don't meet with desires. Wanted to cast it in bronze-too expensive-maybe aluminum will be cheaper-naively thinking, sand casting is even better-can i save up the mold cost-still too expensive. Settling for less can have surprising outcome. New idea shined in last night. I'll make you electronic, that way I have a reason to not cast you.

Used to think that I'm lame to always have to struggle with new techniques. Never can come up with a concept which I know how to make it already. It seems to be a common phenomenon now that artists are constantly in need of learning new skills, especially sculptors. And the new technique can grow on you, make you addictive. Even when the project comes to a halt, I physically want to sit on the floor and continue building. It is addictive arting. Perhaps this one I will not abandon.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Leo babies

Today is a special day. My best girl friend's water broke. According to text message from the other friend, she's in the hospital now.
This Leo girl was past due for 4 days, I was as anxious as her mom was.
In these past 9 months, our spirit have flown high as 3 out of we 4 are going thru pregnancy. Me being the last remain free and watch their lives change. Inside me there's tremendous joy caught from them, heck, I even eat as much as they do:) Another Leo boy will arrive in the next week or two. Both grandmas are ready, standing by to start the transitional Chinese 1-month postpartum care procedure.
My blessings go to my friends who is and will go thru labor this month. Because of them, my views of life has expanded to a new horizon.
Welcome, Leo babies!

Saturday, August 02, 2008

seduction of the art world


There is this theory that an artist should make consistent works to establish her/himself.
I ask, do you use the same bowl to eat breakfast everyday? Do you carry the same word at the end of your every sentence?

Life is so short that I can not imagine living in the same way for ten years and expecting to get to enlightenment. I can not lie to myself today in order to please the tomorrow.

Actually in the the past several months, I could not even bring myself to openings like I used to.
I looked at my life, there is art and art making, and art marketing, and art talking, and art thinking and art sharing. It is such a BS when those career guides rule: Art is Life.

Life is such a big word, how can one defines it. Life is made of much diverse and numerous experiences. I lived as there is only art and no tomorrow, then I found myself fumbling in the dark losing my art and life.

Something's got to change, but I don't know what nor how. I lived in the dark for a few month dreading about my ignorance. Reading books helped a bit, but ego often threw me back to the pity cell. I am not out of the tunnel yet, but I am back to the studio and work my way out.

Perhaps, ironically, art is the only way out.

I realized what Judy Chicago told us years ago about the difference between female and male artists' approach to art making.

She considered male artists make art with Forms, while female artists make art with Contents. That is why it usually takes longer for female artists to work, because we need to do research, read and internalize our concept before it can come out as art. Much like a cow's regurgitating feed, only that it can take years for human artists to regurgitate certain ideas.

I was too young to understand what that means. Plus in these days, the boundary can be blurred. Now I finally understand it from another angle.

The cereal bowl is form, the cereal is content. With the bowl we consume cereal.
Meal is form, what one feels like eating is the content. With meals we materialize what we want to eat.
Sculpture is form, the concept from which it's born is content. Through sculptures we communicate the concept.
Body is form, mind and spirit is content. Body is the image which reflects our mind and spirit.

therefore,

art is form, life is concept.


Art is not life, nor life art. so, where do we go from here?