We head over to Chengdu, Sichuan Province, where a unique arts and craft exhibition has just opened. Among the masters showing their skills are Liuli artists Lorreta Yang and Chang Yi from Taiwan. They’ve brought dozens of brilliantly colored glaze glassworks, some of which are from the China Art Museum and the Shanghai Expo.

Liuli, or coloured glaze, uses casting techniques similar to making glass.

The work is so meticulous that there’s no room for error. If things go wrong, the artist must start all over again.

As pioneers of Liuli art, Loretta Yang and Chang Yi know how to explore and break boundaries using the medium.

Chang Yi, Liuli Artist, said, "The finished piece must be flawless, no bubbles and no stains. In order to achieve that we have to make almost ten pieces, and only one will turn out the way we want."

This one-meter high Buddha sculpture has taken Yang almost six years to accomplish.

According to the couple, the idea of making Buddha sculptures came in 1996, when they made their first trip to Dunhuang.

Since then Loretta Yang has made it her lifelong mission to recreate the fading images on the famous cave walls in western China.

She first made small sculptures and then began making bigger ones, and it hasn’t been easy.  Loretta Yang, Liuli Artist, said, "When you have to increase a small piece to that size, the technical difficulties are multipled. Now all I want is to make the sculpture in one shot and really challenge myself."

Visitors have until November 28th to admire the works of the Liuli Workshop here at the Winshare Art Museum in Chengdu.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)