八 (bā) Calligraphy
I made three porcelain vases exploring traditional Chinese forms from the Ming Dynasty. Their creation took approximately one month, beginning with the initial throwing of the forms, followed by drying them out slowly until they are bone dry. They were then bisque fired, after which I painted symbols that represent grief in Chinese culture (i.e. crane, moon, chrysanthemum, lotus, and bamboo) using blue underglaze on the bisqued clay body. Once the underglaze was fully dry, I dipped each piece in a clear glaze. After one final drying step, the vases were ready for their second and final glaze firing in the electric kiln.
At least eight other vases were destroyed at different stages of the process. Many of them didn’t make it past the painting phase, as it was my first time using a calligraphy brush. Getting the brushstrokes right required a lot of trial and error. My Dad has beautiful calligraphy, and practicing on my own on the other side of the country helped me to feel closer to him. At my grandmother’s funeral, out of her six children, he was the one tasked to write all the family members’ names down on the 孝幛 funerary banner which represented our lineage and signified filial piety.
Every step of the creation of these vases was steeped in research of the long history of Chinese ceramics and culture. However, theory is only part of the process, and I realized as I was creating these vessels that I was able to pour my own grief into them. As I shaped their forms, I felt deep sorrow at losing the matriarchs who raised me while my parents were out working. When I was finally satisfied with the shape of the vases, I used a wire tool to remove them from the wheel, and I felt a little lighter than when I first sat down.
At least eight other vases were destroyed at different stages of the process. Many of them didn’t make it past the painting phase, as it was my first time using a calligraphy brush. Getting the brushstrokes right required a lot of trial and error. My Dad has beautiful calligraphy, and practicing on my own on the other side of the country helped me to feel closer to him. At my grandmother’s funeral, out of her six children, he was the one tasked to write all the family members’ names down on the 孝幛 funerary banner which represented our lineage and signified filial piety.
Every step of the creation of these vases was steeped in research of the long history of Chinese ceramics and culture. However, theory is only part of the process, and I realized as I was creating these vessels that I was able to pour my own grief into them. As I shaped their forms, I felt deep sorrow at losing the matriarchs who raised me while my parents were out working. When I was finally satisfied with the shape of the vases, I used a wire tool to remove them from the wheel, and I felt a little lighter than when I first sat down.