生活藝術家This artist brings nature and art together
This artist’s love of nature shows in his jewelry and his homes by Linda Ludwig
The vibrant colors of the lizard catch your eye as it seems to wiggle and crawl on the lady’s sweater. Startled, you look closer and discover that you aren’t looking at a real lizard at all. You’re looking at a fanciful brooch made of ceramic, wire and precious stones. You have just been introduced to one of the fanciful creations of Tsai Erh-Ping (蔡爾平), a remarkable artist who draws his inspiration from creatures of nature.
Childhood influences
Insects and lizards like this excited Tsai Erh-Ping’s imagination in his youth and continue to excite him today. As a child growing up in the 1950s in rural Beigang (北港) in southern Taiwan, Tsai played in the fields surrounding his home. He chased geckos and decorated them with stripes or dots of paint .
His father, a medical doctor and artist in his own right, influenced his son a great deal. In fact, one of his father's quotes has become Tsai's theme in life: "Live in nature(where), live on nature(take advantage for what the nature provide for you), live for nature.(protect nature)" And that is exactly what Tsai does.
As a young man, Tsai attended the National Taiwan College of Arts. There he met Cynthia Chuang，who became his wife and artistic partner. In his early 30s, Tsai moved with Chuang to New York. There they both studied at Parsons School of Design and received graduate degrees in sculpture.
Seeking to understand
Wanting to experience America, the couple traveled throughout the U.S., visiting national parks, major cities and museums. These experiences greatly impacted their artistic views. As these views developed, the couple became increasingly attracted to jewelry as a way to express themselves.
Contemplating what elements to select for his work from the two cultures he lived in was difficult. But gradually Tsai came to feel their meeting point was nature. Childhood memories of playing in the fields surfaced and sparked nature-based creations.
Always innovative, Tsai refined the traditional methods used to make ceramics so that he could create more intricate designs. In 1993, he won the Outstanding American Artist Award. In addition, Tsai and Chuang's jewelry has been shown at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., as well as many other museums.
Creativity at home
Tsai's creativity doesn't stop with jewelry but extends into every area of his life including the outdoors. Years ago, Tsai and Chuang purchased some barren land on long Island, New York. There they built a home and transformed the land into a paradise. The trees, the shrubs, the flowers and even the rocks exhibit the creativity of these artists.
Reflecting their love for nature, the couple runs a kind of plant hospital in their house. Carefully examining plants and bushes cast aside in the surrounding area. Tasi and Chuang decide which ones can be saved. When given TLC, the plants flourish and are planted in the garden.
Tsai's backyard in Beigang was the inspiration for this long island garden. His family cultivated thousands of plants and trees on their land, so since childhood, Tsai has loved and understood them. All of this came full circle when he returned to Beigang. All of this came full circle when he returned to Beigang and redecorated one of his homes and created a tropical garden.
For Tsai Erh-Ping, who sees complex beauty in the littlest elements of nature, life is art and art is life!
Information
It's very easy to over-water a cactus, and if there's not enough drainage, a cactus can start to rot very quickly. But there are actually many other kinds of cacti that thrive naturally in very wet environments, like rain forests. One example of a water-loving cactus is the "jungle cactus" which is able to exist in a wet environment for a very long time.
Grammar
His father, a medical doctor and artist in his own right, influenced his son a great deal.
in his won right- in his own ability-through his own skill or qualification and accomplish by his own ability.
Paula is a successful businesswoman in her own right rather than through her billionaire father's connections.
Although John's mother was a celebrity, John is a singer in his own right.
Vocabulary
vibrant-鲜明的，明亮的，活泼有生气的，精力充沛的full of life and energy, bright.
*The vibrant floral arrangement lightens up the hall.装饰色彩鲜艳的花使大厅明亮起来
*Helen is a vibrant girl who's full of energy.
*New York is a vibrant city. 有生命力的城市。
wiggle-move quickly in small movement. 摆动，扭动
*The boy splashed water and wiggled his toes in the creek.
strips-线条，条纹，军人的官阶，几条槓.
*The red and white stripes on this shirt remind me of the American flag.
*The black and white stripes found on zebras can fool their predators.
*He has three strips on his uniform. 他的军阶是三条杠
brooch-胸针“oo" 在此发长母音"o"的音
inspiration-idea
draw-painting but here is refer to "getting his idea from nature" "obtain, get"
rural-away from city. urban is mean city.
gecko-mini size of lizard.
sculpture-雕像curve or form someone or something.
impact-make contact, something strongly hit someone's feeling, to hit something with forth and cause affects.影响,冲击. 当(v)发音在第二节
*The terrible car accident impacted Rita greatly. She still refuses to drive today.
*The new tax law made a tremendous impact on small businesses.
contemplating- thinking about something at a short moment. 思量，仔细考虑，深思。
*Billy contemplated the possibility of going back to college.
*I'm contemplating taking a trip to Europe.
*Hank's boss told him to stop contemplating and act now.
refine-使精进，改善，改进 make it better and better. re-重复的意思
*The band is constantly refining their skills.
*The report needs to be refined before you turn it in.
intricate- a lot of detail.
Smithsonian- is a very famous museum in U.S.A. with quality art articles.
cast aside-抛弃，丢弃 cast-扔，丢
*She cast aside all his nerves and performed the way he wanted to. 紧张
*She cast aside all her old friends after she became successful.
cultivate- 培养，栽种planting, promoting or increasing it's life. cult-有耕种的意思
*The farmers in this area cultivate corn and wheat.
*The land seems too barren to cultivate anything.栽种
*Her interest in music was cultivated at an early age.培养
come full circle (idiom)-back to the original point，end in the place where is began.回到原点。circle-圈圈
*After dropping out of school, Jack finally came full circle one year later and started his studies again.
barren-The land is no life, the dirt or land grow nothing, can't bring life to something.光秃秃，荒芜。
Chat Room
fanciful/fancy:
fanciful-creative, very creativity.很有创意的，很有想象力的
fancy-delicacy and expensive 昂贵而精致的。
fancy in Europe, fancy has "like, delight" means
Do you fancy something?=Do you like something?
brooch / broach提出-二者发音相同 He broach an idea during the meeting.
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innovative-有创意，创新的，革新的。creative in the original.- it breaks new ground.
break new ground-revolutionary
breaking the ground to build something-construction
groundbreakers-pioneer.革新者，创始者，原创者
an innovative artist-有创意的艺术家。
an innovative tool-新推出的工具
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life is art, art is life
Life imitating art, it should be "Art imitating life".生活摹仿艺术，原本是艺术摹仿人生
Art here is refer to broad area such as book, flower, movie, tree, TV program.
A movie talking about a bicycle story, people are follow that trend love to ride bicycle, or a singing program on air, and people dream to be a singer. This is we call "life imitating art"
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