*Click on the photographs for an in-depth explanation of each painting
I have a window in my eye, if you look in you see the sky II
Title: I have a window in my eye, if you look in you see the sky II
Material: Fine pine soot ink, graphite on silk.
Size: 90cm x 65cm
Year: 2024
This painting was actually created with the previous painting, 'I have a window in my eye, if you look in you see the sky I.' I worked on both pieces at the same time. The process of creation for this piece is similar to the previous:
memory drawing (without prompt) -> memory drawing (with prompt)-> place silkworms on the canvas to spin silk
When I think back into my great grandmother's house, I still recall the sound of leaves rustling behind billowing curtains, like whispers from another time. In that sanctuary of memories, where echoes of generations past linger in the air, a mysterious plant once stood that danced with the wind. Was it the bamboo tree, towering proudly, or the fragrant frangipani with its delicate blooms? My mother insisted it was the bamboo, while my aunt swore it was the frangipani. Their playful disagreement added a touch of warmth to the faded grandeur of the room, where the day bed stood as a silent witness to countless tales spun over the years. Though the plant has long since vanished, its presence lives on in the echoes of laughter and the gentle rustle of leaves, forever entwined with the memories of my great-grandmother's house.
I settled on bamboo leaves in the end because of the famous poem by Li Shangyin (813–853), which compares the last drop of the candle to the last breath of the silkworm. It is referred to as "The Tears of the Candle" because of these two lines in the poem (gushiwenwang, n.d.):
"The thread of the silkworm will only end when the spring silkworm dies
And not until the candle has burnt to ashes will the tears begin to dry."
The candle provides warmth and light, even though it is itself consumed. In a similar vein, the silkworm spits silk until it dies. Both represent giving and generosity until the exhaustion of one's very life. In East Asia, candles are usually made with bamboo. So, there is an almost natural association between bamboo, candles, and silk in Japanese and Chinese culture.In fact, candles and bamboo have the same sound in Chinese.Liang Shao Ji's art piece, 'Candle', also speaks to this train of thought, another reference point for me (elaborated under supporting work) (Art Basel, n.d.).
Details:
The tray frame I custom-made
Installing the cross-bars
The trays frames for this painting was designed and made at the same time as 'I have a window in my eye, if you look in you see the sky I'. Since I have already elaborated on it under the 'I have a window in my eye, if you look in you see the sky I' section, I will not elaborate on it here.
During my external research, I realized that silkworms are very sensitive to smell. They do not take well to artificial fragrances. This includes acrylic paint, etc. The silkworm farmer I was working with reminded me that they like the scent of wood. This reminded me that fine pine soot ink smelled like wood (OpenAI ChatGPT, 2024). Hence, I decided to create this piece with fine pine soot ink.
For this piece, I drew inspiration for the placing of the blank/ negative spaces from Pine Trees, painted by Hasegawa Tōhaku in about 1680. The trees, delicately painted in shades of black ink, are surrounded by large swaths of unpainted white silk (Singer, 2021). Breezes from the Pacific gently moved the moist foggy mists, wrapping them around trees, creating ever shifting scenes that nudged me into contemplation (Singer, 2021).
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Hasegawa Tohaku, Pine Trees, 1580 (Singer, 2021)
Reflecting on the studio visit to Mark Farrington’s studio, I realized that negative spaces do not necessarily refer to unpainted canvas. It can also refer to painting a solid color over painted surfaces.
This was an interesting perspective. I am not too sure if it is applicable to my practice due to the fragility of silk, but it is something I will keep in mind.
Mark Farrington's experimentation with the blank space
For the finishing touches of this piece, I used the same process as the previous painting. I stretched a layer of silk fiber over the canvas before allowing silkworms to perform their magic. As I observed the silkworms delicately weaving their silk threads onto the canvas, I could not help but notice they seemed to take to this particular painting better than the previous piece.
Perhaps it was the scent of fine pine soot ink that I used in this painting, infusing the space with a familiarity that seemed to coax the silkworms into action. Or it was the quiet intimacy of the studio, the gentle hum of creativity that enveloped us like a soft embrace.
Process of silkworm spinning silk. Multiple silkworms have to be used at once to achieve the amount of silk I need (Ai wan ai zi ran de song song, 2022).
Challenges:
This was my first time working with a white and black palette, and it was more complex than I expected. With a black and white palette, it was more challenging to create depth, and every stoke was much more prominent. I struggled to find a comfortable relationship between the leaves, the negative space , as well as the shadow cast on the wall when hung.
My classmate, Mona recommended I try experimenting on Procreate.However, I did not find it very useful for my work, because the thing about silk is that when hung on the wall, it casts a shadow which shows through the canvas. This depth is something procreate is unable to imitate.
What could be improved next time:
I was in a hurry to complete my paintings for the Copeland show. I misjudged my abilities and decided to skip conducting a study of the behavior of light on plants to save time. In previous paintings, I worked with more 'flat' compositions where the relationship between the light and the object was not critical. Hence, this resulted in many mistakes when painting this piece. As this was painted with fine pine soot ink, I could not remove the color once it had been painted on silk. The only way I could salvage any mistakes was to add more color.
To avoid being in the same situation in the future, I decided to research and learn more about the effect of light on different objects after Unit 2's submission. Having such a " visual library" to draw from in my memory will help me create future works with more certainty and reduce the number of mistakes I make.
Even though Procreate is not helpful to me for planning compositions, I am told that it's a useful tool for the study of lights. I would definitely love to explore this in the future.
Supporting work:
Liang Shao ji, Natural Series-Candle, 2003
Candle (Nature Series no. 87) by Liang Shao Ji featured silk threads surrounding pieces of bamboo filled with wax and placed in a line that evokes funerals and Buddhist practices (Art Basel, n.d.). I find a resonance in how our research directions converge both our research directions for this piece converge on a 9th-century Chinese poem that likens the candle's last drop of wax to the silkworm's last bit of thread. It is interesting to see how different people interpret the same sources of inspiration differently.
Studio Diary:
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Some notes I made about the Copeland Gallery Show
Copeland Gallery Show-"Where we are calling from":
As an exhibition with around 90 artists, this is the largest exhibition I have taken part in. There were many challenges when curating this exhibition, most prominently, space limitations.
I was very happy to be placed in the 'quiet room', as I felt that it brings out the tranquil qualities of my work. Additionally, my painting spoke to the light, ethereal works in this room
Me and my works
I was so happy when one of the visitors asked to speak to me and told me he liked my work a lot, and that it caught his eye the moment he walked in. I was feeling nervous about this exhibition as it's the first time I was working with live silkworms. It was so reassuring to hear that he liked what he saw.
Me and my friend
View of the room my work was placed in
Me and more friends
Ai wan ai zi ran de song song (2022). 蚕宝宝结蚕 580 倍速. 小红书. Available at: https://www.xiaohongshu.com/explore/62818e5400000000210370f9?app_platform=ios&app_version=8.28.1&share_from_user_hidden=true&type=video&author_share=1&xhsshare=CopyLink&shareRedId=ODozQzg8Njw2NzUyOTgwNjc0OTk2SDhP&apptime=1716544673.
Art Basel (n.d.). Liang Shaoji | Natural Series -Candle, 2003. [online] Art Basel. Available at: https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artwork/39238/Liang-Shaoji-Natural-Series-Candle?lang=en [Accessed 22 May 2024].
gushiwenwang (n.d.). "春蚕到死丝方尽，蜡炬成灰泪始干。"全诗赏析_古诗文网. [online] so.gushiwen.cn. Available at: https://so.gushiwen.cn/mingju/juv_f70bff842bd7.aspx [Accessed 22 May 2024].
Singer, J.W. (2021). Painting of the Week: Pine Trees by Hasegawa Tōhaku. [online] DailyArt Magazine. Available at: https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/hasegawa-tohaku-pine-trees/.
OpenAI ChatGPT (2024) ChatGPT response to Esme Tan, 13 May
Grammar corrected by ChatGPT