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In Chinese culture the Lotus symbolizes perfection, and ultimate purity of the heart and mind, because it rises untainted and beautiful from the mud. The lotus pond like the community where we live. It records the life cycle of humans. The paper lotus was inspired by the lotus pods without seeds,It brings forth a feeling of being left out. Through empty lotus pods,I refer to the experience of the postnatal depression. The wax wrapped around the rice paper like a field for defense, It seems hard but fragile. The multiple sizes and the organic shape represent the fluctuating moods of a new mom.

I hang them together on the wall in a big circle. There are three reasons why I choose a round shape. The first reason is we use the same character in Chinese for roundness and completeness, the second reason is the period in Chinese is a circle, and the last reason is the belly is round when pregnant.

This piece which I titled “Incision” presents the state of the muscle around the caesarean incision which is taken directly from my experience of giving birth.

It consists of four pieces of white porcelain that are 8” by 8”. They are flawless, clean and beautiful, like the lotus ponds after the rain. I named it “Lotus . Baby”. Lotus seeds and baby have the same pronunciation in Chinese, I sculpted many sleep porcelain babies replaced the lotus seeds in the pod. It is this piece of work that connected me with Lotus.

Like little fish swim through a clump of anemones, every movement of the baby touched every nerve of the new mom. They don't have a full night’s sleep, each nerve is a soldier ready to fight.

By mimicking the dynamics of sea anemone, I use the air dry clay and resin clay to sculpt the sleep state of new mom. Helpless but hopeful, Sensitive but peaceful, exhausted but beautiful…….My sculpture uses traditional and organic elements to explore very personal, yet universal, experiences of motherhood.

Like little fish swim through a clump of anemones, every movement of the baby is felt by each nerve of a new mother. As a breastfeeding mom, my body was so sensitive, always connected to caring for the newborn. Especially during the night, I can even feel every drop of breast milk is growing to nurture and feed the child. The tentacles of the forms in this piece are at different stages, some are resting, some are filled, and others are piqued.

I sculpt the air dry and resin clay to represent the struggles of a new mom. The smooth surface relating to the skin of mother and child, the ends of the tiny tendrils piqued and alert, allowing me to integrate personality and feeling into the little sculpted bits. My sculpture uses traditional and organic elements to explore very personal, yet universal, experiences of motherhood.

Like little fish swim through a clump of anemones, every movement of the baby touched every nerve of the new mom. They don't have a full night’s sleep, each nerve is a soldier ready to fight. 

By mimicking the dynamics of sea anemone, I use the air dry clay and resin clay to sculpt the sleep state of new mom.  Helpless but hopeful, Sensitive but peaceful, exhausted but beautiful…….My sculpture uses traditional and organic elements to explore very personal, yet universal, experiences of motherhood.

Transitioning from girl to mother feels like the moment that we acquire our protective layers, our feathers, our scales, our armor. But our interior becomes softer, more sensitive with the love and bond we develop for our children. So in some ways we are weaker should something pierce through our armor. These works are a reflection of that protective layer. Each of the delicate forms are shaped individually by hand using polymer clay and pieced together to create the larger complex wall sculpture. They are fluid with life, the movement of the feather-like forms are meant to mimic birds, each spending much of their lives taking care of their young, shielding them with their own bodies, sharing their protective layer to provide warmth, similar to how we as mothers care for our children.

Transitioning from girl to mother feels like the moment that we acquire our protective layers, our feathers, our scales, our armor. But our interior becomes softer, more sensitive with the love and bond we develop for our children. So in some ways we are weaker should something pierce through our armor. These works are a reflection of that protective layer. Each of the delicate forms are shaped individually by hand using polymer clay and pieced together to create the larger complex wall sculpture. They are fluid with life, the movement of the feather-like forms are meant to mimic birds, each spending much of their lives taking care of their young, shielding them with their own bodies, sharing their protective layer to provide warmth, similar to how we as mothers care for our children.

Transitioning from girl to mother feels like the moment that we acquire our protective layers, our feathers, our scales, our armor. But our interior becomes softer, more sensitive with the love and bond we develop for our children. So in some ways we are weaker should something pierce through our armor. These works are a reflection of that protective layer. Each of the delicate forms are shaped individually by hand using polymer clay and pieced together to create the larger complex wall sculpture. They are fluid with life, the movement of the feather-like forms are meant to mimic birds, each spending much of their lives taking care of their young, shielding them with their own bodies, sharing their protective layer to provide warmth, similar to how we as mothers care for our children

Identity of motherhood is entangled with being an artist, knowing how materials work, using processes that are similar to domestic life allows familiarity with the forms, and muscle memory, so that I am able to engage with the subtleties of the materials. How it moves and responds to my hands and the kitchen tools that I utilize to create the work. This reminds me in many ways of engaging with my children and family. That my behavior, or response to them and their needs shifts with each incident, and due to their personality they too respond to the same action in different ways. In the artwork this is reflected through the way that some clay remains very flat, and thin, while others have a wave, curve or frill. The gathering of these actions over and over reflects in some ways the moments accumulated each day and each year building into something beautiful.

The shape has movement, almost like the river, it is moving and flowing, up and down with texture and shape. The forms are like ripples, or folds, or fiber. The form appears as though it can be folded open almost in some ways, and yet it is constructed in such a way that each of the lines are separate and accumulated. It explains how versatile mom is. We can be strong like armor and soft like a blanket. We can be smart like scientists and silly like a clown. We wear dirty aprons or fancy high heels . We tour all around the world, but always stay in our kid’s world. Because we are mom, we are versatile.

Armor Collection

You Are The Most Special Flower In My Eyes