Treasure Island Sculptor

Chang Ching began his woodcarving career with portrayals of human and animal figures, but eventually moved on to depicting the majesty of nature in landscape pieces. (Courtesy of Chang Ching)

Publication Date：12/01/2007
Byline：KELLY HER

Wood sculptor Chang Ching literally followed a dream when he made a radical career shift in middle age.

When Chang Ching dreamt twice one night, on September 11, 1984, that he should make a drastic change of profession at the age of 47, he decided to listen. "I heard a voice telling me that it was time for me to apply myself to sculpture, and I'd be able to accomplish something in two years," he recalls. "I believed it was a message from God."

At that time, Chang was working as an optometrist and selling eyeglasses out of a store in Douliou City, in central Taiwan's Yunlin County. His family and friends from his church counseled him against following the dream's advice. They said he was too old to become an artist, especially considering that business was good at his store.

Chang found a piece of wood and spent two hours carving a small chicken. Its cute, realistic form immediately won over his young daughter. It became her favorite plaything. With such positive feedback, he made his first steps toward realizing his dream.

Through a process of trial and error, Chang managed to produce several promising carvings. News about his self-taught artistry gradually spread around Douliou.

Officials from Yunlin County's Cultural Center visited him after he had been at it for about a year and were impressed enough with his creations to invite him to hold an exhibition. The event was well received, attracting the attention of county residents and the media.

Artistic Sensibility

Although Chang did not have his life-changing dream until his fifth decade, his artistic potential had never been in doubt. As a small child, he would carve forms out of bricks. And he showed talent at drawing, garnering several awards in art competitions during high school.

After graduation, however, he needed to cultivate a practical skill to make a proper living. His family did not have enough money to subsidize the life of a struggling artist. He studied visual optics and pursued optometry as his career.

Once he felt his family's financial security was assured, he started to explore other interests. He found much joy in collecting and arranging miniature trees and rocks. He sought out a leading bonsai master, Lin Yueh-tsung, in Taipei.

For about a decade, Chang spent almost all his leisure hours touring the island's mountains and valleys in search of uniquely shaped stones and tree species that lent themselves to miniaturization. He also experimented with stone carving. This, together with his affinity for nature, provided a good foundation for his eventual woodcarving career.

A Suitable Medium

Chang experimented with a variety of materials once he decided to become a sculptor, including stone, bronze and wood. Eventually, he settled on wood because it was readily available locally, unlike stone and bronze, which had to be imported.

"Taiwan is a treasure island when it comes to forest resources, given that approximately two-thirds of its land is mountainous, with many peaks standing taller than 3,000 meters," Chang says. "Also, many of its camphor, juniper and cypress trees are thousands of years old. Petrified wood from these trees is the best material for wood sculpture."

Chang prefers petrified, or fossil, wood for its hardness and durability. Petrified wood forms when wood is buried and mineral-rich water flows through it, replacing the original organic materials with minerals. Petrified wood, while it preserves the original form right down to tree rings, is as hard as quartz--and Chang says a sculpture made with it can remain intact, without cracking or changing shape, for thousands of years. He also works with non-petrified wood, preferring material from trees that were thousands of years old to blocks cut from younger trees. In addition to the above-mentioned properties, Chang likes wood for its lasting fragrance and its fine texture.

Chang says most people find that by the age of 40, their vision begins to deteriorate. Thanks to his expertise in optometry, he has been able to preserve his own eyesight better than most people. He also had a pair of customized spectacles made that help him overcome physiological barriers to facilitate his carving work.

Apprenticeship

Meanwhile, Chang sought out the most prominent sculpture teacher in Taiwan. He asked Yang Yu-yu, the first Taiwanese sculptor to gain worldwide recognition, to take him on as an apprentice. Yang rejected Chang's first request, citing his age.

Working Together with One Heart Copper, 2001 16 x 47 x 21 cm (Courtesy of Chang Ching)

Undaunted by the initial setback, Chang strove to demonstrate sincerity and enthusiasm, making frequent visits to Yang's house and advising him on landscaping issues while helping out with chores. A year later, Yang finally accepted Chang as his student.

Chang improved his craftsmanship substantially with Yang's guidance. He also made his own carving knives, which are as sharp as needles--and about as tiny. With proper tools and superior skills, he was able to produce exquisite pieces of such fine detail that a magnifying glass is needed to fully appreciate them.

Early in his woodcarving career, Chang depicted a variety of subjects, including human figures, animals and plants. He also tried his hand at representing emotional states like happiness and abstract concepts like harmony and power.

Biblical stories have served as themes in many of Chang's sculptures. In these pieces, he blends the splendor of natural scenery with the fortitude of human beings. His work Prodigy, for example, illustrates the exodus from the Old Testament in which Moses guides the Jews out of Egypt while Egyptian soldiers on chariots give chase.

By 1988, Chang had gained such widespread recognition in Taiwan that his works started winning awards. At the same time, the National Palace Museum began to collect his works, as did Fu Jen Catholic University and the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village.

Subsequently, he was invited to hold exhibitions at premier spaces, such as the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of History (NMH) and at the National Cultural Association. In 1993, the Council for Cultural Affairs bestowed on him the National Handicrafts Award and facilitated the display of his sculptures in France and the United States.

Landscape Artistry

Despite his outstanding achievements with works that featured human subjects, Chang's mentor, Yang Yu-yu, recommended that he focus on landscape sculpture. Yang noted it would be difficult for Chang to outperform Ju Ming, his other famous apprentice, who is internationally famous for his Tai Chi series of sculptures. Yang urged Chang to rediscover the grandeur of nature with a visit to Taroko National Park, famous for its magnificent marble canyons that descend to Taiwan's east coast, where cliffs dive vertiginously into the ocean. He also advised Chang to further simplify his work.

"The most valuable thing I learned from Yang is that an art piece doesn't necessarily have to be big or detailed. A small piece can amaze the audience--and its momentum can be powerful," Chang says. "Also, I was taught an artist must pursue innovation and create his own style, rather than simply opting for extreme aesthetics in artwork."

With his frequent visits to Taroko National Park, Chang created his Shock series. The pieces vividly depict the area's majestic mountains, canyons, precipices, waterfalls and rapids.

The fine craftsmanship and profound meaning behind each of Chang's pieces impressed President Chen Shui-bian when he paid a visit to the NMH in 2003. Chen directed the Ministry of Education to extend full support to the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology (NYUST), which was planning to display Chang's work.

Chang Kuo-hua, the chairman at NYUST's Graduate School of Science and Technology Law, says despite its focus on vocational training, his school has worked to cultivate artistic and cultural dimensions through its coursework, by organizing cultural events and in cooperation with local artists.

"Chang Ching's work is of an international level. Moreover, he is a native of Yunlin. We feel honored and duty-bound to showcase his work on our campus," Chang Kuo-hua says. "Besides, we invite him to our school to lecture and demonstrate his craft. His enthusiasm brings enjoyment in an artistic atmosphere."

Chang Ching donated 30 of his creations to NYUST, which has devoted an exhibition space to permanently display his work within its Art Center.

Wang Yi-liang, director of NYUST's Art Center, says Chang integrates literary allusions into his finely crafted pieces, which makes his works more intriguing.

"Chang's work reveals his own life experiences and thoughts about life, as well as poetic characteristics. This kind of expression is rarely seen and suggests a new development direction for traditional woodcarving," Wang says, adding that many visitors are inspired by the Yunlin sculptor's work.

Taroko Gorge Adventure Camphor wood, 2003 45 x 52 x 40 cm (Courtesy of Chang Ching)

Working Together with One Heart, for instance, depicts an ox cart loaded with logs being driven up a steep slope, with one logger pulling alongside the oxen and another pushing from behind. Wang says the piece is an expression of hope in a difficult environment.

Similarly, Reach the Summit of Achievement depicts a pine tree that remains erect despite the ravages of wind and frost. Wang says it is a metaphor for the intrepid spirit of mankind.

The titles of two other pieces, Light of Life and Walk towards Brightness, express Chang's life-affirming orientation. "Chang always looks on the bright side of life and reveals this philosophy in his artwork. Appreciating his work often triggers my own thoughts about the meaning of life," Wang says. He thinks Chang has made much progress in a relatively short time. "Chang's works have changed from complex to simple, in that most of them now feature a simple structure with terse lines typical of geometric design," he says. "And he has utilized both realistic and abstract approaches, as well as the conceptions of void and solidity in space to add variation in expressive form."

The Spiritual Dimension

Wang thinks that artistic creation should emphasize spiritual concepts, which Chang excels at, over craftsmanship. Chang's thematic presentation has advanced from initial self-expression and self-cognition to environmental concern with a social conscience.

"From Chang's landscape-themed sculptures, one can see how magnificent the mountains or gorges are and how small humans are. We not only need to show respect to but also seek a harmonious coexistence with nature," he says. "Such recognition also corresponds with the traditional Taoist doctrine that heaven and mankind are as one and reinforces our connection to the environment and other beings on this earth."

Former National Cultural Association secretary-general Shu Chin-chiang praises Chang's unique artistic style, which elicits reflection while revealing nature's intense beauty.

"When viewing his landscape sculptures, I'm always touched by the tremendous force they possess. I feel as if I were in a wild meadow in person, appreciating the wonders of nature," he says. "Chang has successfully imparted the immensity and the vast power of the universe to his creations through his sharply cut lines and realistic presentation."

Shu says he was introduced to Chang's work by Kuo Heng-cheng, chairman of Yu Jen International Art and Antique Co. Kuo had given him an album of Chang's artwork. While looking at the pictures, Shu imagined the works would be massive. He was surprised, but certainly not disappointed, when he discovered they were actually much smaller than he had imagined.

Shu also points to Chang's skill at creating a contrast between his main and subordinate subjects via size and workmanship. "In Chang's landscape sculptures, one can see the mountains or valleys are comparatively much larger than humans or animals, and their lines are comparatively less detailed," he explains. "He has created an art form that fuses rugged and exquisite lines to capture and present the most impressive beauty of natural scenery."

Kuo, of Yu Jen, says Chang's innate talent, aesthetic sensitivity and craftsmanship are all impressive. He is drawn to the full range of the artist's oeuvre. "I admire the splendid scenes portrayed in The Grand Red Cliff, and also the inspirational reflections of Light of Life," he says. "His creations deserve to be appreciated and treasured."

Kuo says his personal collection is dominated by historical artifacts and antiques. Nevertheless, after viewing Chang's work, he decided he must also collect his sculptures. He has accordingly set aside an area of Yu Jen's exhibition hall to permanently exhibit Chang's work.

"Generally speaking, people at the age of 50 are preparing for retirement," says Chang, "But for me, it marked the beginning of another career ... I feel God has given me a helping hand along the way." He concludes, "My ideal is to use Taiwan's precious timber and beautiful landscapes to produce works that can touch people and enable people worldwide to learn about Taiwan."

Write to Kelly Her at kelly@mail.gio.gov.tw