| 明莹 ‧ Obsidian Sheen |
A person’s virtue should gleam like the iridescence of mother-of-pearl, and human wisdom should be like the pearl concealed within a river clam.
| 思家资善谑，望远严诗律。 |
| 海蚌割明莹，荆璞略玷缺。 |
| 双瞳眩丹青，万纸叠冰雪。 |
| 敢辞穷日力，要使驽骥别。 |
The poem extols the poet’s friends, whose literary genius gleams like a pearl freshly cut from a sea-clam—flawless in its translucence—and even where the slightest blemish appears, it remains as precious as the unpolished jade of Jing Mountain. In essence, it is a quintessential Chinese tribute to upright character and the joy of finding a kindred spirit.
This piece incorporates golden mother-of-pearl.
In Chinese culture, gold has long symbolised wealth and good fortune, and it also embodies the serene confidence that “true gold fears no fire.”
Instead of imposing elaborate motifs, I let the contours of the tools shape the piece—cutting shallow grooves that cradle the mother-of-pearl—so as to evoke a harmony born of accepting things as they come.
Essence
Rough × refined, muted × glimmering: opposing forces that resolve into equilibrium.
For this series I work exclusively with black clay, safeguarding every trace and texture of its making to amplify the dialogue between rawness and delicacy. The patterns draw almost entirely on traditional Chinese motifs. I am drawn to the weathered, imperfect aura of museum antiquities—the tangible marks that time leaves behind.