After a bit of rest from the late night train ride from Beijing back to Changchun, last years group of artists had an appointment with Mr. Fan Tao to visit the Car Park. I would have a chance to see the stone piece and more importantly the cast bronze "Auto pod" and see if it had been displayed correctly. Close, but, not quite. What did I expect, the foundry workers really messed it up, it is a bit backward and the little cars are facing to the back and it should be on a stone base. However they did a great job on the patina (surface color), outstanding!!!
Harry blowing bubble rings. Saipan's 360 Restaurant is a great place to go to see Saipan in the round.
This turtle is very comfortable with divers (as you can see).
10/03/08 Friday. Hey, who knows what will happen. I've been back 3 weeks now, having had to jump right into teaching my classes at the college the day that I arrived on Sept. 9th. I had a great flight Asiana Air all the way. The Dean of Instruction, welcomed me back and was open to the idea of a visiting Professor exchange, that's cool. I had to catch up the classes and meet the many new students who had waited for my return two weeks into the semester.
I have been Skype-ing alot with my fellow artists from Changchun, who are scattered all across the world, one session was with three of them at the same time, what a hoot. It was as if we were setting across from each other at the dinner table in China, we promised each other that we would prepare better and at least have beers in front of us next time.
I also looked forward to getting in the ocean at my favorite beach, Paupau, just for a snorkel...diving would have to wait. I managed to get a nasty bit from a four foot eel that was hiding under a long section of steel left over from the war. Unbelievable, first time back in the water and bam!! cloud of blood filled the area around my thumb and a jolting pain, anyway I must have tasted bad he spit me out. You know what I thought about? "I won't be throwing any pots until this heals" an artist without a thumb...bad thing. It didn't matter the water felt great, I finished the swim, keeping an eye out for the ever curious shark that would cruse into the lagoon around dusk. It was not until last weekend that I went scuba diving at Laulau Bay with friends Harry and his wife Kelly. (Harry blowing bubble rings under water, pic above). The movie is of a hawk's bill turtle on the first of two dives, too cool (enjoy Marko and Tamara). I hope the weather warms up a bit for you two in Belgrade, before the full onset of winter. =====================================================================================
Said Good bye to all my new friends in Changchun...But I'll be back in 2010.
9/08/08 Monday (Black Monday)
Monday started in the early morning, 0 hundred hour, you guessed it we were still partying not wanting the Symposium to come to an end. This whole time, I knew it was coming... but don’t get me wrong, I missed my family terribly, but the bonds made among these like minded people were something special. I was in my own little artist’s community and speaking the same language on a level that I don’t engage in back on Saipan…pure utopia. I knew I had to pack so the evening/morning would end soon …but not until after many toasts and hugs. A persistence of dread hung heavy as a disbelief that it was most certainly going to end, and that’s where the drinks blurred that reality. There is really no way I can express the profound sadness that I felt knowing that Monday at 10 am I would leave the hotel and all those good people, many whom I would likely never see again. There was some solace knowing that deep in my heart I knew that I would see but a few, Chun hua and Leo, HanLu, Xiao Yu, my closest friends…again.
Hey, who put that Rodin in front of the Wonenberg!! Movie during the Opening Ceremony (spin around)
Stop action Movie
The Twins!!! (Totem-Standing Together) 9/06/08 Saturday 6 a.m. I caught a taxi to the sculpture studio. The sun had already been up for two hours and glowed like an orange orb in the morning sky. I had to see if the sculpture had been moved to the park site, the last time I had seen it was at 3:00 yesterday, and the opening of the conference was at 9 o’clock just three hours away…I was obsessing the whole night, would they place them properly, were they clean, where were they placed in the park for the conference opening??? So many questions and there would not be much time if changes needed to be made. I also had another mission to attend to, a gift for Chun Hua.
I arrived at the park studio, and just as I suspected, men were working, the headman directing as they moved the large granite name stones for each of the artists sculptures…the men looked beat. He smiled, and he knew exactly why I was there, and so off we went to the exhibit site for my inspection. He sensed my angst I’m sure. Much to my surprise the twins were place very well, 1 meter apart and at right angel to each other…so he had been paying attention to me when I explained the arrangement, and Chun Hua had, with her usual expertise, translated my instructions to the letter. I thanked him and he dropped me back at the studio so I could walk to the light rail. I needed a bite to eat and there was an eatery (can you tell me the name of the place from the photo?) next to a Wall-mart about 5 blocks down the tracks. It was 6:45 and the store didn’t open until 8:00 so I had some time to kill, even after I ate. Those little moments that you spend sitting and observing people are fun, the walking of dogs (some great breeds) which is a resent thing, because Chinese incomes are larger, pet care isn’t cheap in a big city. I did some stop action video (just playing) and time flew by as the people did in the video. I got some help calling the hotel to inform them I would not be on the bus, and would meet them at the main gate of the sculpture park. I thought it went well…later, I find out …it didn’t.
“Welcome to wall-mart” it’s the same everywhere, I knew I would find the item I was looking for, I had drawn a quick sketch of it on a napkin to show the clerks…success!!
I arrive with/on the gift at the main gate of the Changchun Sculpture Park and there were thousands of people gathering and lining up for the entry into the park. The bus from the hotel with all the artists had not arrived yet (they were looking for me) but they were now en route, the interpreters are there and they saw me approach on the main road. Remember back in early August Chun Hua had her bicycle stolen… I rode by the crowd of interpreters, waving at them, Chun Hua turned around in disbelief. “Barry what are you doing riding a bicycle what are you doing? (she was clueless) I said “I’m riding YOUR bicycle” by the look on her face and the tears welling in her eyes (she figured it out). See pictures above.
It just keeps getting better…inside a band is playing and the twins look good surrounded by spectators. We were seated in the front row, and received scroll certificates and doves flew as the conference was declared open.
Above are photos of the opening of the International Sculpture Conference it was huge.
Sadog Tasi (area), Saipan (Island), Northern Mariana Islands
I teach visual arts at Northern Marianas College on the beautiful island of Saipan , and create art works in my home studio in Sadog Tasi. I have been selected in a juried international competition to represent the Northern Mariana Islands and create four of my sculptures for the 9th, 11th and 12th annual Changchun China International Sculpture Symposium. This blog is in journal format, my observations, reflections and thoughts... most resent at the top.
After a bit of rest from the late night train ride from Beijing back to Changchun, last years group of artists had an appointment with Mr. Fan Tao to visit the Car Park. I would have a chance to see the stone piece and more importantly the cast bronze "Auto pod" and see if it had been displayed correctly. 
