an interview with jaime an-wong

Jaime and I met at the LAB to discuss our work as sculptors. While looking through photographs of the work that Jaime has done we talked about how she got to the current place she is at in her sculpture. The images were of varying large circular metal structures. 

j: I had started out doing ceramics. I was always interested in the feel of the earth in the clay; touching the clay but then began to work in sculpture.

k: When i think of ceramics I think of much smaller pieces, your sculptures are huge in comparison. Was the size and scale of the work something that brought you away from ceramics and into sculpture? 

j: There were big changes. There is much more spirituality in sculpture. I am putting myself in something big-- there is a wider range for movement rather than sitting to work and working so tightly. The process is also much more spontaneous. 

k: You are also using a variety of different materials in your work now, opposed to just the clay.

j: Yes, the materials that I use are all mixed media. The rebar, plaster, wood, wire, and recycled and found objects. There is a lot of pleasure in using metal. The process of pouring the bronze, step by step, really communicates with the work. There are so many steps. After the piece is done, whether it is a good piece or not, I really feel the appreciation for all the effort and hard work that went into it. There has to be hard work done and effort put in. 

We looked a series of photographs of Jaime working in the metal shop doing bronze casting for one of the large pieces. It is about 8 feet high and a covered circular form. 

k: I am curious about the circular shape that appears in your work. Is that something that you are aware of when you are planning a piece or does it happen as you are working? Or is there a meaning behind these circles? 

j: Life is circular- coming and going, revival, growth. Being a child having children, there are generations starting  and continuing. It is never ending. 

k: That idea of never ending and continuing is also visible in the work you have with recycled materials.

j: I saw a show that Steven Siegel had done and was inspired by his use of recycled newspaper. I am also interested in the geological process and hope to use the sculpture to communicate a sustainable learning through art. We are replacing what we used- born on the Earth use the Earth and then put it on the Earth. I would like to work with these ideas for the thesis. Using the newspaper, paper process and cyclical thing to show how life keeps continuing. 

k: You had previously mentioned that you had a background in commerical art and working in graphic design. Do you feel like there is any relation between having done that work and now doing fine art and sculpture?

j: Graphic work is totally different. I was working for a company and  for the consumer. I am no longer interested in the look of the work that others want. I felt that was more like Pop Art and making something that people would enjoy and then want to spend the money on. The fine art is for myself. The commercial art was still enjoyable but had a different feeling. It was nice to see my own work out there and know that people might buying something because of the graphic work done for it- it was much more about the end result. 

k: I guess to wrap things up is there anything you;d like to say about your work and being an artist?

j: No matter how talented or smart you are you have to work hard. Looking at famous artists- there doesn’t seem to be one that isn’t working hard. They have been through a lot and struggle. Struggle with their own work. I am in school, paying for school and make it worth it and make the best of it life. It may not always be fun. But really working hard you find yourself. You enjoy what you are doing and find that the end result is the joy of life and being a good artist. The main thing is very hard. Something comes into your head to give inspiration each day. Use that energy and put it in and make a good sculpture.