20100208 Tsai Erh-Ping-an Artist of Life (1)

Tsai Erh-Ping-an Artist of Life

This artist brings nature and art together

The vibrant colors of the lizard catch your eye as it seems to wiggle and crawl on the lady's sweater. Startled, you look closer and discover that you aren't looking at a real lizard at all. You're looking at a fanciful brooch made of ceramic, wire and precious stones. You have just been introduced to one of the fanciful creations of Tsai Erh-Ping (蔡爾平), a remarkable artist who draws his inspiration from creatures of nature.

Childhood influences
Insects and lizards like this excited Tsai Erh-Ping's imagination in his youth and continue to excite him today. As a child growing up in the 1950s in rural Beigang (北港)in southern Taiwan. Tsai played in the fields surrounding his home. He chased geckos and decorated them with stripes or dots of paint. His father, a medical doctor and artist in his own right, influenced his son a great deal. In fact, one of his father's quotes has become Tsai's theme in life: "Live in nature, live on nature, live for nature." And that is exactly what Tsai does.




vibrant adj. 鮮明的/明亮的
eg: The vibrant floral arrangement lightens up the hall.
eg: Helen is a vibrant girl who's full of energy.
eg: New York is a vibrant city.
=> New York 是個活力十足的城市.

wiggle v. 擺動/扭動
eg: The boy splashed water and wiggled his toes in the creek(小溪).
eg: The baby wiggled around in his crib(嬰兒床) and started to cry.

stripe (n) 條紋/Ｖ形條紋
eg: The black and white stripes found on zebras can fool their predators(掠奪者).
eg: The red and white stripes on this shirt remind me of the American flag.
eg: He has three stripes on his uniform.




gecko n. 壁虎