Chi-jen Fang

Untitled, Civil Engineering 1252

Artist's Statement

The ancient Chinese believed that there are five natural elements-- minerals, plants, water, fire, and earth--that constitute the universe in an orderly manner. The idea dominates the creative process of my works.

When I start to work on a painting or a print, I customarily indulge my inspiration by letting it flow freely between ideas, strokes, layers of pigment, and/or repeated printing and letting these determine the final format of the work, just as the five natural elements spawn and stifle each other in creating the world. It may be an agonizing process or, on rare occasions, a pleasantly smooth one.

In essence, the process coheres with the way lives are produced and reproduced. However, while all beings are reproduced they are identical only in substance, but varied in form. Indeed, the five constituent elements of nature in my works revolve like the key notes in a musical compostiton. They keep echoing throughout the work but rarely are repeated in their original forms. What you see are variations of the main theme. On some occassions,the theme is clearly traceable and in other cases only well-trained eyes can single out where it is reproduced in one way or another.

I try to transcend natural dynamics that initiate new life and generate creativities into an art form which reasonates with the viewers. My paintngs, and to a lesser extent my prints, may not contain the visible form of any one specific element of nature, but the spirit inherent in that element is conveyed through the process of creation.

Chi-jen Fang

Vita 1996

Education:


M.A in Liberal Arts (Visual and Performing Arts) Purdue University, Indiana, May 1996. Average grade: 3.88 (4= highest passing grade)
B.A. in Journalism, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan, 1985 Average grade: 80.38 (A=80-100=4 points, B=70-79=3 points)

Employment:

  1. 1992-1993 Freelance writer
  2. 1992-1993 Chinese Editor, The Chinese Communication Association (CCA), Department of Communication, Purdue University, Indiana, U.S.A. Designing,typing, and editing CCA newsletter, volume 2, winter 1993.
  3. 1988-1990 Editor(Brief News Editon), Mengsheng Pao (Daily News), Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C., Editing domestic and international news and photos, instructing art editors.
  4. 1986-1988 Chief Editor,Broadcasting Monthly,Department of Cultural Service, Broadcasting Corporation of China(B.C.C.),Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. Designing subjects for magazine, leading editors to cover stories and instructing art editors in cover design.
  5. 1985-1986 Editor, Yu-we Publication Company, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. Editing translated books and designing book covers.

Academic Experience

  1. January-May,1997 Principal, Purdue Chinese School, West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
  2. January-May,1997 Children Drawing Class Teacher, Purdue Chinese School, West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
  3. August-December, 1996 Children Drawing Class Teacher, Purdue Chinese School, West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
  4. August-December, 1996 Vice Principal, Purdue Chinese School, West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
  5. 1996 Member of Wabash Artists Alliance, Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
  6. 1992-1993 Chief Editor of The Chinese Student and Scholar Solidarity Union (CSSU) Newsletter, Purdue University, West Lafayette, U.S.A.

Publications:

  1. "Gardening on the Foreign Land," United Daily News(Taiwan,R.O.C.), Feb. 8, 1993; World Journal (U.S.A.), March 8, 1993;Sinorama(Taiwan, R.O.C.), 18 (March), 1993.
  2. "Darling, Don't Forget to Call Home," World Journal(U.S.A.), Oct. 16, 1992.
  3. "Dad's Declaration of Smoking-No-More,"United Daily News(Taiwan, R.O.C.), June 20, 1992.
  4. "Animals' Protector","A Riddling Woman", "Tzeng-ping, A Strongwoman" in Look Who's Talking On the Radio, Yeun-cheng Culture Publication Company, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C., June 1992.
  5. "The Stop Sign," United Daily News(Taiwan, R.O.C.), April 10, 1992.
  6. Stories of Broadcasters published in Broadcasting Monthly, B.C.C., 1986-88.(Article #1,2,3,and 5 are original aricles. Articles contained in the Who's Talking on the Radio were interviews of some of the most well-known radio program hostesses, talking about their tastes in arts and philosophy of life)

Awards

  1. Third prize, Delta Phi Delta Awards, Department of Visual & Performing Arts, Purdue University, 1996
  2. $100 Award, Delta Phi Delta Awards, Department of Visual & Performing Arts, Purdue University, 1994
  3. First prize, Junior High School section, Taipei City Chinese Painting Contest, 1975

Exhibition

  1. Open-theme(Wabash Artists Alliance Members' Show)-- Wells Community Cultural Center, Lafayette, IN, December 6, 1996- January 4, 1997
  2. Dreams(Wabash Artists Alliance Theme Show)-- Wells Community Cultural Center, Lafayette, IN, June 5- August 5, 1996
  3. Dynamic Equilibrium (personal exhibition)-- Purdue Beelke Gallery, March 18-22, 1996.
  4. Oblivion, Parquet Floors, and Vinyl Siding: A Group Exhibition (group exhibition)-- Purdue Beelke Gallery, February 12- March 17, 1996
  5. HERE and NOW (group exhibition)-- Purdue Memorial Union Gallery, April 3- May 1, 1995.