Diem Chau's Crayons Carved As The 12 Chinese Zodiacs

above: individually hand carved crayons that represent the 12 symbols of the Chinese Zodiac.

I can't seem to get enough of the very talented Diem Chau's unusual work. While her porcelain work is amazing, it's her carved crayola crayons that continue to blow me away.

I have blogged about her carved crayons in the past, but recently she tackled the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac which are now on exhibit at the Packer Schopf Gallery in Chicago along with many of her ceramic works in a show named Sojourn.




First, the 12 symbols of the Chinese Zodiac:


Now, Diem Chau's Zodiac Crayons:


She began with the monkey on the far right (note how she wrote on the crayons which was to become which animal):


and once they were finished, she mounted each carved crayon on a wood pedestal for exhibition:

above: all twelve Chinese Zodiac crayons, finished and mounted.

I have close ups and detailed images of all but the Dog, Dragon, Horse, Ox, and Rabbit.

The Goat:


The Monkey:


The Pig:


The Rat:


The Rooster:


The Snake:


and this year, the Tiger:


all images are courtesy of the artist.

Be sure to check out her porcelain pieces in the following show:
SOJOURN
Packer Schopf Gallery
February 19th - March 27th
942 W. Lake
Chicago, IL 60607
312.226.8984

Diem Chau

The 30 Photographers To Watch In 2010

above photo by Eman Mohammed

Photo District News has just published their picks for 2010 Choice of New and Emerging Photographers to Watch and there's certainly a lot of wonderful talent out there. Take a look.


above background photo by yang yi
 
Below is the article by Conor Risch for PDN, followed by images from each of the 30 photographers and links to their personal sites.

Look at the photographers in this year’s PDN’s 30 class and you’ll find a solid refutation of the idea that “everyone is a photographer now.” Did “everyone” move to Beijing to freelance for the AP with no financial guarantee like Danfung Dennis? Or live out of a mini-van so they could create a major project like Scott Conarroe? Or defy social norms to become one of the only female photojournalists from Gaza like Eman Mohammed? Is “everyone” willing to be as patient as Alex Prager, who put on her own shows when gallerists ignored her? Does “everyone” have 2,250 followers on Flickr like Ben Roberts?

Perseverance and determination are common to all these photographers but equally notable is the individuality of their interests and styles. These photographers have produced long-term projects on music scenes (Lauren Dukoff), orthodox Hasidic communities (Clémence De Limburg), and a mother’s paranoid schizophrenia (Sohrab Hura). They have used the visual language of gritty reportage to shoot cookbooks (Gabriel Stabile) and created photojournalism based on “a sense of feeling” (Andy Spyra). They have used modern image-making techniques to lament the destruction of a centuries-old city (Yang Yi). They tell stories that matter to them in ways that make them matter to viewers.

Yes, it’s true: a lot more people are taking pictures now than when PDN was founded 30 years ago. But only a very small percentage of those people are photographers. We salute these 30 individuals, who are helping to define what being a photographer means today. —Conor Risch

Click on each artist's name below (shown in alphabetical order) to visit their website or portfolio.

levi brown:

alejandro cartagena:

scott conarroe:

sumit dayal:

clemence de limburg:

gratiane de moustier:

danfung dennis:

lauren dukoff:

matt eich:

matthieu gafsou:

marcelo gomes:

deborah hamon:

estelle hanania:

ben hoffmann:

sohrab hura:

wayne lawrence:

brent lewin:

eman mohammed:

adrian mueller:

nick onken:

alex prager:

thomas prior:

ben roberts:

anna skladmann:

andy sprya:

gabriele stabile:

peter van agtmael:

elizabeth weinberg:

yang yi:

reed young:


You can view more pieces from each of these 30 photographers at PDN's online gallery here.

The team behind PDN's 30:

above, left to right: Amber Terranova, Conor Risch, Jacqueline Tobin, Holly Stuat Hughes and Darren Ching.



PDN thanks the sponsors of PDN's 30, Kodak and Sony, for their support of this issue and of the PDN's 30 educational programs. Special thanks to the American Society of Media Photographers, who are giving on-year merit membership to each of this year's 30.