Unique, gifted genius are phrases used to describe the incredibly realistic, three-dimensional, all leather sculpture of Chan Liu-Miao.
Born in 1946 in Taiwan to a very poor farming family, he toiled in the fields with his father and grandfather, learning humility and discipline through hard work. Unable to suppress his artistic nature and with no money for pencil and paper, he drew endlessly in the dirt with a stick. Through a government Teacher Training Program, he was able to get an education and was finally accepted at the National Art College. Gifted, he became a woodcarver, sculptor and painter.
Then fate stepped in and he became intrigued with the long-lost art of leather sculpture. It took him five years of research and experimentation before he perfected his craft. In 1986 Chan was declared a "Living Treasure" by the government of Taiwan. They sponsored a tour of his work to Seoul, New York, San Francisco, Los Angles and Paris. His works are in the collections of the Heads of State of Hungary, Belgium, France, Japan, Argentina, Poland, and South Africa to name a few.
Chan's all-leather sculpture reflects his expertise in creating life-like figures to scale which express the depth of emotions and capture the color and movement of the soul.
"Leather is soft, alive, like skin. It is warm and allows for movement. It gives life to the work," explains Chan.
And fortunately for us, Chan's genius gives unique, artistic life to the leather, to feed the world's soul.