[Explanation] Knead, knead, knead, lift, and then use the tools on the table to click, cut, carve, scratch, pick...a ball of egg-sized dough, processed and shaped by the hands of the Sichuan sugar sculpture master Shi Mingkuan. Within a few minutes, a very vivid head of Maitreya Buddha was made. On August 14, at Chengdu Shi Mingkuan Art Sculpture Studio, Shi Mingkuan was demonstrating the making of dough sculpture and sugar art to students.
The flower fairy who fell into the mortal world, the empress Wu Zetian in gorgeous costumes, and the flying goddess with a pipa... In Shi Mingkuan's studio, there are also many exquisite dough sculptures and sugar art works. These dough sculpture sugar art works, which have both form and spirit, are more three-dimensional than the picture, and more vivid than the puppets, all come from the "post-80s" Shi Mingkuan. At the very beginning, he was an art lover studying fine brushwork. He was attracted by the intangible cultural heritage kneaders shown on TV by accident. He started to learn food carving in 2005 and worshipped the Sichuan master of arts and crafts in 2006. Long as a teacher, professionally learn dough sculpture craftsmanship.
[Concurrent] (Si Mingkuan, the master of sugar sculpture in Sichuan Province)
Dough Sculpture When I was shopping in Jinli, I saw that my master was making noodle sculpture there. I became interested in it at once, and then I worshipped him to learn it.
[Explanation] In order to keep improving, he also went to Tianjin, Beijing and other places for relevant studies. In 2016, Shi Mingkuan was awarded the title of "Sculpture Sugar Master of Sichuan Province" approved by the Master Committee of Sichuan Traditional Culture Conservation Alliance and the Review Committee. Shi Mingkuan, who has studied chocolate sculpture, food carving, dough sculpture, fondant art and other food art productions, has skillfully integrated fondant technology and dough sculpture technology into his works, making up for the lack of traditional food art, and taking the lead. The color principle of Chinese Gongbi painting is integrated into the creation of food art, which brings more visual impact to food art.
[Concurrent] (Si Mingkuan, the master of sugar sculpture in Sichuan Province)
The traditional sugar man and dough man are on a stick, pinching some pigs, and some cartoon animals. Then our face guy now uses a lot of brackets, and some sculptural techniques, just to make the whole shape more agile, and now the subject matter is basically unlimited.
[Explanation] In 2015, Shi Mingkuan was invited to participate in a food art tour exhibition in Singapore, which was widely acclaimed. This was the first time he took his skills to the international stage. In the following five years, Shi Mingkuan also took his trainees to participate in industry competitions overseas several times and achieved good results each time.
[Concurrent] (Si Mingkuan, the master of sugar sculpture in Sichuan Province)
In fact, I started teaching students in 2008, and then I returned to Chengdu in 2012 and started a personal studio. There should be thousands of (students) until now. They are all the most distant apprentices. If there are people from the United States, some from Ireland, some from Spain, and some from Italy.
[Explanation] Shi Mingkuan said that in the next step, the studio intends to cooperate with various colleges and cultural centers to bring dough sculpture and sugar art into the campus, so that more students at school can understand and experience this art. And integrate this skill into every aspect of life.
[Concurrent] (Si Mingkuan, the master of sugar sculpture in Sichuan Province)
Our work is to continue to innovate, which is what I said just now to make it into a variety of things that everyone is now practical, that is, its decorative role should be used in our lives, and then we should make some relief paintings, and we hang them on the wall. Decoration is actually possible now.
He Meikun and He Xi report from Chengdu, Sichuan
Editor in charge: [Li Ji]