Tiana’s Warrior donated to Richmond Public Library

My painted warrior has been donated to the Richmond Public Library by the Williams and Lomness Families in memory of their parents Yvette and Walter Beswick. An unveiling and tea was held early November at the Brighouse (Main) Branch and the rain did not deter us from going outside and seeing “Wu Chang” back in the same spot he was 2 summers ago.

The Williams and Lomness Families at Warrior unveiling at the Brighouse branch of the Richmond Public Library

 

My warrior was bought by the BC Lions Society at their auction in September 2012 in hopes that they would find a donor who would place it in a public space in Richmond. Stephen Miller connected with the Williams and Lomness Families who wanted to do something to remember their parents. During the tea, daughters Julie Williams and Susan Lomness spoke about how their parents, Yvette and Walter, loved coming to the library, and the family all contributed to make this donation happen.

Donation was made in memeory of Yvette and Walter Beswick

I’d like to thank the families for their generous donation. I am happy that my artwork is in a public place where it will be enjoyed by many people for many years. It is a library that I use often, so I will get to see my warrior regularly. (Many times artists make art and it is sold and you never see it again.) The staff of the Richmond Public Library are all excited about this unique addition to their institution, and I know they will take care of my “Mr. Wu”.

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Tiana and Warriors on SHAW TVs go! Vancouver

Stephen Miller and I were interviewed for “go! Vancouver” the morning of the BC Lions Society’s Terracotta Warrior Banquet and Auction. You can find the segment at the 3:55 mark in the video, after the yoga studio segment. I’m always surprised how long it takes to shoot a TV show or film. In this case I was there for over an hour, getting wired up, walking through different shots, and answering the questions. Thank you to Mana Mansour and her videographer for making this a fun experience.

Terracotta Warriors Project Video Ad

Only 9 days left until the Terracotta Warriors Auction and Banquet to raise money for the BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities. Here’s a video with a little history of the warriors and this project in Vancouver.  http://www.ecovideo.ca/chi/easter.seals/terracotta.warriors

My warrior, Wu Chang, makes a couple appearances in the video: in my studio, lying down getting painted, and in front of the Richmond Cultural Centre. You can place a bid before the live auction and banquet by going to GoBid:  http://www.gobid.ca/cgi-bin/single_display.pl?item_id=1349776

Viewing, Banquet and Auction of Terracotta Warriors

Hey, my terracotta warrior “Wu Chang” made it onto the auction poster! He’s the one on the left sporting a spiffy patchwork style costume which displays over 30 painted cloth patterns from over 2000 years of Chinese textile history. After a summer of showing off his cool duds outside the Richmond Cultural Centre he will be auctioned off on Thursday, September 27. If you have any questions about how I painted him send me a comment and I’ll be happy to respond. For more information on the BC Lions Society charity auction check out the poster below. There is a public viewing before the banquet.

Terracotta Warriors Online Charity Auction

The Terracotta Warrior sculptures for the BC Lions Society Project are now online at GoBid.ca –  http://www.gobid.ca/  and are open for bidding starting at $2,000.  You have the opportunity to bid until Wednesday, September 26th at noon, where the bids will close and the highest bidders will be contacted to have their bids moved over to the Live Auction at The Great Banquet and Auction on Thursday, September 27th, 2012.  You will be able to continue bidding by either attending the banquet or participating via telephone or absentee bid.

Tiana Kaczor’s “Wu Chang” is currently on the Richmond Cultural Centre’s steps.

For a direct link to my warrior, Wu Chang, #31,  on the auction site go here:  http://www.gobid.ca/cgi-bin/single_display.pl?item_id=1349776

The starting bids of $2000 are a steal. I can’t speak for other artists, but a blog post below explains it, and I’ll tell you again, that I spent more than 175 hours painting my warrior and thus a decent price would be over $5,000. Add on the cost of making the fibreglass sculpture and you can raise that price up to $10,000.  So, dig deep into your pocket books, have some fun at the auction, get a great piece of original art, and remember, this is for charity too!

 

Warrior Pictures and Thank Yous

It’s been a busy month, but I’m slowly editing some more pictures of the painted terracotta warriors that are around Vancouver and Richmond this summer for the BC Lions Society fundraising project. I have some people to thank too as I could not have completed my warrior without their help.

Wu Chang’s left side and other Warriors at the official unveiling in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

Thank you to the City of Richmond for being my sponsor and to Stephen Miller at the BC Lions Society for connecting us. For more info and a map of where the warriors are go here:  http://www.terracottawarriors.ca/

Thank you to Lisa Ernst for helping me paint a few little areas when time was running out but I still wanted to keep the level of detail high. I also need to thank Lisa for naming my warrior. One day she started calling the sculpture Wu Chang, and we thought it would be just a nick name, but it stuck, so it is now his formal name. Lisa’s website: http://www.pixels72.com/

Thank you to Chris Caplette for your muscle in lifting my warrior from the garage up to my studio on the second floor. Your criticism and encouragement is also appreciated.

Painted Terracotta Warriors at BC Lions Society Unveiling in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

Once again thank you to my parents, who don’t have internet access and thus won’t see this, but they should be thanked because without their financial help and ongoing encouragement over the years I could never fulfill my dream of being a working artist. Having me paint the warrior in my studio, which is in their house, was a fantastic experience for them. They told me they loved looking in each day to see what I had painted, and they missed Wu when he was taken away for public display.

Wall walker on painted Terracotta Warrior

And thank you to all the family, friends, coworkers, students and the public who have seen my painted terracotta warrior and given me such glowing compliments. Your words are fuel for future creative projects. Thanks so much.

To see more photos don’t forget to check out my Flickr page. Link on right of my blog.

“Buried Treasure” by Jeanette Jarville

The Value of Tiana’s Terracotta Warrior

Here are some facts about my process for painting my Terracotta Warrior “Wu Chang”.

I spent at least 135 hours painting the sculpture. There were days I’m sure when I was so tired I forgot to record the hours in my sketchbook. So, it might have even been 150+ hours of painting.

I spent approximately 10 hours of prep which included accepting the delivery, moving the sculpture upstairs and down, sanding and washing, and painting the 2 coats of gesso.

I spent about 6 hours at the Vancouver Art Gallery and Richmond Brighouse libraries doing research.

I spent an unknown number of hours reading, discussing, searching the internet, sketching and planning, and being interviewed for promotion in the local media (Thank you, Richmond News).

Grand total is a minimum of 175 hours.

I got paid $1000, and I bought my own supplies. This means I made about $5.71 an hour before expenses. Of course my labour is a donation to the BC Lions Society, but I think it’s important for those bidding on the sculpture this Fall to know what would be a good starting bid. If I base my pay scale on what I make as a teacher then the warrior should be sold for no less than $5075.00  ($29 per hour x 175). And this doesn’t even take into consideration the cost the sponsor (City of Richmond) put out to make the fibreglass sculpture and all the time and effort the BC Lions Society put into organizing this fundraising event.

Sketchbook Map of Back Textile Patterns. click on image for bigger view.

Finished back of Wu Chang in Tiana’s studio.

 

Painted Terracotta Army Unveiled

Terracotta Warriors Unveiling. Tiana in front of "Wu Chang".

The rain stayed away and I had a lovely morning in downtown Vancouver with family and friends at the official unveiling of 29 painted Terracotta Warriors. They looked a little scary at first, all covered in black drapes, but as the artists and our sponsors pulled off the covers the army emerged in full colour. It was great to see the statues in formation, and have the chance to view the artists hard work in one location, before they are distributed around the city. Maps are available from the BC Lions Society for Children With Disabilites to help you find the warriors around town over the next few months.

I love having the opportunity to talk with people as they are looking at my art, to explain my process and ideas, and receive their comments and praise. There was a lot of press there yesterday as well. I was photographed several times and had an interview with The Epoch Times.  Here are some links I’ve found so far:

The Vancouver Sun – article, video, and photos:  http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Terracotta+army+Vancouver+streets/6512586/story.html?tab=PHOT

24 Hours Vancouver – article, map, and photos. Go to the gallery for all the photos. I’m in the first one with the little girl. I’m in the back wearing a black coat. Several photos show my warrior “Wu Chang”. Not full on but he’s there! Dad got in a photo too!  : http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/local/2012/04/24/19674136.html

Terracotta Warriors Unveiling. Tiana and the back side of "Wu Chang".

Invitation to Unveiling of Terracotta Warriors

Invitation to the unveiling of the Terracotta Warriors at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens in Vancouver, B.C. April 24, 2012.

Warrior Has Left My Studio

Tiana's warrior "Wu Chang" waiting to be loaded onto truck.

I’m so tired! After two months of painting, the second month being quite intense, “Wu Chang”, my terracotta warrior, is now finished. The truck from the BC Lions Society for Children With Disabilities arrived this morning at my studio to pick the warrior up and take him off to receive the protective clear coat. With only one man to carry him it was a little tricky getting “Wu” around the corners in the house, down the stairs, and out onto the front lawn. However, no ceiling lights were hit, the warrior wasn’t dropped, and thank goodness the truck had a power lift. I can see the benefits of having a studio on the ground floor, and with a big sliding door like a garage.

I don’t want to ruin the surprise before the official unveiling in a couple weeks, so I will not be posting a lot of pictures right now. But after the 24th of April I will be uploading to Flickr and YouTube to show my process and the detail of my work on the terracotta warrior.