We're now on an excursion to find the lost treasures of Shangri-la. Our maps have led us to the Clinton House Artspace in downtown Ithaca, home to the Kitchen Theatre. With our pencils loaded, we moved cautiously avoiding the avalanche of people to view the new revelations of Syau-Cheng Lai.

Roger: Take the rococo out of the "Rococo Extravanganza' and what have you got?

Adrienne: You have Lai's painting with its delicate pearl sheen and shell-like rhythms without the excessive ornamentation which was distinctive of 18th century Europe architecture and decoration. That's what you've got.

R: It's more of an eastern feast to the eye then the expected rococo motif.

A: In this painting, Lai typically uses her handmade mulberry bark paper with her sculptural elements made of wood chips, bits of bamboo mats, acrylic, sand and volcanic ash. She combines and multi-layers these textural elements to create a temporal beauty that glows from within. As Lai says herself, she applies "techniques reminiscent of forgotten ways of life --caligraphy, gold gilding, sanding and particularly relief sculpture."

R: From a distance, the painting reveals itself as an old relic of a map with its seemingly burnt edges and undulating rhythms -- similar to a piece of parchment that has been touched and breathed upon over the centuries.

A: The relief sculpture also gives one a strong sense of elevations. Within this lies subtle black/white calligraphic linear codes indicating architectural structures, divided terrains and pathways of a long-lost community. These structures consist of minute geometric shapes with occasional curvilinear courtyards.

R: It's as if these civilizations were discovered by satellite or accidentally while flying the upper stratosphere.

A: Lai takes us from the mountains to the depths of the ocean in a single blink of the eye with her lyrical canvas painting "The Ballade of Neptune." The warmth of the yellow and orange could signify the Yellow River of the East. The water appears to shimmer from the sun, especially when seen from afar.

R: To a westerner it is an unusual color for water. Perhaps it's the gold color of the fish which is reflected on its surface. Nepture, the god of the ocean, watches from one side while fish move freely in all shapes and sizes. Anyway, they appear to be calligraphic symbols of marine life which calls to mind Joan Miro and Paul Klee.

A: The symbols in this painting are more evenly distributed than in Lai's other paintings, filling the entire picture frame which creates an "all over" composition.

R: Let's move onto courtly pleasures. "A Sense of Red" with its gold leaf calligraphy and courtly red stained with black ink -- has a richness beyond wealth. One can imagine a bird in flight about to land on an ancient royal dynasty. My sights are drawn to "The Last Foray."

A: Out of the charred blackness, Lai has managed to capture a low-lying mist which surrounds an ancient lost horizon perhaps called "Shangri-la." The gold leaf glimmers in the sunlight as if for the last time. The lack of calligraphy makes one ponder on what one has stumbled across.

R: I think her works combine traditional eastern methods with western contemporary abstraction. All of her paintings capture the temporal and fleeting moments of past civilizations, but yet we have the privilege to view this in her works time and time again. You dare not touch them, as they might disappear forever.

A: Imagination can take off with all of Lai's subjects. The lightness and fragility with which she physically applies her materials has a touch of a tiger walking on water.

R: I like to think of Syau-Cheng Lai's paintings as maps and that's where the treasures lie.

 

Only 40 minutes away, Ithaca artists are making their presence known at the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn for the annual juried "Made in New York" exhibition. Like bloodhounds, we followed the scent of petulia oil to investigate the art work of fellow Ithacans.

Roger: Over here, I found paintings by Syau-Cheng Lai from Ithaca entitled "The Reign of Takhi-i" and "Nuur Resides."

Adrienne: They're not just paintings, Roger. She combines printing and sculptural techniques, as well as collage by adding delicate pieces of fabric and gold leaf. The artist's highly textured handmade paper embellishes the work, giving it a three-dimensional quality.

R: Yeah, the paper undulates to and fro adding extra rhythm to the work. Also, I like Lai's subtle and ethereal use of color.

A: As I stand back from "The Reign of Takhi-i," the light reflects from the gold leaf illuminating a dragon like river. The other piece, "Nuur Resides," has calIigraphic ink symbols which resemble an archaeological dig of a long lost community.

R: Both have a feel of ancient eastern ruins from a "bird's eye view". The black ink markings are like imprints in the sand.

A: The cloud-like transparent fabric and half hidden gold beads help create this other-worldliness.

Roger and Adrienne Bea Smith recently moved to the Ithaca area from Sedona, Ariz, where they taught art and regularly exhibited their work. They both received art training and degrees in England.