Meeting with Stone Carved Teapot Artist Mr. Liao Tian Zhao

Mr. Liao Tian Zhao’s Stone Carved Teapot exhibition was held at the Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery, Auckland from 18 May to 18 October, 2010. The artist, Mr. Liao Tian Zhao from Taiwan visited Fo Guang Shan (North Island) NZ on 11 Nov, 2010. He was hosted by Abbess Manshin, Venerable Juehao and BLIA President Dolly Tsai.

It was indeed the best time of the year to enjoy the cherry blossoms and Mr. Liao was happily snapping away at the beautiful scenery even though he humbly said that he was not very skillful in photography. Thereafter, he shared his journey of his stone carving career and the source of his inspiration. The beauty of nature, he said, gave him unlimited sources of inspiration and creativity. Not only is he specialised in stone carving, he is talented in Chinese Calligraphy and Chinese painting.

The stones that he used for teapot carving are carefully selected and he is fastidious in the modelling of each teapot which is aesthetically designed and served as a functioning teapot.

When asked about his popular Bird cry series, Mr. Liao explained that it was a chance encounter that he discovered the mechanics behind the teapots which produced the sounds of animals when tea is poured.

Besides the Bird Cry series, he also created the world’s smallest and largest teapots and were recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.