《葉發原皮塑藝術展》
葉發原的「皮塑」藝術
（台灣省手工業研究所）
任何傳統的工藝均有傳承下來的古老技法和文獻紀錄可供查考， 而歷代祖先所遺留下的文物、藝術精品亦可讓後人鑑賞、研究以 為依據，但是皮塑藝術的領域雖稱周朝即有專門機構研究製革技
術及文獻紀錄，但歷經千年的文物歷史卻是一片空白，十年前台 灣的皮藝發展，多僅於皮雕，鮮有裝飾性的藝術品，近年皮塑藝 術才日趨蓬勃，但也都在欠缺傳統文物的比對下摸索成長。
皮革有溫暖親切的特性，在裁割適當大小，加水軟化之後，皮塑 藝術的工作者必需在皮革乾燥之前，時間約四小時左右經由卓越 的技巧在拉捏、擠壓、鑽刮、揉扭推頂之中捏塑成形再加以染色
、硬化等表面處理後作出精彩的立體作品，在技術上具有其困難 性，在過程中極需耐性與毅力，在造型藝術上更需深厚的修養才 可能使作品在整體上有鉅細靡遺的呈現。
葉發原君是從毫不熟悉的起點開始努力，他原先習得的電工，裝 潢專長是謀生之技，唯自幼年對美術工藝的興趣一直戀戀不捨， 終於在內心掙扎及獲得家人支持下割捨既有之工作從事皮藝創作
，就教於施素芳老師並向皮塑前輩詹鏐淼先生請益，虛心求教使 其獲益良多並得到極大的鼓勵，於民國七十五年底於新生畫廊舉 辦首次個展，他傾其所能的初試啼聲即備受好評，加強了在皮塑
藝術繼續努力的信心，但展覽尚未使他完全自給自足，七十八年 無意間士林夜市螃蟹攤所獲靈感製作了一系列螃蟹作品則真正更 受歡迎，甲殼類動物稜角多、步腳節肢亦多，是項繁瑣而細膩的
工作，更因「蟹」與「謝」同音，帶進了國人習於之吉祥祈福及 恩謝的民俗感覺，也給葉君帶來了幸運，於是大、小、籠中之蟹 成為「大謝、小謝、攏總多謝」，憑著跑馬拉松的毅力，他相信
認清目標走自己的路，終會有些成績。 葉發原出生大溪鄉間，對大自然中草、蟲、鳥、魚及瓜果、蔬菜 觀察細微，而以表達自然中豐富而生動的田園系列作品他獲得民
族工藝的一等獎，辛勤工作和創新技巧展現了皮塑藝術的立體美 ，這些成就絕非倖致，葉君仍謙稱他比別人多了一份幸運。 任何藝術家不論出生、成長經歷、學習創作過程和幸運與否，大
眾及歷史仍將以其作品來評斷其藝術，現代社會或走入後現代社 會，人們對未來生活展望凹反省和思考及對環境的深切關懷和覺 醒，如果這也是葉君田園系列作品幸運受迎的原因之一，那麼此
次展出的同時更期待葉君在皮塑藝諭的領域以其現有的修養和技 巧透過選材之創新、表達觀念的昇華，不斷推陳出新為國內皮塑 藝術頻生光彩。
 Exhibition
of leather Sculpture Art by Yeh Fa-yuan
Taiwan Provincial Handicraft Research Institute.
Followers of traditional arts and crafts can always turn to
age-old techniques and written accounts passed down over the centuries,
while artifacts and fine masterpieces left by our ancestors are
also available for those of later generations to appreciate and
study . In the case of leather sculpture, however, although historical
records state that a special agency was established in the Chou
dynasty to study leather manufacturing techniques, the passage of
thousands of years has left a complete blank in terms of ancient
artifacts. Just a decade ago, leather art in Taiwan largely consisted
of carved leather, with very little evidence of decorative art works.
In recent years the art of leather sculpture has come increasingly
into it own, although its growth has been hampered by a lack of
traditional artifacts for comparison. Leather has distinctive qualities
of warmth and homeliness. Once it has been cut to size and softened
with water, the leather sculptor has about four hours be-fore the
leather dries out again in which to apply his superior techniques
to pulling pinching, squeezing, pressing perforating,cutting, kneading
and twisting the leather into shape before finally carrying out
the surface processing of dyeing and hardening to produce a fine
three-dimensional work. To produce a work which is perfect in every
detail is not only technically highly challenging and demands both
patience and determination, but also requires a profound personal
cultivation in formal art. Yeh Fa-yuan embarked on his career in
leather sculpture as a complete novice. While earning a living by
his original electrical engineering and decorating skills, he never
lost his early interest in arts and crafts. Eventually, after an
inner struggle and having obtained the support of his family, he
quit his job and turned to creative work as a leather artist. He
modestly sought instruction form Shih Su-fang and the established
leather sculptor Chan Liu-miao, whose teaching and encouragement
were enormously beneficial,and 1986 he mounted his first individual
exhibition at the Shin Sheng Gallery. The enthusiastic reception
given to his early work gave him greater confidence to continue
his efforts in leather sculpture, although his initial exhibitions
were not very rewarding financially. The series of crab sculptures
he completed in 1989, inspired by crab stalls in Shih-lin night
market, struck an immediate chord with the public. Sculpting crustaceans
with their angular shapes and many jointed limbs and appendages
is complex and highly detailed work, but another reason for the
popularity of crab sculptures is the fact that in Chinese the work
for "a crab" (hsieh)sounds the same as the word for "thanks"-which
forges a link with traditional Chinese images of good fortune and
the custom of presenting thanks for kindnesses received. His crabs
also brought Yeh Fa-yuan good luck, and as he devoted enormous efforts
to producing large crabs, small crabs and whole baskets of crabs
he became confident that he had at last recognized a clear objective,
had carved out a path of his own, and was really achieving something
worth-while. Yeh Fa-yuan grew up in the countryside of Tahsi, Taoyuan
county, where he was able to observe flowers, insects, birds, fish,
fruits and vegetables in close detail in their natural surroundings,
His compelling "fied and garden" series, which expresses the richness
of nature, brought him the top prize in the 1994 Folk Arts and Crafts
Awards. His diligent work and innovative techniques bring out the
three-dimensional beauty of leather sculpture, achievements which
are far from accidental. Modestly, Yeh Fa-yuan simply declares he
is perhaps just a little luckier than others. Regardless of his
life, his studies, his creative career, or whether he was lucky
or not, the artistic achievement of any artist will be judged by
the publc and by history-on the merits of his work. In today's modern
society people are pondering the outlook for the future, and a profound
concern for the environment is awakening. If this is one of the
reasons why Yeh Fa-yuan's "field and garden" series enjoyed such
success, then hope-fully this exhibition will also show how Yeh
Fa-yuan with his artistry and command of technique is continuing
to blaze a new trail in Taiwan leather sculpture through innovative
choice of subject-matter and sublime conceptual expression.
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