Yingling Lin molds Laguna Clay’s products into profound artworks
09/10/24
by Victoria Ritter
Art has been a constant presence in Yingling Lin’s life. Growing up in Taiwan, she developed an interest in art in elementary school. She went on to attend an art-centric high school where she learned about different mediums and participated in student exhibitions.
It was there where she learned about her two favorite artists: abstract painter Piet Mondrian and impressionist Claude Monet. While Lin enjoyed the simplicity of Mondrain’s work, she appreciated how Monet’s colors harmonized and expressed different emotions.
“They’re two different artists, but when I put them together, that’s about me,” Lin said. “I want to keep my art simple, but I also want people to feel it. That’s why I love ceramics. You can see a lot of simple shapes while deeply looking at it.”
Lin moved to the U.S. to attend the Academy of Art University in San Fransisco. Knowing the risk of pursuing an art career rather than a business track, she initially majored in interior design. Halfway through her college career, she changed direction to follow her passion and pursued a fine arts sculpture major.
Her career took off from there. Lin went on to intern with local sculptor John Toki. She worked on manufacturing pieces for Macy’s department stores as a studio major and potter at Sara Paloma’s ceramic studio. She collaborated with John Natsoulas Gallery on oil paintings and ceramic projects, contributed to public murals and currently teaches wheel-thrown sculpture classes at the Academy of Art University.
When Paloma decided to move and close her studio about three years ago, Lin saw it as an opportunity to launch her own business. She co-founded YoLin Art Studio in Oakland, CA with Yoyo Hu, a Chinese sculptor and installation artist.
“It was a huge surprise in my life. I changed my whole direction, but I do enjoy it,” Lin stated, reflecting on her experiences. “In art, you’re creating your feelings. You’re putting so much of your energy and love into it.”
A collaborative creation
Lin begins her process by collecting images that inspire her. Sometimes she will have her own students submit their own pictures to be used as reference materials. “It’s everybody’s energy in the art,” Lin said.
Next comes laying out the materials. Lin’s go-to resource is Laguna Clay. She was introduced to Laguna Clay’s modeling clay in her first sculpting class. “It was so pure and smooth,” she recalled. “I started to study the clay and what I could do with it.”
Lin mainly works with Laguna Clay’s porcelain and B-mix, an all-purpose smooth mid- to high-fire clay. Additionally, she has started a collection of the company’s glazes in her classroom for her students to try.
After weighing the clay – which helps her control the size of the sculpture – Lin throws test pieces. She trims and sculpts a base form before applying a color slip to the greenware, or unfired pieces. Once a first firing is completed, Lin continues to shape the color and lightly sands the piece before firing it a second time.
Sometimes a virtual audience looks in on the process, including some of Lin’s students. Together, they will celebrate her successes and bemoan the pieces that don’t make it. “If I don’t like a piece, I destroy it right away,” Lin said. “I use Instagram to post my work, and sometimes I post reels of me destroying a piece.”
The shared journey
Each of Lin’s sculptures are meant to highlight people’s experiences and emotions, whether it be hers or someone else’s. She takes inspiration from her surrounding environment and human connections. “When people look at my work, I want them to feel something, think about what’s meaningful and what’s important to them,” Lin stated.
One of her larger pieces, “Heads Up” came about after Lin donated part of her kidney to her dad and he died shortly afterward due to COVID. Each little sculpture in the installation is meant to represent a piece of the sky with different weather patterns. Lin explained that the little pieces, while they tell their own tale, are part of a larger narrative.
“I want to tell my story and share it with people,” Lin said. “When something is heavy to you, you don’t think people understand you. But you can give yourself energy. That’s what I wish – for my work to give people energy. I call it ‘Heads Up’ because when you are lost, you have to believe in yourself.”
Lin is proudest of “Protection,” which she designed for one of her professors who was going through many struggles. She hand-crafted 3,246 tiles of Laguna Clay’s translucent porcelain into a traditional Taiwanese pattern symbolizing good luck and formed them into a pyramid. Inside she placed a light, representing a person’s journey. “The pyramid is the strongest structure in the world. I wish people can be strong for themselves to protect their journey.”
Lin is working on her newest piece, “Rainbow Drops,” for her next exhibition. The installation, which continues the cloud and weather imagery of “Heads Up,” will feature 700 to 800 colorful teardrops suspended from the ceiling.
“Rainbows are a really strong topic because a rainbow can mean happiness and joy,” Lin stated. “It’s a miracle to this universe because you need to have a specific angle with the water drops, high humidity, etc. Everything in the environment needs to be just right and you’ll be able to see a rainbow. A lot of people say that when you see the rainbow, it’s luck.”
Those who wish to see Lin’s work can visit YoLin Art Studio at yolinartstudio.com or Lin’s website, yingling-art.com, which has a link to her Instagram account. She also attends the California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Arts in Davis, CA while Laguna Clay has displayed her work at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference.
“When I see audiences viewing my art, we can start talking. It’s so pure. We can see the foundation of art and this world,” Lin said. “I wish for people to be happy. If they struggle, they can come over to take a look at my work.”
