Luo Xiaoping Ceramic Teapot, 2002

11" wide x 7.5" deep x 11.5" high

Born in Jinangxi, China in 1960, Liu Xiaoping studied sculpture at Jingdezhen Ceramic College, Jingdezhen, China, earning a B.F.A. degree. Following graduation he began teaching at Tongji University, Shanghai, China, continuing with his own sculptural work as well. After five years, he resigned from the university to pursue his ceramics career full time, setting up his Xiaoping Studio in Yixing, China, an area of China famous for ceramic art and in particular for the ancient tradition of Yixing teapots made of the local clay. In school Xiaoping had studied Western art forms, but once he settled in Yixing, he turned to the traditions of Chinese culture and religion for his inspiration, producing a body of Taoist-inspired ceramic sculpture fashioned from the Yixing “Red Jade” stoneware. He began using slabs to create his sculptures and concentrating on the spirit of the figure rather than classic proportional harmony, working with the clay instead of trying to dominate it. By the mid-1990s Xiaoping‟s work was receiving national recognition and awards, and a documentary was made about his work. In the late 1990s Xiaoping was appointed Deputy Secretary General of the Sculpture Professional Committee of the National Arts and Crafts Society of China and also founded and was named President of the Yixing Ceramics Art Association. He began to receive international attention and chaired international exhibitions, bringing his work to the attention of the larger art world and introducing him to other artists and cultures. As Xiaoping began spending more time outside China, he moved away from the classical traditions and was drawn to explore new directions with his art. By 2000 he was splitting his time between China and the western world, ultimately settling in Gilbert, AZ, with his wife Junya Shao, a ceramic artist noted for her exquisite Yixing teapots. Xiaoping also makes the traditional Yixing teapots. Today he divides his time between his Arizona home and studio and his Chinese one, working as a studio artist and giving workshops and classes.