Photos by Huiting Lian (Maryland Institute College of Art), Student Correspondent for AICAD in Japan, Spring 2023
The AICAD program will end within a month, and I’m becoming more busy with schoolwork. I took glass-blowing, kiln casting, and woodblock printing classes at Osaka Art University, and I’d like to show some of the works and processes from these classes.
![Two plaster molds on a table in a kiln casting class with paints and plates stored away in cabinets](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Blog_AICAD_Japan_Spring-2023_Huiting-Lian_kiln-casting-class_700x933.jpg)
![The inside of a kiln with empty plaster molds](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Blog_AICAD_Japan_Spring-2023_Huiting-Lian_inside-of-a-kiln_700x933.jpg)
At the kiln casting class, the starting point of casting a piece is to make the shape out of wax. After that, a plaster mold will be built that fully covers the wax sculpture. The mold has to be heated to let the wax melt. Glass powder will be poured into the emptied plaster mold and fried in the kiln to become a glass piece. After the firing, the mold has to be destroyed to get the actual glass piece.
![A glass pear made by a AICAD in Japan art student](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Blog_AICAD_Japan_Spring-2023_Huiting-Lian_pear-artwork_700x933.jpg)
![A glass pear that is cut in half made by a AICAD in Japan art student](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Blog_AICAD_Japan_Spring-2023_Huiting-Lian_artwork-pear_700x933.jpg)
The first piece I made is a pear that is cut in half. You can find the little worm hidden inside if you rotate the upper part.
![A decorated cup held in front of a machine that’s labeled “PNEUMA BLASTER” that was made in glassblowing class by an AICAD in Japan art student](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Blog_AICAD_Japan_Spring-2023_Huiting-Lian_glass-blowing-art-on-cup_700x933.jpg)
![A decorated cup made in glass-blowing class by an AICAD in Japan art student](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Blog_AICAD_Japan_Spring-2023_Huiting-Lian_final-product-of-glass-blowing-cup_700x933.jpg)
At the glass-blowing class, we get to learn not only how glass-blowing works, but also how to decorate after the object cools down. I used tape and glue to cover some parts of the cup before sanding. The final object is displayed in the right image.
![Paper with sketches, colored pencils in a tin, and a woodblock carved out in a printing class at AICAD in Japan](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Blog_AICAD_Japan_Spring-2023_Huiting-Lian_woodblock-printing-class_700x933.jpg)
![A coral reef artwork in a woodblock printing class by a AICAD in Japan student](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Blog_AICAD_Japan_Spring-2023_Huiting-Lian_final-woodblock-printing-class-artwork_700x933.jpg)
In the wood block printing class, I worked on a four-block print for more than a month. It includes sketching, transferring, carving, and printing. My professor specializes in creating watercolor-based woodblock printing, and the class also had a field trip to his solo exhibition in Kyoto.
![A female AICAD in Japan student browsing through books among shelves in a bookstore](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Blog_AICAD_Japan_Spring-2023_Huiting-Lian_student-exploring-a-bookstore_700x933.jpg)
During the days that I don’t have to go to classes, I continue to explore Osaka with a friend that I made in the CET program. We have visited a few old bookstores and night cafes. Japan is also famous for its fireworks in summer, and I can’t wait to go to the 花火大会 (fireworks show) at the end of July.