Connections 2 (2005)

About the Artist:
Born in Saigon, Vietnam in 1955, Ngay Duc Ta was struck with polio at the age of one -- which left him using braces and crutches to walk. He became a self-taught artist, whose spirit remains unscathed, while building a life of beauty based on the simplest of materials and some strong philosophical underpinnings.

Ngay immigrated to the US with his family in 1999. After a 20 year absence, he is again working at his art using candle soot as a medium. He began his art career by drawing portraits and now also does realistic still life, as he pursues his youthful dream of making a living with art.

These days one his fondest wishes is to meet and know more artists he can learn from. As he has said, "I admire people who have a formal education in art and history."

Artist's Statement:
Using soot as painting powder is a technique Ta developed five years ago. By way of explanation, Ngay states: "In Vietnam there isn't anything you can waste, because there isn't anything you can get."

His process begins with a burning wick protruding from several lumps of wax in a rice bowl. A piece of wire dangles a noodle cup over the flame, capturing the crude candle's soot. It takes about an hour to catch one-half a teaspoon, the amount needed for a 10 by 11 inch portrait. Ta uses homemade tools comprised of cotton balls, chopsticks, straws and string-bound paintbrushes to painstakingly bring the sooty images to life. A collapsible cardboard easel he designed folds his work.

With powdered smoke as their only source of hue, it's difficult to comprehend the amount of light in Ta's portraits. When asked how he learned to illuminate his portraits, he replies, "My god taught me."