Artist makes fantastic creatures from shells and other seaside materials

An artist from Yilan is bringing the seaside onto the canvas. Retiree and collage artist Chu Chien-yuan makes fantastic creatures using shells and other materials found on the beach. The natural materials give his art an earthy, grounded quality -- even if some of the creatures are out of this world. A local elementary school has invited Chu to a residency, and local kids have been inspired to create their own natural art.

A collection of striking artwork lines the wall. Tigers, dragons and roosters leap from the canvas. Eco-friendly artist Chu Chien-yuan combines natural materials from the ocean into fresh and thought-provoking creatures.

Chu Chien-yuan
Eco-friendly artist
All my works use the colors of natural materials, natural colors and shapes and lines. So most of them are animals.

Because of the difficulty in collecting shells, Chu graduated from working with just shells to also using trash that’s abandoned on the beach or washed up by the tide, thereby expanding his material range.

Chu Chien-yuan
Eco-friendly artist
I use seaside waste, like sponges and driftwood, to open up new types of work. So this is another new realm.

Student
He uses sponges, because he goes to the beach and picks up things that aren’t usable and turns them into art.

Chu has lived by the ocean since childhood. His deep interest in art blossomed after he retired from a career with the Taiwan Railways Administration. Now he concentrates on his creative work with shells and found materials. He was invited to complete an artist’s residency at Da Si Primary School in Yilan County.

Chu Chien-yuan
Eco-friendly artist
I used to work as a locomotive driver for TRA – a train driver, in other words. The school principal has given me this platform to express my artistic skill.

Fang Chun-chin
Da Si primary School principal
He makes art related to shells. We wanted to introduce his work to all our alumni in our school’s centenary exhibition. And it was an instant hit.

Chu hopes that some of the school’s students will be inspired by the exhibition to develop their own creative relationship with nature.