Cai Xi Silver, Artist, Chef, Educator

Episode Notes:

Cai Xi was classically trained in the arts in urban China before coming to New York City in 1987, where she found a path into the abstract world, lead by the textures of an urban world not too dissimilar from her youth.

With her family growing, she and her husband, fellow artist, Adam Silver, moved to a small town in Vermont, where she became very involved in the local community, eventually teaching in a local private high school and working with the Asian Cultural Center of Vermont.

Her art continues to evolve, influenced by the beauty of her natural surroundings. 

Food, a major part of any culture, is also incorporated into her practice, as she creates recipes, based on both her memories of her mother's kitchen and on the produce of local farms.

Join us as we talk about her path through art and life!

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INSIDE THIS EPISODE:

Guest can be found at 

Website URL: https://caixiart.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caixiart/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caixiart/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caixiart/

Asian Cultural Center of Vermont: https://www.accvt.org/

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This episode was produced by Matt McKee, with help from Suzanne Schultz and http://www.CanvasFineArts.com, the specialists in coaching for creatives, and audio assistance by Bill Shamlian at Orb Sound.

Transcript

Cai Xi Silver, Artist, Chef, Educator
Cherry Bomb! The Podcast Transcription


Cia Xi  00:00
Art is life. Artists everywhere. It's not just about technique is about where are you where you live?

Matt McKee  00:11
Hi, I'm Matt McKee and welcome to Cherry Bomb the podcast a series of conversations with people about food, art and sustainability. Today I'm speaking over zoom was sigh she, and artists and chef and Brattleboro, Vermont. This episode of cherry bomb the podcast is sponsored by do not a part of my sweet blast series of limited edition photos available at the art of Matt McKee calm, I created a series of bright, colorful, provocative images with the mission to start conversations in the room about the bigger topics of foods, art and sustainability, you can check out the whole series at the art of Matt mckee.com. So I thank you so much for coming on the show.

Cia Xi  00:48
Thank you, Matt, for inviting me.

Matt McKee  00:51
My pleasure. As I was doing a little bit of research beforehand, I kind of came to the conclusion that art like any human endeavor evolves over time and experience and one experience begets another and we hopefully learn from those experiences, which then inform our work. From what I've learned about your work and about you is your work spans many different schools of art from abstract using a mop. I've watched those videos on your YouTube channel that was fascinating, and riffing on calligraphy, to romantic to impressionistic to now to food as well. And I wanted to ask you about the food in a moment, but wanted to talk a little bit about the artwork. First, your artsy dotnet site shows a remarkable set of skills. And I'll be posting links to all of your different social medias in the show notes. So many of your pieces seem to be informed by the landscapes around your home in Vermont, the question I have whenever I see somebody who shows such depth and all of these different schools of art is how do you choose when you're deciding to sit down and be creative? How do you choose which school of art you want to do?

Cia Xi  02:01
I grew up in China and educated in China and went to art school in China back then. And it was very much classic trainee in training to be technique correct. And so I've been trained vigorously in enhanced in realistic join, realistic painting. And as soon as I came to us in 1987, before that I never understand abstract paintings. And I came to arrive, the first city was New York, and my husband, Adam Silver. He is studied art history. Okay, so he introduced me many wide range of Arts in New York, we went to see many, many galleries and museums, that opened my eyes to question myself what art is I been studying art, just one type of art, and opens me and many wide ranges and saying, art is life. Art is everywhere. It's not just about technique is about where are you where you live, and becomes becomes art. And so those days, I immediately grasp on abstract paintings. So I go to subways in New York subways, I just in love with the busyness and and craziness and aging wars and and concrete sidewalks everywhere that inspired me to do to the art. So those days I also question the material is not stain on the canvas on the on the oil painting and brush. So that's how I started using mop kitchen or household utensils, and house paint and Charles and all applying onto my painting.

Matt McKee  04:25
Oh wow. Oh, wow. This This may seem like a very almost silly question. But how much of culture? I don't want to say culture shock. But how much did that just the fact that you were into a different culture come into that?

Cia Xi  04:42
Yes to me. I grew up in China. I was born in famine, and also grew up during the Cultural Revolution time. And outside worlds is totally closed. I have no idea about save the world. I remember I imagining what outside world is was foreign country is when I was probably 1011. With my friends, in the hot summer, we didn't have air conditioning, nothing. So in really hot, like 40 degrees Celsius, we all sleep outside. And with open sky and the stars, my friends, and I started imagine what phone country like was foreign language like. So we look at the stars we think foreign countries, one of those stars on the list then we we just speaking some kind of songs and bring some sound out thinking that we may be caught one of the words of foreign language. So we got very excited and imagined me with open skies in a dark, hot summer night. So that was my first feeling of and thinking wanting what's the world is what's what's a foreign country? Like?

Matt McKee  06:17
How did the reality when it finally when it finally happened? How did that hold up to your imagination in your friends imagination

Cia Xi  06:26
was not much of difference because my city, my city was 13 million people. So it's quite as one of the largest city in China also. So I come into New York is also busy, busy city, except is a high rise buildings. And we went the way I grew up with all low buildings and cobble stone streets and alleyways. And so but New York City is a big city. And I didn't find quite a shock. There's no shock for me, and also seeing all this foreign foreigners and the spoke about the same level of English as I do. I didn't feel I was out of place. Okay. And also in New York, I in general, I feel people are quite welcoming foreigners. If I ask for directions, people are patiently and tell me to slow down speaking slow. Because I'm speaking, broken English. I found the right in the place at home. Especially the arts introduced to me.

Matt McKee  07:50
And when did you move up to Vermont,

Cia Xi  07:52
we moved to Vermont 2001. And that time we had I have a small children. And so we start moved to Vermont is a beautiful place and also not too far from New York. And so is the best place for families of a small kids to grow up right. At that time when I was in New York, I switched from from China was a realist paintings. I switch immediately to abstract paintings. And I didn't have any sense of feeling, wanting to do realistic paintings. And then as soon as I moved to Vermont, the landscape the view, the nature was so powerful, I feel myself to little my Eco is nothing and nobody compared to this greatest and the powerful nature. Let me kneel down, just copy the nature. Just learn from nature. Nothing about my style, my ego, my mindset, nothing. Throw away man my style, to learn from nature, let nature feed me just nourish me. He just,

Matt McKee  09:16
that's that makes for an interesting transition point. Because at some point up there you then transitioned while you're still obviously an artist and still painting, but now you've brought food into it. And you're now a chef.

Cia Xi  09:31
Yes as well.

Matt McKee  09:32
And did that happen when you went up to Vermont that

Cia Xi  09:35
no not immediately happening? I created my own foods since I came to this country. I never can find my really comfort foods except I'm making my own. When I the food connect to read now. I call the food as art. So I feel whatever I create is involving queens. involving my imagination and my memory, the food is directly connect to my memory of how I grew up, my family meal tables, my family meals, is very big deal in daily lives. As I grew up it granted of my mother's cooking, so never think about, I will be cooking. But I just as I move away and all these years, I just craving for my mother's cooking,

Matt McKee  10:32
and all this feeling Yes.

Cia Xi  10:36
And then becomes while I cook and becomes an I create, recreate, with my memory I recreate and also join in the full month, nature of a month farm for months and maple syrup. This is also new to me to my my diet. I blended in all these and with my surrounding with my community while I cook and people enjoying my cook. And then people suggest me Why don't you offer these? I love to I love to share my memory share my creativity and my joy to the community.

Matt McKee  11:21
How did you decide to to share it with the community it? Was it opening up a restaurant? Or was it I know there on your website? There's catering now, but I don't know if that's part of the COVID transition that so many restaurants have had to do. How did you start sharing

Cia Xi  11:39
and never visioned myself wanting to be a restaurant. I have a gallery here and the whole building. I won't turn into our gallery and Culture Center. And it's we don't want to become big like a team and we want to become fine in art fine in foot and fine in living. Fishing in my building is visually taste touching and health awareness all around.

Matt McKee  12:14
Are you then teaching classes in? In? Yes, living?

Cia Xi  12:19
Yes, I actually have another profession is teaching. I'm teaching in the Putney school, the private high school and Chinese language in in the language teaching I always bring into the arts, learning languages through art, and food and culture. I feel I'm doing some much I'm teaching language and Chef artists. I'm also artistic director of the Asian cultural center of amount. So as one person sin like doing so much, but I feel all of this is connected is what is one thing is qui creating.

Matt McKee  13:06
One of the things that comes up on a regular basis on the show is how much how important finding a community and building a community is in both in terms of creativity and just in terms of human relationships, learning about other cultures learning about other people learning about other thoughts, it always seems to advance us on the path.

Cia Xi  13:28
Yes, we are very fortunate I feel very protected by connecting with local farms. And we are connected with Sioux Sioux community farms, and Wingate farms and many other farms in nearby and I love the the community together that we share the earth, share the freshly grown produce and come back to our kitchen and offer back to the community.

Matt McKee  14:05
One of the things that occurred to me as I was going through my research was you're talking about creating recipes from memory from from your mother. And then I got thinking about the fact that so many of the ingredients in China are well outside of the US period are different than what we grow in the Northeast here. How has that impacted the meals you create? Are you trying to create from memory and try to bring in Asian spices and Asian fruits and vegetables or are you adapting that food that's in the Northeast here to what you're creating

Cia Xi  14:45
is very important to me that sustainability and also natural sources naturally grow whatever the farm offers us. I always including those produce in May ingredient and of course my memory is always important is a drive for all cookies. I'm committed to the farm and for the sustainability to continue to bring naturally sourced natural and grow produce to my meal table.

Matt McKee  15:25
Wonderful. One of the things that I'm always curious about is when speaking with other artists or other professionals period is to talk about a little bit about that drive to create what do you think drives you every morning to get up and want to start creating and start building the culture start building recipes start building artwork, what what drives you to do that

Cia Xi  15:46
yesterday actually I create another thing creating constantly and imagining constantly is my nature he just he just I will be waking up I have an idea and and start to make it and making on my hand is very important. And no these days is very digital lies world sometimes it's not about the product is the process that I enjoy the sources and the material and finding the right material and how the material evolve. That's really an exciting me

Matt McKee  16:29
I agree fully to the satisfaction of taking raw materials and turning them into something else even going through the problems even if it's a failure at the end it's always so satisfying when you achieve something or solve for something like that. I agree

Cia Xi  16:43
yes

Matt McKee  16:44
What do you wish you knew when you started out?

Cia Xi  16:46
I I think I started out very very good gradually I'm I'm I'm doing that one dream my dream one dream at time comes to eventually my dream is going to turn the whole building into art formation and place that people would come what would love to what a yearning to come to our place one of mentoring is that the people of all world to come to this one place will because busy up there I don't want to grow big yeah I don't want to grow grow big I just want to grow a home kitchen a home and feeling out of art and and food in in this place. That's my that's my dream maybe not going to fulfilled on my lifetime. But this is my drive.

Matt McKee  17:47
At the end of the day. What is your comfort food? You're not creating a fancy meal for you know a whole bunch of people just for yourself? Or for you and Adam, just want to sit down at the end of the day. What would you prepare for yourself?

Cia Xi  18:02
My comfort food is again bring back to my mother's noodle soup balls a bowl of noodle soup. I always looking everywhere for bowl of noodles noodle soup, never satisfying. So I still making my own bowl of noodle soup is comfort for me is feels a home.

Matt McKee  18:25
Can you share a little bit about what would be in your noodle soup

Cia Xi  18:28
so my noodles will be one is the tomato egg noodle soup. Kinda like a scrambled egg with a tomato cooked in they're really soft. And the color of soup becomes a red reddish with a yellow egg in there. And that's one and there's others like simply just vegetable and broth soup. Yeah.

Matt McKee  18:59
Thanks for listening to this episode of cherry bomb the podcast. I'm your host Matt McKee. And today we're speaking with Tai Chi, artist, educator and entrepreneur. I'll have links to her website and social media in the show notes. And at the art of Matt mckee.com. Just click on the link for cherrybomb the podcast. Please share this episode to your Facebook, Twitter and all your social media so your friends can listen and please join in the conversation. I'm also available on Twitter for questions and comments and suggestions at a key photo. This episode of cherry bomb the podcast could not have been done without the help of Suzanne Schultz and Kansas fine arts.com the specialists for coaching for creatives and editing by Bill Chamblee and pet orb sound. Thanks for listening, and let's start the conversation