Sometimes, it’s just a nice thing to do. Stare at artwork. I’m not sure why it should be so, but it is for me. Art, particularly sculpture, is a touch stone—oops. No, ahhhhhhh. Pun intended and
achieved! Bada bing pause.
Sculptures are a little more visceral for me than paintings. Even sculpture in its abstract form
speaks volumes. Peace. Smoothness. Stillness. Solidity. Shape. Translucence. Texture. Touch.
Temperature. Change in light or viewing angle. Complexity in tone, shade and veining. Weight
and bearing.
This sculpture was created by T Barny, a local artist with a national reputation. His studio is #1 on Art Trails, where studios all over Sonoma County open their doors to visitors. The Bohemian’s “Best of the North Bay” rated the event #1 for art.
The piece is part of Barny’s “rai” series. Using lost material from larger sculptures, these shapes copy an unusual coinage called “rai.” Also in the picture are Asian pears, Gravenstein apples from a local orchard, and yes, peeking in is a Macanudo cigar case.
Fun facts: Rai is a form of money once and still used in Micronesia. It is reportedly pronounced
räy, or for those who don’t like umlauts, just go with rai-ai. The form of coinage mimics ancient Chinese money, which used round circles of copper with a hole in the center.
Put in circulation in 260 BC, rai also have a hole in the center, allowing coins to be strung together. Micronesian rai used on the Yap islands are made from stone, as is this sculpture.
Some rai are as large as eight feet in circumference; others are as small as 1.5 inches. While rich persons’ large coins could not be moved, records indicated who coins belonged to if ownership changed.
Asian pears (Pyrus pyrifolia) come from Japan and China, where they’ve been grown for over 3,000 years. Unlike European pears, Asian pears’ skins do not change color as they ripen. They have a higher water content and grainier texture, so they are not typically used in baking.
Sharing a pear in Chinese means a bit of the opposite. It means separating from loved ones. Asian pears, because they are expensive, are considered a noble gift.
See TBarny.com for other noble gifts.
