Chi-tsun Chen started off doing religious carvings, and has now made a career in the crafting business that has lasted more than 30 years. He has studied Western oil painting and sketching and has applied what he has learned to his carvings. His forte is Buddhist statues and human likenesses. Not wanting to be limited by tradition, Chen constantly looks for ways to change his pieces and make them relevant for the modern era. He believes that both the traditional and the modern are necessary elements for any piece, because the traditional helps the artist to grow while the modern provides the wherewithal to present the traditional.