My Interest

My Interest

I have been practicing Oriental Calligraphy for many years. The uniqueness of this art form is not in the product, but the process. You need a long preparation time - about an hour to grind your black ink to an adequate thickness. You use the brush to write characters on fine rice paper.

Calligraphy is the most direct form of all artistic expression. Just as each movement of a dancer is absolute, so the very gesture of the calligrapher is essential. It is not the meaning of the character but the writing - the moment of execution and the action itself - that is important.

The structure of the character may be compared with that of human body; its balance is architectural, arrived at through strict laws of construction. The composition of the characters all contribute to the mood and spirit of calligraphy.

A good instruction book on Oriental Calligraphy is: Ecke, Tseng Yu-ho, Chinese calligraphy, Boston, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1971.

The following are samples of my work:

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