What is the meaning of the color red in various cultures? What comes to your mind first? Red as celebratory in China, red for a 60th birthday in Japan and your second childhood, a red light meaning stop immediately or the dreaded X in red in Western cultures meaning incorrect on schoolwork? You must be…
Read MoreMost people get ink (tattooed) to identify a specific time or event in their life or a significant aspect of themselves. This can be a simple symbol, words, or a detailed design based on something with meaning. For an English speaker, tattooing using English words isn’t that interesting or creative, so people look for different…
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All artists need to become skilled in accepting the many ways of rejection, from form letters to “we had so many high quality applicants, unfortunately you were not selected etc.” Some offer encouragement which is appreciated. Whatever the reason for not being accepted into an exhibition or a gallery or when there is a likely…
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Everyone has had a portrait taken of themselves sometime in their life. For most people it starts with that cute baby picture, then the school photos, your wedding day and then your family photos. Rinse and repeat the process. What is the common thing in all those portraits, other than you being in the photo?…
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The title Shihan is conferred upon people who have reached the level of mastery in calligraphy which certifies them to teach. There is much confusion about this title for many reasons including that the title is used in Japanese martial arts as an honorific for expert or senior instructors. The renowned online dictionary by Jim…
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One of our reads asked for help in reading their scroll. The scroll is written on wood, measuring is 200L x 38.5cm. We have asked a few Calligraphy people in Japan, but still awaiting their answers. In the meantime, permission has been given for us to ask for the community in helping to solve this…
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書道 を志したのは遅い. 大学で教育を学んでいた頃, 日本では不登校の子どもたちが年々増える中,
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I remember when I first started to visit Calligraphy exhibitions with a friend, he would always comment on every piece of calligraphy that we looked at together. Unless there was a ribbon which meant that it had won an award from the organization or it was done by a teacher, he would say, “The calligraphy…
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Shadows began to intrigue me more than 20 years ago when I, someone fascinated by calligraphy and the color of ink, moved from my beloved Japan to Australia. In a southern country whose language was different from mine, I was struck less by that difference than by the contrast of Australia’s drier air and clear…
Read More いつからだろう、影を見つめるようになったのは？書と墨の色に魅了され、日本を愛していた私が、南半球の国、オーストラリアに移住したのは２０数年前。
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