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…
Read More
All this culminated with a Chinese Lion Dance – my first contact with what later turned into a passion for all things Asian.
Read More
It is a calligraphy of a character 雲, which means “a cloud” done in Cursive script
Read MoreThe famous words of calligraphy sage Wang Xizhi (王羲之, 303–361) from the Jin dynasty (晉朝, 265 – 420) go: “use a hard brush on soft paper, and a soft brush on hard paper.” This golden rule is followed today, however one needs to remember than only the artist really knows what he wants. Learning how…
Read MoreThe most suitable paper for calligraphy and sumi-e (墨絵, ink painting) is Xuan paper (宣紙), taking its name from a district of Xuancheng city (宣城), namely Xuan Zhou (宣州, lit. Shuan district), that existed already during the Tang dynasty period (唐朝, 618 – 907), where Xuan paper was originally manufactured. The main raw materials depending…
Read MorePaper (紙, kami), alongside the compass, gunpowder and printing press, is one of the four great discoveries of China. Many sources state that paper first appeared in 105 C.E as an invention of a Chinese official Cai Lun (蔡倫, 50 C.E. – 121). This is however incorrect, as numerous archaeological sources prove that paper existed…
Read MoreThere are many tools that calligraphers use (penholders, brush pots, ink boxes, desk mats, paperweights, seals and seal boxes, raw materials, etc). However, four of them are essential to this art, not only because of their necessity, but also due to their symbolic meaning. They are called “four treasures of the study” (文房四宝, bunbou shihou).…
Read More