Description:I have been studying Chinese calligraphy for several years now as part of my formal education in Chinese brush painting.
Chinese scholars have strict standards for calligraphy, so it is quite an honor for one of my pieces to be juried in to an exhibit. Calligraphy is judged for its artistic qualities - legibility is not important or even necessary, though the characters must be accurate (ah, the hard part) and composition on the paper is critical. Surprising to a Westerner is that content - what the calligraphy says - is not always important. In this instance, I love the imagery of this classic Chinese saying about bamboo.
I approach each calligraphy project as a painting, not a writing. I really enjoy the process of making the brush strokes and treating each stroke as an art element rather than a linguistic element. I also like to add painterly elements, such as the bamboo leaves here to help tell the story.
Medium:Chinese ink and watercolor on flecked mulberry paper
Dimensions:48" H x 12" W
Framing:Professionally framed in a black wood frame and Plexiglas
Price:$400.
Awards:Juried in to the Taipei Economic & Cultural Center Calligraphy Exhibit, July 2017
