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Chinese Ink on Paper
I first began to study Asian calligraphy over twenty-five years ago. I was drawn to the expressive and beautiful line that seemed a complete and immediate record of the writer’s being at the moment fluid ink became static on paper. As an artist taught in the anxious techniques of erasure and painting-over, the idea of a permanent indelible commitment seemed risky, frightening, and even dangerous. And, for a very long time an expensive sheet of paper was enough to paralyze my vision and render me impotent as an artist.
The Chinese alphabet began as pictographs, little shorthand drawings of the item or idea expressed. In modern times the characters continue to express ideas in context very differently from our alphabet, which is phonetic and expressive of the sound of letters. I do not read or speak Chinese, however I began to perceive Chinese calligraphy as the perfect abstract form. As my facility with brush and ink improved I began painting and drawing exclusively with this medium.
The materials and tools of Chinese brush painting have remained unchanged for almost 2000 years. The ink is made from lamp black and animal glue and has interesting properties when mixed with water in various ways or allowed to dry up and then re constituted. The papers are varied in transparency tone and absorbency and the brush with its long flexible point allows great sensitivity and a connection of the heart, hand and eye in stunning clarity. This medium is truly magical.
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| Lotus 34" x 90" ink on paper silk mounting |
Karmic 34" x 90" ink on paper silk mounting |
Dancers 34" x 90" ink on paper silk mounting |
Gyratine 34" x 90" ink on paper silk mounting |
Seal Script 38" x 90" ink on paper silk mounting (not shown) |
Orchid Leaf 18" x 24" |
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| Poetry for a Star Weed 20" x 24" ink on paper |
Old and New 14" x 14" |
Girl with a Man's Haircut 14" x 14" ink on paper |
Words for a Woman 14" x 14" ink on paper |
Young Girl 14" x 14" ink on paper |
Necklace 14" x 14" ink on paper |
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| Alaska 14" x 14" ink on paper |
Angry Girl 10" x 14" ink/watercolor on paper |
Words for the Perfect Woman 14" x 14" ink on paper |
Horse and Rider 12" x 12" ink on paper |
Enchanted Forest 13" x 13" ink on paper |
Oregon Wild Flower Bouquet 24" x 24" ink and watercolor on paper |
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| Poem for Autumn 12" x 12" ink on paper |
Martial Arts 24" x 20" ink on paper |