Begin your voyage into this ancient style of watercolor painting with this georgeous introduction. Learn everything you need to know, from the essential materials and techniques to mounting a completed painting. A selection of classic motifs, freom enchanting flowers to captivating creatures, is accompanied by informative and inspirational textt that guides you through the creative process. With this unique and accesible approach, anyone can experience The Ch'i of the Brush.
Its history, techniques, aesthetics, and philosophy—with an in-depth practical guide to understanding and drawing 150 characters A guide to the history and enjoyment of Chinese and Japanese calligraphy that offers the possibility of appreciating it in a hands-on way—with step-by-step instructions for brushing 150 classic characters. This book is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the history and art of calligraphy as it's been practiced for centuries in China, Japan, and elsewhere in Asia. It works as a guide for the beginner hoping to develop an appreciation for Asian calligraphy, for the person who wants to give calligraphy-creation a try, as well as for the expert or afficionado who just wants to browse through and exult in lovely examples. It covers the history and development of the art, then the author invites the reader to give it a try. The heart of the book, called "Master Samples and Study," presents 150 characters--from "action" to "zen"--each in a two-page spread. On each verso page the character is presented in three different styles, each one chosen for its beauty and identified by artist when possible. The character's meaning, pronunciation (in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese), etymology, the pictograph from which it evolved, and other notes of interest are included. At the bottom of the page the stroke order is shown: the sequence of brush movements, numbered in their traditional order. On each facing recto page is Kaz's own interpretation of the character, full page.
A guide to the history, theory and practice of chi-gung, the ancient Taoist system of health rooted in movement, breathing, meditation, and massage Chi-gung, which literally means “energy work”: is a system of cultivating health, vitality, and longevity that is based on the fundamental principles of Taoism and the laws of nature. Practiced by the Chinese for thousands of years, chi-gung works with the energy found in all living things to help rid the body of the imbalances that sap our strength and give rise to disease. The simple, meditative movements, breathing exercises, and massage techniques that are the basis of chi-gung can be practiced by anyone, regardless of age or physical fitness. Originally published under the title Harnessing the Power of the Universe, this book provides a detailed overview of chi-gung, describing the techniques of movement, breathing, and massage that are intrinsic to this ancient Taoist system of health.
This moment of perfect clarity that is the force behind all the traditional Japanese arts—from archery to flower arranging—is celebrated here in Dave Lowry's exploration of the common principles shared by calligraphy and the martial arts. Forty-two examples of Lowry's calligraphy, accompanied by his essays, show how the way of the brush reflects the strategic principles of the way of the sword. Each calligraphy represents a term from the martial arts—such as do, the way, or wa, harmony. The accompanying text amplifies our understanding of the term, what it meant to Japanese warriors, and what it means to practitioners of calligraphy and the martial arts today. What becomes clear is that these two seemingly unrelated disciplines actually partake of the same profound elemental spirit.
(Limited Collector's Edition - 150) This is an art book: oil paintings with accompanying scripture verses presented as a 365 daily devotional.The Spirit and the Brush is a collection of 124 paintings, along with several drawings, created over the past decade. They are arranged to guide the reader through a year of contemplation that echoes nature's life cycles: Spring's revival, birth, and joy; Summer's celebration and whimsy; Autumn's color, abundance, and bounty; and Winter's sleepy embrace encouraging rest and solace in the stark and beautiful landscape.Each image pairs with three scriptures (one per calendar day, leap year excluded). Guided by my daily contemplations and prayers, the scriptures are determined once a piece is completed. The selected passages embody the emotional and thematic direction of the work with the intention of bringing a deeper meaning of context and contemplation to the visual experience. Selected works meet three criteria: an intimate connection with a place I've been and an experience I had; an aesthetic level that I am at peace with; and a strong emotional context. Landscapes are interspersed with still lifes-often created during the cold of winter-that have a direct correlation to the bounty of the scene. I encourage you to find a quiet place of respite each day and ponder the images, consider the passages, and find your own connection to God's Word and His creations.Whether artist, lover of art, lover of the landscape, person of prayer or curious seeker, I hope you find peace and love when opening the book. I pray my efforts humbly point to God.... with Humility comes Wisdom.Proverbs 11:2
Most people tend to idealize artists, writers, and others of the “creative class” as uniquely gifted. But the capacity to create is part of being human–whether that means writing, making art, cooking, gardening, sewing, dancing, acting, singing, or virtually any activity. In Chi and Creativity, Kaleo Ching and Elise Dirlam Ching show readers how to use a wide range of strategies to harness the energy of chi to uncover, and cultivate, that often elusive inner artist.Based on their popular workshops, the authors offer an integrative process to generate the joy, wonder, and sense of well-being necessary for artistic self-expression. Specific exercises draw on everything from acupressure and breathing techniques to Chi Kung movement and meditation. Through Chi Awareness, the body, mind, emotions, and spirit come into greater harmony. Through guided imagery, they dialogue. Through journaling, they speak. Through art, they join in creative expression of the inner discoveries along the path to greater balance and integration. Chi and Creativity is the authors’ way of sharing this magical transformative process and can be used by anyone who wants to add fuel to their creative fires.
For hundreds of years until the 1900s, in today’s China, Japan, North and South Korea, and Vietnam, literati of Classical Chinese or Literary Sinitic (wényán 文言) could communicate in writing interactively, despite not speaking each other’s languages. This book outlines the historical background of, and the material conditions that led to, widespread literacy development in premodern and early modern East Asia, where reading and writing for formal purposes was conducted in Literary Sinitic. To exemplify how ‘silent conversation’ or ‘brush-assisted conversation’ is possible through writing-mediated brushed interaction, synchronously face-to-face, this book presents contextualized examples from recurrent contexts involving (i) boat drifters; (ii) traveling literati; and (iii) diplo- matic envoys. Where profound knowledge of classical canons and literary works in Sinitic was a shared attribute of the brush-talkers concerned, their brush-talk would characteristically be intertwined with poetic improvisation. Being the first monograph in English to address this fascinating lingua-cultural practice and cross-border communication phenomenon, which was possibly sui generis in Sinographic East Asia, it will be of interest to students of not only East Asian languages and linguistics, history, international relations, and diplomacy, but also (historical) pragmatics, sociolinguistics, sociology of language, scripts and writing systems, and cultural and linguistic anthropology.
