Download or read book Calligraphy as Art and Meditation written by Gina Jonas and published by . This book was released on 2019-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Calligraphy as Art and Meditation presents a new approach to calligraphy, one uniquely suited to our time. In it, the making of calligraphic letter forms becomes a way to integrate mind, body, and feeling, to enrich creativity, and enhance well-being. The exercises in Western alphabetic writing, arranged in a guided progression, provide an opportunity to develop awareness, relax the mind, and open the door to artistic expression. The audience for Calligraphy as Art and Meditation includes: adult learners, meditators, teachers, therapists, artists and art students, graphic designers, and children of all ages. The training alphabets, from "Playball" to "Proteus," introduce you to the elements of calligraphy through a framework called the 3 "D"s: DESIGN, DUCTUS, and DYNAMICS. Tool usage is the foundation for calligraphic development. Here, the participant begins with the familiar pencil and progresses in gradual, developmental steps to the sophisticated edged pen. For a culture so deeply rooted in the written word, we have not, surprisingly, woven calligraphy into the general fabric of public life. Nonetheless, our current milieu is ripe for appreciating the values inherent in this art form. It is the mission of Calligraphy as Art and Meditation to conduct a joyful exploration of calligraphy in an attempt to find its untapped essence, and in this effort, to re-envision its role in our cultural life.
Download or read book Mindful Calligraphy written by Callimantra Collective and published by Rizzoli Publications. This book was released on 2019-06-06 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mindful Calligraphy is a unique and groundbreaking book that fuses the art of calligraphy and mindfulness. Calligraphy has long been known to centre and balance mind and body – concentrating on pen strokes is a good way to tune in positively and live in the moment. And lettering and calligraphy is having a major renaissance as we look for an antidote for our digital age. Progressing from simple movements and shapes to words and phrases, this creative, step-by-step guide helps you to learn how to focus your mind, beat stress, and tune out unwelcome thinking. Tracing the letters helps you stay on the path, always progressing, always centred. Your creation, at the end, is a mini work of art. Organized in progressive and easy-to-follow exercises, Mindful Calligraphy is the perfect guide on this journey towards tranquility and calligraphic beauty.
Download or read book Calligraphic Meditation for Everyday Happiness written by Ilchi Lee and published by BEST Life Media. This book was released on 2015-04-01 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover a world of wonder and wisdom in this collection of Asian calligraphy paired with inspirational messages. In each brushstroke, llchi Lee has expressed his dream of a world where all are happy. Become enveloped in the secrets of the cosmos, the beauty of the earth, and the sublime in human nature as you observe each painting and discover your own happiness. Every moment of producing this body of artwork was a meditation for Lee, who has over thirty years of experience in developing mind-body-energy practices. With a clear mind focused on his brush, he has communicated his expanded yet deep awareness via paper and ink so that you too can experience a connection to your happiest self. Calligraphic Meditation for Everyday Happiness displays fifty-two pieces of calligraphy that range from Chinese characters to playful images in Lee's unique style. Go into their depths by meditating on the images and words, or let their simple beauty decorate your coffee table.
Download or read book Zen Art for Meditation written by Stewart W. Holmes and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-03 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about emptiness and silence—the mind-expanding emptiness of Zen painting, and the reverberating silence of haiku poetry. Through imaginative participation in the visions of painters and poets, its readers are led to the realization that, in the author's words, "emptiness, silence, is not nothingness, but fullness. Your fullness." This cultural tradition has informed many distinguished lives and works of art. The work of painters like Niten, Liang K'ai, and Toba, and of painters like Basho, Buson, and Issa reflects the wholeness, spontaneity, and humanity of the Zen vision. Those who desire a glimpse into the world of intuitive contact with nature offered by Zen meditation will find these paintings, commentaries, and haiku poems especially rewarding. They enable the reader to experience the unique power of Zen art—it's capacity to fuse esthetic appreciation, personal intuition, and knowledge of life into one creative event.
Download or read book Secrets of the Brush written by H. E. Davey and published by . This book was released on 2019-10 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Secrets of the Brush imparts Zen-like life lessons for finding peace of mind and beauty in living. It explains shodo and meditation through an innovative format that blends biography, autobiography, and calligraphic art. The author details life-changing Eastern principles by combining old Asian texts, cult movies, punk rock, and more, with over 50 years of experience in the Japanese arts. These concepts will increase your skill in Asian fine arts, martial arts, tea ceremony, and meditation. Even fans of Western art can use Secrets of the Brush to transform their craft.The book is packed with new artwork from one of the Western world's leading shodo exponents. Full-page illustrations and an extensive glossary complete this guide to life and an ancient Japanese art.
Download or read book Spiritual Calligraphy written by Steve Husting and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Calligraphic Meditation written by Nhất Hạnh (Thích.) and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Art of Watercolor Lettering written by Kelly Klapstein and published by Quarto Publishing Group USA. This book was released on 2019-11-05 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn how to master the medium—and how to go with the watercolor flow—to create one-of-a-kind lettered art and calligraphy that reflect your personal style. In this stunning follow-up to her highly praised and influential first book, The Art of Brush Lettering, lettering expert and workshop instructor Kelly Klapstein (popular on Instagram as @kellycreates) shares her secrets for mastering the essential techniques for creating lovely modern lettering and calligraphy with watercolor. Start with the basics, from choosing paints, brushes, and other supplies to preparing your paper for painting. Learn to handle watercolor paints with essential strokes and warm-ups. Explore painting letterforms in a variety of styles, from traditional to modern. Try a range of creative techniques, including blending ombrés and rainbows, creating pictorial letterforms, and combining watercolor with other mediums. Enhance your lettering with special touches by complementing it with handpainted backgrounds and simple illustrations. “Plenty of beautiful examples are included and they are really easy to re-create just by following the instructions which are always clear and concise. The letters with the beautiful colour transitions look so good. This is a very hands-on and practical book that I can easily recommend to beginners.” —Parka Blogs
Download or read book The Art of Calligraphy written by Chögyam Trungpa and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 1994 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the twenty-year period of his remarkable proclamation of Buddhist and Shambhala teachings in the West, calligraphy was a primary means of expression for Chogyam Trungpa. This book showcases fifty-eight of his brushworks--poems, seed syllables, and phrases as well as abstract images. Facing them are short, pertinent quotations from his prose and poetry. An essay entitled "Heaven, Earth, and Man," based on one of Trungpa's "dharma art" workshops, is also included. Here he emphasizes what he called "art in everyday life": the cool, peaceful expression of unconditional beauty that offers us the possibility of being able to relax enough to perceive the phenomenal world and our own senses properly. He goes on to show how the dynamic of heaven, earth, and man (the ancient Oriental hierarchy of the cosmos) is basic to any artistic endeavor--painting, building a city, or designing an airplane--as well as to perceiving the art that surrounds us. He also introduces the idea that "the discipline of art-making" can be used to organize and create a decent society.
Download or read book Mindfulness and Traditional Chinese Zen Arts The Way of Calligraphy Painting Kung Fu and Tea written by Tristan Petts and published by . This book was released on 2020-12-27 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mindfulness meditation disciplines are deeply rooted in the Far East's cultural past, and yet they are now being widely taught and researched in the modern West. What is more, when these differing perspectives on the same spiritual territory come together from opposite ends of the globe, their ways can interweave harmoniously - allowing for a new greater synthesis, or Way, to manifest. 'Mindfulness and Traditional Chinese Zen Arts' takes you on a journey into and through that broader landscape - into the heart of secular mindfulness and ancient Chinese Zen philosophy - by demystifying four traditional Chinese Zen arts that are more than 1000 years old. The author, Tristan Petts, a qualified British secular mindfulness meditation instructor, has spent two decades painstakingly searching for and practicing traditional mindful arts under authentic masters. Now, after having taught mindfulness and Chinese Zen arts alongside one another in the Far East for many years, he is committed to sharing the insights that he has gathered along that Way. Written in the simple, clear, modern scientific language of western secular mindfulness, this book holds the potential to delight, inspire, and enlighten anyone interested in world arts, mindfulness, Chinese Zen philosophy, or eastern practical spirituality in general.
Download or read book The Way Out is in written by Thich Nhat Hanh and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh is best known as a prolific author, poet, teacher, scholar and peace activist. Yet he is also a master calligrapher, distilling ancient Buddhist teachings into simple phrases that resonate with our modern times, capturing and expressing his lifetime of meditative insight, peace and compassion. This book offers a rare opportunity to spend time in the presence of his beautiful creations. For Thich Nhat Hanh, creating calligraphy is more than creating art - it is also a meditative practice. He is fully present for every moment, from drinking his tea, to sitting down and taking a brush, and using the tea to make the ink. Each calligraphy is made of mindful sitting, breathing, walking, smiling - and love.
Download or read book Drawing Your Own Path written by John F. Simon, Jr. and published by Parallax Press. This book was released on 2016-11-01 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Drawing Your Own Path is a smart, subtle, sophisticated, compassionate, radically eye-opening and mind-altering guide to creative and artistic liberation. Thank you, John Simon!"—Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being "John F. Simon, Jr., widely recognized as an early pioneer in the use of computer-generated imagery in contemporary art, has turned his attention to the act mark-making as a doorway into self-awareness and the essential touchstone of visual creativity. He leads us through a sequence of meditative drawing exercises, and shares insightful, touching anecdotes of his many years of experience as a practicing artist."—Peter Halley, Artist "The mysteries of the mind and universe are coupled with a very practical guide to drawing. It is an unlikely but wonderfully fruitful combination, a step-by-step approach to awareness and art."—Lawrence Rinder, Director, UC Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive "John’s marvelous artwork emerges from a deeply inspired and intuitive unfolding. His gift of finding one’s own creative process is beautifully transmitted in this delightful guide."—Jon Bernie, Ordinary Freedom "Drawing Your Own Path is an invitation to those who have never drawn before and a warm, informative, intelligent and lovely book to read. It offers refreshing, new ways to look at and experience the steps to make drawings today."—Sharon Louden, Artist, Editor of Living and Sustaining a Creative Life Drawing Your Own Path is an account of how multi–media artist John Simon’s daily drawing discipline became a meditation practice, and how that meditation illuminated his creative source. A practical guidebook full of Simon's own art, Drawing Your Own Path offers meditators an alternative path to ‘just sitting’ and offers artists a way to mindfully examine and deepen the source of their creative ideas. Readers are guided through thirty–three meditation and drawing exercises, exploring concentrated looking, mindful sketching, and improvisational awareness, all designed to help practitioners discover the vast creativity within themselves and in their daily lives.
Download or read book Calm Calligraphy written by Malleus and published by Harper Design. This book was released on 2018-01-02 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the healing and relaxing power inherent in calligraphic handwriting and the Medieval art of copying with this beautifully designed activity book that includes interactive sections filled with inspirational words and sentences to carefully mimic, each created by calligraphy master Màlleus. Navigating a nonstop interconnected digital world leaves most of us frazzled and exhausted. One of the most enjoyable ways of learning to slow down is calligraphy and the art of copying. Many studies show that writing nicely and carefully can be therapeutic like meditation—repeating certain graphic signs and reciting a mantra have a similar effect. In fact, the art of copying is a kind of meditation: it improves concentration, provides a sense of order, and channels impatience and restlessness—helping to alleviate stress and quiet anxiety. The tactile nature of writing—putting fingers to pen to paper—makes our thoughts tangible and concrete. Tapping into our inner nature, writing focuses our attention so we can discover what we want most, organize our thoughts, and work towards making our dreams come true. Calm Calligraphy is a beautiful spiritual guide and activity book that introduces you to the world of copying. Calligraphy master Màlleus offers a brief philosophical overview and introduction to his art and then provides relaxing words, phrases, and sentences on lined pages to help you unwind as you improve your skill and ultimately master the art of copying. The selections have been carefully created by the author and are inspired by the books collected in Màlleus' acclaimed scriptorium. For older people, the exercises in Calm Calligraphy offer a way to stretch hand and finger muscles and warm up aching joints, while younger people can learn to create beautiful fine script, once a common practice taught in schools, that is quickly becoming a lost art. With Calm Calligraphy, you can write away your stress, learn to focus better, and tune in to your inner desires.
Download or read book Living the Zen Arts written by Andy Baggott and published by Godsfield Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Break away from the rush of getting and spending, and enter the ancient Zen practice of doing ordinary things in extraordinary ways. Breathtaking photos illustrate the beautiful mystery of Zen, while meditation instructions show how to sit and breathe so you can think with koans--spiritual paradoxes that create new ways to understand yourself and others. Then explore these energy sources: the way of the samurai as expressed in Aikido, Judo, Kendo, and Kyodo; language power with calligraphy and haiku; sacred spaces of rock gardens and flower arranging; and tea ceremonies that free your senses to awaken your spirit.
Download or read book Tibetan Calligraphy written by Sanje Elliott and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-01-03 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Tibetan Calligraphy, Sanje Elliott shows us how to capture the elegance and grace of Tibetan calligraphy without prior knowledge of either Tibetan language or calligraphy. This beautiful book includes many prayers, mantras, and seed syllables to copy and study. Perfect for practitioners, artists, and anyone interested in the Tibetan language.
Download or read book Way of the Brush written by Fritz van Briessen and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 2011-12-20 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Way of the Brush: Painting Techniques of China and Japan examines the technique, style, traditions, and methods of Chinese ink painting and how they were interpreted in Japanese art. Illustrated with over 250 images and packed with instructions, The Way of the Brush covers every aspect of brush painting, from brushstrokes, composition and the painting surface to meaning, perspective and artistic philosophy. Part One is a study of the techniques of Chinese painting and explains the elements, techniques and principles which eventually carried over into Japanese painting. Part Two is devoted to technical challenges and basic problems associated with the art, including the issue of fakes and forgeries of Chinese art in Japan. Also included are three appendices and a full bibliography.
Download or read book Zen Brushwork written by Tanchu Terayama and published by Vertical Inc. This book was released on 2016-06-24 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With its bold strokes and mystic aura, Zen calligraphy has fascinated Westerners for decades, yet it remains an abstract, rarely practiced form of expression outside of Asia. Now, master calligrapher Tanchu Terayama explains the techniques behind this subtle art and offers step-by-step instructions for practicing it on a professional level. After introducing the basics, Terayama presents a unique meditative warm-up to establish the proper mental attitude needed to release one's creative energies. Next, the power of the brushed line is explained and demonstrated. What makes a good line or a bad one, an expressive effort or an unfocused one? Lessons on brushing symbolic Japanese characters follow, including those for "emptiness," "nothingness," and "flower." The painting section shows readers how to draw the spare yet elegant pictorial themes of this classic art: bamboo, plum blossoms, Mount Fuji, and the inspirational Zen priest Daruma. If the exercises are the heart of the book, the Appreciation section is the soul. This chapter introduces classic works from renowned priests and other historical figures, including Miyamoto Musashi (the celebrated swordsman and author of The Book of Five Rings), Morihei Ueshiba (the founder of aikido), Jigoro Kano (the father of judo), and Zen priest Hakuin. Each masterpiece is accompanied by penetrating commentary on the strengths and salient features of the work. Rarely has Zen calligraphy been demonstrated and discussed with such candor and insight. Illuminating yet another side of Zen, Zen Brushwork will be an invaluable source to those interested in meditation, Zen, Buddhism, the martial arts, and Oriental traditions in general. CONTENTS Introduction Part I Background What is Zen Calligraphy? The Evolution of Kanji The Fundamentals of Calligraphy The Four Treasures of Calligraphy Hitsuzendo Part II Preparation-Warming Up and Developing Ki The Zen Line Yoki-ho: A Method of Developing Ki and Warming-Up warm-up exercise 1: Yoki-ho: The Long Version warm-up exercise 2: The Short Form of Yoki-ho: A Five-Minute Exercise warm-up exercise 3: Kusho: Writing in the Air Part III Zen Calligraphy and Painting Basic Practice The Zen Line and Its Applications exercise 1: Mujibo (The Zen Line) exercise 2: Enso (The Zen Circle) exercise 3: Horizontal and Vertical Lines exercise 4: Fine Lines Tensho (Seal Script) exercise 5: So (Grass) and a Practice Line Kaisho (Standard Script) exercise 6: Sho (Calligraphy) and Practice Lines Further Practice Sosho (Grass Script) exercise 7: Mu (Nothing) exercise 8: Hana (Flower) exercise 9: Ku (Emptiness) exercise 10: Mu Ichi Motsu (Owning No-thing) exercise 11: Ichigyo Zanmai (Be in the Moment) Writing Western Script exercise 12: Writing Western Script: ABC exercise 13: Shodo (Calligraphy) Painting exercise 14: Orchid exercise 15: Bamboo exercise 16: Plum Blossoms (with inscription) exercise 17: Mount Fuji exercise 18: Daruma exercise 19: Wall-Gazing Daruma exercise 20: "One-Stroke" Daruma exercise 21: Ji-Wa-Choku (Compassion, Harmony, Honesty) Part IV Appreciation Works by Old Masters Works by Terayama Tanchu Glossary What is Zen Calligraphy? Calligraphy (sho) is a formative art based on writing. It includes not only writing that is beautiful, but phrases that are novel and interesting. According to the Japanese philosopher Nishida Kitaro (1870-1945; see figure 1), true creativity is not the product of a conscious effort but rather the "phenomenon of life itself." True creation must arise from mu-shin, or the state of "no-mind," a state beyond thought, emotions, and expectations. Work that is produced through conscious effort is ultimately devoid of life. Zen calligraphy in particular must spring from shonen sozoku, a Buddhist term equivalent to "true thought." Shonen is a state of full concentration that is devoid of thoughts and ideas, while sozoku here means "free-flowing continuity." Greatness in brushwork cannot be achieved through conscious effort; it is only achieved through the states of mu-shin and shonen sozuku, or "no-mind" and a continuous state free of the thoughts and ideas that distract the mind. Zen calligraphy differs from other calligraphic disciplines as it is focused on the realization of "no-mind." Furthermore, in contrast tosho, which uses Chinese characters as a basis, it is the expression of Zen through a brush, whether the result is a single stroke, a Zen circle, or an ink painting. While sho is restricted to brushed writing, Zen calligraphy extends to other forms of brushwork. Nearly all calligraphy today is born of conscious attention to an aesthetic concept, but we rarely find lines that are truly alive. In contrast, the calligraphy of Zen masters such as Daito Kokushi (1282-1337; founder of Daitokuji temple in Kyoto) or Ikkyu Sojun (1394-1481) resonates with the energy of "no-mind" achieved through complete concentration. In these works, the lines are filled with vitality and the shapes are fresh and original. Sen no Rikyu (1522-91), who established many of the basic precepts of the tea ceremony, held that nothing surpassed Zen calligraphy as a subject for display in the alcove of the tea room. He undoubtedly felt that only art works that reflect the eternal vitality of Zen writings could encourage the mind toward enlightenment. Rikyu recognized that calligraphy necessarily demands the highest level of spirituality. A line that manifests clarity cannot be drawn if the heart is clouded by worldly concerns; a stroke cannot be brushed with resolution if the heart is agitated; and calligraphy that reveals depth cannot be produced if cultivation and experience are shallow. To write kanji characters that resonate and demonstrate their deeper meaning, one's own mind must achieve unity with the meaning of the words-a requirement that calls for a higher level of spirituality. The calligrapher, therefore, must strive for the state of "no-mind" through meditation and contemplation.
