Uncategorized – Calligraphy by Vicky

冷静 (rei-sei) “serenity”

A Japanese calligraphy work of 2 kanji characters, black ink on white card.

An original calligraphy work, available from my Etsy store.

光 (hikari) “light”

A framed calligraphy artwork of the Japanese character for "light".

The above artwork is an original Japanese calligraphy work. It’s available from my Etsy store here. It’s A5 size and comes framed.

This work is in a new kind of calligraphy style called 己書 onoré-sho . 己 Onoré = I/me As Japanese language learners will know, Japanese has A LOT of ways of referring to oneself, all with slightly different nuances. “onoré” is old-fashioned, rough, and rather self-centred. 書 Sho = writing So 己書 “onoré-sho” means somethingContinueContinue reading “感謝 (kansha) “gratitude””

美 “beauty”

a calligraphy work of one character meaning "beauty"

The English word “calligraphy” is derived from the Greek word Kalos, meaning “beautiful”. This original artwork is available from my Etsy site here

夢 (yumé) “dream”

A Japanese calligraphy artwork. The writing means "dream".

Do you remember your dreams? According to Japanese tradition, the things you dream about in your first dream of the new year can foretell what’s going to happen in the coming year. It is believed that the 3 most auspicious things to dream of are: Mount Fuji 🗻 A hawk 🦅 An eggplant / aubergineContinueContinue reading “夢 (yumé) “dream””

茶 (cha) “tea”

A Japanese calligraphy artwork. The writing means "tea".

As in my home country of the UK, tea is an important part of Japanese culture and everyday life. The Japanese tea master Sen no Rikyū developed the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, elevating the tea-drinking and the tea room to a philosophy and an art form: “The simplest object, framed by the controlled simplicity ofContinueContinue reading “茶 (cha) “tea””

Some more calligraphy practice

Some Japanese calligraphy practice of four characters.

Although Japanese calligraphy is usually written in black ink, calligraphy teachers traditionally use an orange-red colour ink when marking their students’ work. The photo is my work from about 8 years ago. The black is my writing and the orange-red is my teacher’s corrections. Circles mean I did a good job 🙂

龍 (ryū) “dragon”

A Japanese calligraphy artwork. The writing means "dragon".

If you visit a shrine or temple in Japan, make sure to look up at the ceiling of the main room. Often there will be a painting of a dragon. One reason is that dragons represent the virtue of courage. Another, more superstitious reason is that dragons are associated with the element of water, andContinueContinue reading “龍 (ryū) “dragon””

Some old calligraphy practice

An A4 sheet of Japanese calligraphy practice. I wrote 5 horizontal lines of about 10 characters each.

Although Japanese calligraphy is usually written in black ink, calligraphy teachers traditionally use an orange-red colour ink when marking their students’ work. The above is my work from about 7 years ago. The black is my writing and the orange-red is my teacher’s corrections. Circles mean I did a good job 🙂

美 “beauty”

The English word “calligraphy” is derived from the Greek word Kalos, meaning “beautiful”. Beauty is also valued in Japanese calligraphy. Some Japanese aesthetic principles which are important to Japanese calligraphy are: 不均整 (Fukinsei) “Asymmetry or irregularity” 渋味 (Shibumi) “Understated elegance” 幽玄 (yūgen) “subtlety” or “suggestion” 静寂 (Seijaku) “Tranquility” or an “energized calm” This original artworkContinueContinue reading “美 “beauty””