Creating the destruction that creates the creation
For over 30 years, I have been researching, experiencing and creating art in the lineage of the great calligraphers of centuries ago. Rather than simply using calligraphy as a style, I have researched the most ancient beginnings–which were carved into wood, bamboo and Oracle Bone–through to the Zen influence and Samurai artists, through to the contemporary blending of Eastern Calligraphic and Western Abstraction.
The core of calligraphy is actually in the doing, or as a verb. It is the gesture that is more important than simply beautiful writing of letters or characters. Having said that though, the basis of calligraphy is text, and the basis of text is the line. These works use the QWERTY line that I developed as information transfer, whilst incorporating the Ancient material of gunpowder fused with contemporary substrates. Here the ancient and new conflate Eastern and Westsrn concerns to make artwork that satisfies Calligraphy’s long and complex history of reabsorbing the new, whilst honouring ancient Traditions.
These POLY-GLYPH and ART OF WAR series satisfy both lineages of Calligraphy and add my own unique take on that mix.
HISTORY INFORMS these artworks where I include ancient text taken from Sun Tzu’s ART OF WAR, then transform it into the digital QWERTY line that I developed. All paintings are made with the ancient material of gunpowder fused into contemporary substrates. Using painting traditions from over 1500 years ago and combining a surprising mix of material, I move beyond the brush to create these unique works.