I love doing Japanese Caligraphy, it is one of my favorite things to do. I started Japanese Caligraphy because my mother wanted me to remember some of the Japanese cultures when I moved to Singapore. Japanese Calligraphy is from the 4th century, it has a long history. At first, I was doing Japanese Caligraphy for my mother, but after a couple of years, I started to do it for myself. Every month, depending on our age, we have a different assignment. I like to compare my first practice paper to my final best piece of work. When I do that I can see how much I improved in my writing. When I write my piece, lots of concentration is needed, because every stroke has a certain angle, length, width, and position. Each artwork takes 40 minutes to write, and I had to write 3-4 of them each lesson. After around 2 pieces, I start to get very tired, but I remind myself to not give up because I know that I can write my best work on the next try. When I am writing Japanese Caligraphy, I don’t think of anything else other than what I need to do in the next stroke. I think Calligraphy reflects one’s personality and state of mind. Yes it is simple, but it is very deep. It requires a lot of energy, commitment and allows myself to reflect.
This piece of work means “The beauty of nature” I received the highest recognition award (Kanpo-sho).
I had the privilege to participate in the Meiji Jingu (Shrine) Calligraphy Exhibition for three years. This piece means “The appreciation of life“.
