Calligraphy is the art of beautiful handwriting, where letters and symbols are written in an expressive, harmonious, and skillful manner. It emphasizes the aesthetic arrangement of characters, often for decorative purposes or to convey deeper cultural or spiritual significance. The practice of calligraphy requires a combination of technique, creativity, and patience, making it both a meditative and artistic pursuit with roots that span thousands of years across various cultures.
Weekend Workshop
Friday, Sept 13th, 6:00p - 9:00p
Saturday, Sept14th, 10:00a - 5:00p
Japanese Tea Ceremony
Saturday, Sep 14th, 8:00a - 9:30a
Venue
Home Art Studio at
1680 Bryant St, Palo Alto
Dance of the Flowing Brush
An evening and a day dedicated to immersing yourself in the use of the brush, exploring basic terms in both Chinese ideographic and Roman forms.
Writing with this type of brush is a three-dimensional movement–unlike using a pencil or pen. When familiar with the form, the writing of an ideograph becomes a meditative dance.
The meaning of the word can deepen in non-rational ways bringing a shift of focus from outer form to inner feeling, expression beyond the word.
Attendance is limited to ten in-person participants, to ensure the flow and intimacy of the workshop. Snacks and Pu-erh tea will be provided. Details around a potluck lunch will be provided upon registration. Come early on Saturday to be a guest at the Japanese Tea Ceremony w/ Matcha tea. Limited to four guests.
Check-in begins at 5:30 pm Friday September 13th
Evening Session, Friday, Sept 13th
6:00p to 9:00p
Learn the basics of calligraphy, including how to hold the brush, mix it with ink, and write with precision. Begin by learning to write basic Chinese characters, paying attention to the expression of harmony and form. For example, consider the ideographic form of 'Sky/Heaven,' which has been written in various styles by different calligraphers over the years.
Day Workshop, Saturday, Sept 14th, 10a to 5:00 p
A day-long workshop where you learn to write Roman characters and embody qualities that bring new meaning and expression to words. Explore basic qualities such as form, harmony, and structure, and then progress to expressing more subtle ones. The Japanese word, "a-wa-re" in the illustration expresses dismay with the passage of things and/or time.
Gerow Reece
Gerow Reece, through a grant at the East-West Center in Hawaii, studied calligraphy in Kyoto, Japan, with Morita Shiryū in the mid-sixties. During a gathering of calligraphers in Morita's circle, he first experimented with writing in English, approaching it with the feeling of creating a large ideograph. Upon returning to California, he eventually produced a series of calendars showcasing his English brushwork in an accessible format. Since 2000, Gerow has lived in Santa Cruz and now lives at Jikoji Zen Center in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where he often works in the garden, teaches Ceremonial tea and calligraphy. His journey in Zen began in the early 60s when he first sat with Yamada Reirin Roshi and the young monk, Maezumi Sensei, at the old brick Zenshuji in Los Angeles. He later practiced with Robert and Ann Aitken at Kokoan in Honolulu and continued his Zen training in Kyoto, sitting at Antaiji with Uchiyama Roshi, and later with Morinaga Roshi at Daishu-in and Kobori Nanrei at Ryoko-in, never settling on a teacher --until the arrival of his son.
Please take a moment to scroll down for the list of materials you'll need for the workshop. We'll be working on the floor, and to ensure comfort, some cushions and mats will be provided
A short film on Gerow's Tea Ceremony by Michelle Muccio
Below are selections from the first six sections of Invitation to Calligraphy: Dance of the Flowing Brush by Gerow Reece, each themed and supplemented with a poetic addendum.
Approaching the paper void
the brush dares to touch down
enlivening the receptive ground
as the energy reverberates
through the black ink
each emerging line
fully nourishes its surroundings
like the vibrant vein of a leaf
and creates a temenos -
a sacred precinct -
of unseen power.
Illustration - Open
IN
Opening to the gifts of long practice
drawing all energies together
the brush-mind evokes
the stroke to come
Pause
In stillness, the moment of change
the mystery of renewal
the possible - known and unknown -
the brush poised
Out
From the source pressing outward
energizing arm-fingers-brush
the heart, firmly initiating the stroke,
becomes known
Illustration - Wind
Radiantly dark, the ink
suffusing the quivering brush
imbues each movement....
Enlivening broadly
probing deeply
the brush energizes
what lies below the paper's surface.
Thus depth and breadth
flow from each stroke
and nourish the fertile space
Illustration - Image
Naturally flowing
a river broadens
in the shallows
And deepens in the narrows -
The flow insistent, unbroken.
It's shifts when subtle
radiate vitality
When dramatic,
irrepressible vigor.
Illustration - Light
As if looking down from an airplane
see each brush stroke
on the white paper
as a lusty ridgeline -
Showing just above a white layer of clouds -
That expands downward
and broadly forms below the 'clouds'
a massive mountain
of robust power.
Illustration - Mountain
--The string drawing elements together
-- The fuse leading to explosion
And so brush, ink and paper
fully energized
thrust meaning into forms
shaped by the writers history,
mystery, intention, focus
expressing intimacy with the source
of oneself and the whole.
Illustration - Leap
Items may be purchased from a Chinese shop such as Soyodo at 2530 Seaboard Ave, San Jose.
A beautiful heritage house and home art studio in Palo Alto.
Feeling Flow The mission of Feeling Flow is to help people experience flow through dance, yoga, meditation, and related arts, and to give them basic tools to translate this experience into other areas of life. Flow is a state of awareness where we are completely immersed in what is right in front of us. It is a highly satisfying state that facilitates well-being and growth. Art, in essence, is a form of self-discovery and a connection practice. It is said that the best way to know yourself is through the mirror of relating to others, and what better way to do this than through music and movement while having fun?
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Parking available on premisis. Check-in begins at 5:30 PM Friday.
Google Maps
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