Zen Brushwork
Thus far, my artwork has two expressions. The first uses strong black ink and quick dramatic brushstrokes. This work is completed in seconds. The second form of expression uses many shades of black ink applied over a period of time in many layers.
In the Oriental calligraphic tradition you are not supposed to touch up or white out a trace of your brush. Every stroke must be decisive; there is no going back. It’s just like life.
— Tanahashi, “Brush Mind”
Van Briessen, in his book, “The Way of the Brush”, gives a wonderful description of the process. “A brush stroke resembles nothing so much as a sword stroke, the release of an arrow, the judo grip, the sumo throw, the karate chop. They all have one thing in common: they require an extraordinary discipline and concentration of mind on the stroke, the blow, the grip, with exact coordination of mind and body achieved through controlled breathing. They achieve such incomparable perfection of expression that they go beyond the merely physical purpose into the realm of the spirit, and this is what the Chinese call ‘Tao’.”
