Sacred Calligraphy Workshop: Traditions, History and Techniques with Bryan Mulvihill

This workshop is led by Bryan Mulvihill who has for over 50 years practiced calligraphic arts, having studied under many `Living Treasure’ masters from China, Japan, Korea, the Middle East and the 1950’s Beat Generation’s fathers; Brion Gysin, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burrows. Bryan has `permutated’ calligraphic techniques into modern art as a ` Dao: Way’ to express Sacred lineages of `Being in the Present’ Awareness Practice.

This three-thousand-year-old art form, which began in Ancient China and spread throughout most parts of East Asia: Japan, Korea, and Vietnam has been increasingly appreciated around the World. The calligraphy characters a unique in the creative process, quite different from any other forms of writing in that they follow a predetermined stroke order. The word is derived from pictures, which over time became stylized into characters.

Bryan will give an illustrated introduction to various styles, periods, and traditions of Sacred Calligraphy throughout its long history. With hands-on practice exploring techniques for handling the Chinese/Japanese brush, inks, and handmade papers. The workshops offer developmental stages in the techniques of the ‘Way of the Brush.’ The essence of Chinese/Japanese calligraphy is learning the techniques of the brush in the context of meditative practice working with breath, and hand-eye coordination while cultivating a clear open focused mind. This tradition of ink brush techniques differs greatly from the `Western’ brush traditions. Once mastered both words and images from nature utilize the techniques. This ink brush technique once mastered has great subtilty of expression that can be applied to writing any language with great artistic flare of expression.

This workshop is for both beginners and longtime calligraphy practitioners. Basic materials brush, ink and paper will be provided at cost but do feel free to bring along any brush, ink or papers you might have, to learn its proper handling, care and specific techniques.

Calligraphy is one of the most direct art forms capable of exploring and expressing the Art of Being in the Moment. Calligraphy has for centuries been developed as a Meditation in Action technique and practice in the Far East. It is practised worldwide as a method to focus the mind, eye, and hand coordination that can be used extensively as a creative `Mediation in Action’.

The workshop will focus on the Calligrapher’s Four Treasures: BRUSH, INK, INKSTONE, and PAPER. These are the essential equipment required on the table in a calliraphery scholar’s study. They are always held in deep respect and have been called the Four Treasures of the Abodes of Culture. They are interdependent on each other. In this short workshop, we will concentrate on the Brush, ‘pi,’ in Chinese. The Chinese calligrapher’s brush is quite different from the Western painters’ brush, in both shape, handling and effects that it is capable of making. This workshop will focus on how to handle this unique brush to get the maximum range and effect in mark-making. The workshop will focus firstly on developing correct handling and techniques to make a wide variety of strokes from pencil thin to wide expressive gestures all in one single stroke We will explore both writing traditional `Kangi’ characters as well as depicting images from nature, bamboo, orchids, rock and water, misty landscapes.

Bryan is a contemporary artist using the Oriental traditions of Ink-brush painting in modern semi-abstract ways while keeping a deep respect for the long tradition of the ‘Way of the Brush’, in which the goal is to capture the `Chi’ or life force expressed through the movement of the `way of the brush’. He will bring a few examples of his current works as well as a selection of brushes used to create them.

Bryan has exhibited his `calligraffiti’ works around the world, most recently in Canada, China, Denmark, France, India, Japan, Norway, Portugal and the UK.

Please note- “attendance in all sessions is mandatory.”
For queries, registration & accommodation, please email: info@deerpark.in