Painting the Dao

51 written with the brush and intent of a Chinese calligrapher. When I found that I needed text to complete the Three Perfections I didn’t speak Chinese and understood that it would take a long time to learn the language to the point of being able to decide what to write, and a lifetime to learn how to write it elegantly. I was all too aware that I was still struggling with literary English without taking on the task of mastering a second language. I was also middle-aged. Many of my artist friends were also calligraphers and I had learned from them what they were doing and how. I had also read and understood a lot about the art form, so I decided to calligraph in the Chinese tradition, but in English. My idler’s approach to the need for calligraphy turned out to be a beneficial attention magnet. Even while I was still gaining confidence in my gweilography, people would notice what I was doing simply because I was writing in English. It was the ‘pig can sing’ syndrome: initially it didn’t matter how well I was singing, only that I was. It took a long time to become wholly confident when writing inscriptions. My experience of Fang Zhaoling’s work also led me to practise calligraphy without imagery, something she did regularly. So from time to time, often to test new brushes, I just wrote. ak19.7 But I still flirt with Chinese calligraphy. I can write seal script, which is more pictorial and easier to copy than other scripts, and for that very reason less intriguing as an exercise. From time to time I have used Chinese scripts as an opportunity to do what I can do, which is to interpret. ak15.112 is a favourite ‘adjustment’ of Chinese running script. I went through various dictionaries of running script characters by great calli- graphers of the past and selected versions of the five characters of my studio name that fitted together comfortably. Then I treated them as I treat images of walking staves, painting from the back of cloud-dragon paper to adum- brate them in reverse, the most difficult part of the process. Then I inter- preted the image on the front and tickled up the calligraphic shortcomings of the reversed marks to make them work as walking-staff-like calligraphy. It turned out to be an unexpectedly long process, but satisfying throughout. ak22.14 Beyond the Arrow of Time Ink and watercolour on cloud-dragon paper 98 × 189 cm, Hong Kong, 2022 ak23.7 One Two Three Ink and watercolour on cloud-dragon paper Triptych, each sheet 142 × 79 cm, Hong Kong, 2023 ak19.7 Aristotle, Newton, Einstein Ink on xuan paper 70 × 138 cm, Hong Kong, 2019 ak15.112 Shuisongshi shanfang (Water, Pine and Stone Retreat), Dragon Staves Reconfigured as Meaning Ink on cloud-dragon paper Six sheets, each 143 × 79 cm, Sussex, 2015