The brush is a traditional Chinese writing and painting instrument, and is one of the four treasures of the Chinese literary house ( brush, ink, paper, and inkstone).
Please slow down, let the brush walk slowly across the canvas, and savour the essence of ‘Zen’! ❤
Brushes are made from animal hair, which has a different elasticity and water content, and thus creates different ‘brush qualities’. The ancient Chinese used to use the ‘four virtues’, namely ‘sharpness, flushness, roundness and robustness’, as criteria for a good brush. When I choose a brush, I pay more attention to what it makes me feel in my hand. Perhaps because they are all made of natural materials, when I hold a brush in my hand, I have an inexplicable feeling of closeness, and I quietly feel with my heart the sensation of its connection with my fingertips.
The philosophy of Chinese Tai Chi is to overcome ‘rigidity’ with ‘softness’. When the soft tip of the brush walks on the rice paper, slowly or sharply, curved or straight, thick or light, the traces it leaves on the paper are undoubtedly the heart’s perception and imagination, which is not only art, but also the essence of ‘Tao’ and ‘Zen’. The brush has become more and more distant from Chinese life nowadays, people are seeking efficiency, even the process of painting is being fast played, without realising that the most beautiful thing about art is its process, with the catharsis, the pauses, the contemplation… We should really slow down our lives, clear our minds of all distractions and enjoy every moment of the air, every sound of nature, every movement of the brush on the canvas.
I have used many brushes, of which this picture is only a part. They are more like loyal friends and partners to me in my art life. They are slowly ageing in my hands, their ‘hair’ becoming thin and their ‘bodies’ cracking…I cherish them with gratitude and respect in my heart. Please slow down, let the brush walk slowly across the canvas, and savour the essence of ‘Zen’!
With much gratitude and love Yue ❤️xx
P.S. The photo below is some of my Chinese brushes.
