FOUR SEASONS

I have been as interested in calligraphy as long as I can remember, even further back than pottery. My first real piece of Japanese calligraphy was done by a famous Shotokan karate master back in 1977 while I was in high school. Over the years I have seen a lot of calligraphy and thanks to a number of exhibitions, a number of which were arranged by Steven Addiss, I have seen some great pieces from the 15th century to modern day. It was only fitting that on occasion I would try to do calligraphy on both pottery and paper, which I do every now and again for my own amusement.  Along the way, I have sold pieces to some interior designers, a few martial arts dojo and to some collectors to go along with my pots, but, in the end, I do this strictly for fun.

Illustrated is a piece that was inspired by the music of Vivaldi, specifically, The Four Seasons. I know to most it will be hard to make that leap, but in my mind, that is exactly where it came from. The four characters for spring, summer, fall and winter are all brushed atop two large strokes of gold wash. Though the image appears slightly askew, the image is perfectly centered in the rectangular sheet of paper.