Merging ancient history with ink

By Dave Schwab

Chinese calligrapher and brush painter Shantien Tom Chow showed mastery of his craft during a two-hour “Art Demonstrations and Docent Tour” held May 21 at the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum (SDCHM) in Downtown San Diego.

Chow joined with members of the Chinese Brush Painting Society San Diego to demonstrate calligraphy and brush paintings on scrolls, which were then auctioned off.

The society is a group of San Diego artists dedicated to learning and promoting the ancient art of Chinese brush painting and calligraphy. Members meet regularly to share ideas on all aspects of Chinese brush painting and host workshops on both traditional and contemporary styles.

Calligraphy is the design and execution of lettering with a broad tip dip pen or brush and can be defined as “the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious, and skillful manner.”

It flourishes today in wedding and event invitations, font and logo design, religious art and graphic design.

Chinese painting is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. Like calligraphy, it is done with a brush dipped in black ink or colored pigments; oils are not used. The most popular materials used for paintings are paper and silk and the finished work can be mounted on scrolls or done on album sheets, walls, lacquer ware, folding screens and other media.

A Chinese native, Chow was taught the ancient arts of calligraphy and brush painting starting at age 5. He sees himself as not only an artist, but as an ambassador of the craft.

“We’re trying to promote Asian brush painting and calligraphy, which are both very closely related,” he said. “I’m trying to bring the fine art, not just a craft, to the general public.”

Chow noted the art form uses Chinese characters “as a form of visual art” in rendering phrases on scrolls.

“It’s very difficult,” he said. “It’s not really being done in America.

“To me, it’s historical,” Chow continued, explaining his craft. He added that to do Chinese calligraphy well is “a form of poetry.”

Chow is hopeful that teaching Chinese calligraphy and brush painting will be “instrumental in giving the art form a much wider scope” and taking it “to a different level” with the general public.

“Hopefully, it will teach cultural diversity, which is good for America,” he said.

Chow is surprised that many of his students, like those in San Diego, can master Chinese painting and calligraphy without prior knowledge of the Chinese language or culture.

“It’s fascinating that an ancient art form that has been around for more than 2,000 years in Asia still has vitality and is being practiced all over the world,” he said. “This ‘new blood’ is what gives life to this undying art form.

“Even though Chinese brush paintings have the same techniques and philosophical background — the expression from the artists constantly changes and evolves,” he said.

One of Chow’s disciples, society student Mary Jo Housman, talked about studying the craft under the master before improvising a scroll at the May 21 art demonstration.

“It wasn’t until I was a student with Shantien Tom for a while that my passion for calligraphy grew,” Housman said.

Housman showed off what she learned by interpreting the phrase “Of Justice For All” on a scroll in the traditional Chinese style.

Housman said she sometimes will create up to 100 renderings before being satisfied she’s done something well enough to secure Chow’s approval.

The amateur calligrapher said Chow tells all his students to research and study the phrase they wish to interpret, before coming back to him with “a most elegant phrase” to be rendered.

Housman praised Chow as a role model.

“Tom Chow is not only a marvelous teacher, scholar, painter and calligrapher, but he’s also a poet,” she said.

Housman then proceeded to complete “And Justice For All” which translates in written Chinese into “Right Justice radiates from heaven to all under.”

The mission of SDCHM at 404 Third Ave. is to create a deeper understanding of China and Chinese America through programs in education, culture and art in the belief that cross-cultural understanding strengthens the San Diego community.

Located in the heart of San Diego’s Downtown Asian Pacific Historic District, SDCHM is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with special events, exhibitions, and programs. For more information about the museum, visit sdchm.org. To learn more about the Chinese Brush Painting Society, visit tinyurl.com/hyyq63d.

— Dave Schwab can be reached at [email protected].