ELECTRONIC CALLIGRAPHY

These works stem from an activity which I like to do now and again, which is painting ambidextrously with two Chinese brushes of the same size, to produce a near mirror image. It is a challenge to get a very symmetrical drawing, but this becomes easier with practice.

To create an image, I often work on either newspaper or on black paper to make rough paintings, then redraw the shapes in a computer app using a variety of calligraphic brush strokes, in order to get more of an "idealized" shape, clean lines and better detail. The almost 3-dimensional-looking structures of some of the forms you see here are made up of many strokes in different colours. 

My earlier drawings done in this fashion so far have been of orchids, but I have also made paintings/ computer art inspired by the sculptures of Dale Chihooly, and other organisms from the natural world. Following on from my previous drawing of microscopic organisms, I have recently completed a series of works based on radiolarians.

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