As part of a long interest and careful study of Oriental art, particularly Taoist Chinese paintings and Japanese woodblock or shin hanga images, I've been collecting and using signature chops for years, and in recent years, that study has included a quest for the right seal to claim as a signature and use on the various things which I create here.I now have a small collection of signature chops, and from time to time, different seals have turned up on pieces of art and digital photographs. They are all exquisite - a few depict my name, and a number are koans or Zen sayings of various types, but much as I cherish the seals I have collected over the years, I've never really settled on one "chop" which really called to me, one which "said it all" and delineated both the creative spirit and the profound joy to be found in life's journey.
While crafting a birthday piece for an old friend a while ago, I added a small signature chop by accident, one usually described as a "mood chop" which had never been used, and the result was a classic illustration of serendipity in action - I sat back, looked at the canvas in delight, clapped my hands and said, "Oh yes, THAT is the one". What has been so enlightening (and very amusing too) about this whole experience is that of all the chops in my collection, this is the least expensive by far. As far as I know, it says merely "Joy".
2 comments:
It certainly looks like Joy - a truly joyful, playful figure. I'd never heard of these until a friend showed one he had made in Singapore just last week. Beautiful
Absolutely right, this "chop" looks like a dancing woman to me, and she is juggling paint pots with mad abandon.
Post a Comment