An American Abroad – Part I: Epidemic.

I think one thing I never realized, or identified with when I was stateside was that I was an American. Of course, you know this when you live there, when you make jokes about how awful your country is, or in relation to Canadians, but when you live abroad, it becomes a marker of your

Calligraphy – Birthday Card

My little sister’s birthday is coming up soon so I thought I’d try this tutorial with my unruly “calligraphy ink” that often spots. I am also really obsessed with folding my own envelopes. So I am making a million excuses to send mail. Nib: EF66 BrauseInk: Martin’s Bombay India Ink (I will try to get

On Chinese Poetry

For the past eight months or so I have been near obsessed with Chinese poetry. Last November, I was speaking with a coworker who was very much into Chinese calligraphy when we talked briefly about Chinese poetry and a name kept coming up: Li Bai. I poked around and found a very good biography done

Silk Road Art

We scheduled a trip to the Gansu province later this month, but a museum opened down the street showing artwork from the Mogao Grottos. It showcased art from along the silk road but mostly focused on importing the beautiful murals hidden inside the caves. In true, cave like fashion, each museum visitor was given a

Calligraphy – 0701 – Gintama

We’ve been rewatching Gintama lately and my cousin gifted me this beautiful notebook with nice vellum paper, so I thought I would open it with a good quote. Hopefully I can track my progress a bit better if I post photos often? Nib: Nikko-G Paper: Vellum Ink: Sumi Quote: Gintama S1E12

Red Balloons Over China

Note: People’s Choice Award Winner, Defcon 27 It was spring, and Beijing was finally pushing off the last of its winter blanket, a greyish brown haze that laid over the city. This search for the clowns was given to me by my editor, along with a last-minute flight from Los Angeles, a last-minute screenshot of