“Ink”, Chinese ink painting on paper and canvas by Dana Shek. When observing the art of Chinese calligraphy, I focus on the expression and feeling. Grass script calligraphy is the style that I draw inspiration from. I appreciate the cursive, fluid qualities and expressive brush strokes.
When creating my ink art, the type of mood to convey is the first consideration. What type of techniques would I use to create an energetic ink painting? Would a minimalist, zen art piece need a different approach?
Using Chinese ink and brush tools, I paint with traditional techniques. This includes using a dry brush to form controlled brush strokes and foreground details. There is also the wet on wet painting method which I use for the background. For finer details, there are modern ink painting methods for mark making. Such as creating textures using crumpled paper and any found objects for that matter. This experimental stage is always exciting as it produces unexpected results.
My paintings are digitally mixed and paired to create contemporary ink art compositions. These are available as fine art prints on rice paper, watercolour paper or canvas. These high-quality giclee prints are very close to the original artworks. “Ink” is a series that I return to often as I discover and learn new Chinese ink painting techniques.
I created a bespoke collection of Chinese ink paintings for the Shangri-la Group. My large-scale art prints are on display in the Kerry Centre Hotel, Beijing, China. They are in the ballroom, function areas and pubic spaces.
To view more abstract ink paintings visit “Ink” by visual artist Alvin Mak.
