Gesture and Contour

Gesture

Gesture with vine charcoal

A very quick gesture

Gesture with graphite pencil

Gesture with brush and ink

Gesture with brush and ink

A Surface Gesture

Surface Gesture

Surface Gesture

Surface Gesture

Gesture: 17th Century Japanese landscape

This work consists of a single stroke portrait of Bodhidharma (a legendary monk who brought Buddhism to China) with the simple inscription “To Know Not.”

One should abandon all finicky deliberation and inquiry, for ignorance is true Buddhahood; such, in essence, is the ultimate teaching of Zen.

Contour

Blind Contour

A Blind Contour

Blind Contour

Blind contours of ferns

Cross-Contours of shells

Our first assignment: a cross-contour of your shoe

Our second assignment: three ink wash gestures and contours with plant and animal forms

Now let’s do it!