There is a legend claiming that the Samurai warriors practiced calligraphy daily in order to develop their skills in swordsmanship. This art form requires discipline, strength, focus and awareness—skills necessary for a warrior. Calligraphy was taught and practiced by Asian youths in their early years. Calligraphy can be compared with our alphabet. However, the characters represent pictures, whereas our letters form words that are combined into sentences. The Asian fine art of Sumi-e developed over the years from calligraphy and is seen hear in my paintings.
Calligraphy is a disciplined practice and many rules need to be observed to create the exact stroke. To begin, one needs to have the
proper supplies, called the Four Treasures; the brush, the stick and stone (to make ink) and rice paper. A skill is developed in obtaining the proper moisture of ink and water on rice paper to paint a character. When applying the ink to the paper the whole arm is used in making a stroke. There are many styles of calligraphy that have come through the ages. Both calligraphy and Sumi-e are disciplines that involve much practice to create the exact replica of a style or subject being painted. In addition the artist needs to get in touch with their chi energy (universal energy) to produce the feeling in a finished artwork.
No longer depended on to protect the clan after the dissolution of the fifes in Japan, Samurai warriors learned to transfer their skills from fighting into creating beautiful works of art. Using their calligraphy strokes they made paintings from their natural surroundings. Flowers, animals and beautiful landscapes were some of their favored subjects.
My personal interest in ink painting evolved from living and teaching a holistic life style—I believe to be a warrior’s way. My belief and experience is that practicing an art form like Sumi-e contributes to a healthy body, mind and spirit. As a mental health practitioner, I have learned and teach others that we are co-creators with the universe. Focusing on creativity keeps our mental attitudes and emotions healthy, and nature’s beauty is a wonderful way to express this co-creation.
Vangi’s Sumi-e Art
Vangi Cathcart is an artist and holistic health practitioner. Her work has been selected and displayed at various art shows throughout the country and some of her paintings are for sale. For more information about her work or if you would like to purchase her art, please submit your request for information in the Contact Us page.
“In olden times, they say, warriors of all ranks considered archery and horsemanship the highest martial arts.”1
In early civilization, horses became a technological resource for people to get from one place to another faster than on foot. Horses carried much more than a man could carry on his back and a warrior on a well-trained horse had a strong advantage in battle over adversaries fighting from the ground. [...] Continue Reading…
We are coexisting in a highly competitive world and are pressured to try and keep up—to look the part of the successful professional, perfect spouse, and dutiful parent. There is always even bigger and better technology than what we bought months before, and so we want to have the newest and latest of everything. We are rarely satisfied with our “stuff” even if it’s more than our parents had [...] Continue Reading…
My son’s friend was over this weekend for the first time, and he made a comment curiously saying, “I’m surprised to see you don’t have a microwave.” Well, my response was polite but somewhat defensive as I answered, “We did have one once, but it broke.
I like to cook on the stove, so we never got around to replacing it.” I thought long and hard about the reasons why [...] Continue Reading…
This soup is incredibly easy, delicious and nutritious. Not to mention that it is also extremely versatile. Once the base ingredients are ready, everyone in the whole family can flavor their individual soups the way they like them.
Ingredients:
1-2 containers silken tofu
Organic vegetable broth (2 cups per bowl of soup served)
Other Optional Ingredients (Flavor to Taste!):
Many of these ingredients can be found in a local Asian market, which should be [...] Continue Reading…
Do you find yourself feeling tense and anxious for no apparent reason? I made a commitment to myself several years ago to try and determine what was causing me stress, and I finally realized that I was feeling chaos from my external environment. Imagine-my external world was causing my internal world to be confusing and chaotic. There’s an interesting connection between having a [...] Continue Reading…
Life is a toll road and everyone pays the toll in one way or another. What this means is, in life, everything you do has its price. Every action or choice you make throughout your existence has consequences or results that have a direct impact on who you are and the outcome of your life. The choices [...] Continue Reading…
What separates us from the Japanese Samurai Warriors of the past? The Samurai approached each day as if it were their last. They thought about death often and consequently lived each day with a heightened sense of awareness. They treated people with the utmost respect. If you knew that today was your last, would you initiate arguments with your brother or wife? If you only had [...] Continue Reading…
”INTEGRITY”
Be acutely honest
throughout your dealings
with all people. Believe
in justice, not from other
people, but from yourself.
To the true warrior,
all points of view are deeply considered regarding
honesty, justice
and integrity.
Warriors make a full commitment to their decisions.
The reason why Integrity is the number one virtue is because it’s who you are and what you represent. Everyone you meet judges you on your integrity. Sadly, this is the number one virtue that is [...] Continue Reading…
By spending time in the past or future we are depriving ourselves of the riches of life. Though most people want to benefit from being immersed in the present, this practice requires discipline. It requires training our minds to be more focused.
Natural Thought Patterns
Have you ever noticed that your mind focuses more on the past or future rather than what’s happening in that moment? Do you have a [...] Continue Reading…
