ABOUT | DIVERGENT | Abstract-action| Calligraphy Art

Tadashi's Solo Exhibit, Santa Monica 2019

Kaz Tanahashi, Upaya Zen Center

Now: いま, ima

STATEMENT

For me, art is an unscripted act stimulated by an innate passion to create, guided by a stillness in mind and the body in motion. It is both physical and contemplative. Embedded in each work is the movements, textures, and colors of a time and a place, transpiring on canvas a spirit, rhythm, and freedom within.,

I’m captivated by your artwork. It is a reflection of your spirit. Most splendid

use of paint. You express the infinite.

- Darek Shapiro -

BIO

Keo has developed a significant number of influences in his artistic journey, each of which has shaped his skill and approach in unique ways. His painting practice and process have been deeply influenced after learning the East Asian art of Calligraphy while attending a Zen meditation retreat under the tutelage of artist and Zen scholar Kaz Tanahashi.

"In calligraphy, unlike painting, there is no going back to correct things. What is on the paper is there for good, and for this reason, it is called a one-time-only art, as irreversible as time itself." - Yuji Akimoto

Jim's encounter with international artist Tadashi Haywakawa while touring an arts center where Tadashi was conducting a workshop began a friendship having profound influences in his art and life.

Jim has lived in the west since 2004, currently in New Mexico and Colorado, and is a practicing architect. With his interest in wellbeing and human flourishing, he focuses on the biological and cognitive effects of the built environment and has developed design methodologies and approaches for creating environments that promote occupant health and wellbeing.

With regular trips to the desert, meditation and calligraphy retreats, and studio workshops with Tadashi Haywakawa, Jim continues to explore and evolve the size, range, and depth of his extempore works.

Desert wilderness, NM

EAST ASIAN CALLIGRAPHY

Through the brush and art of shodo, kanji characters are created with a state of mind known as mushin (no mind state). The foundations of Japanese calligraphy originated in China during the Han dynasty, dating back to 220 AD, with ideographic elements dating as far back as 2500 BC. To practice Shodo calligraphy, one must clear one's mind and let the brush and letters flow out of themselves, effortlessly with no hesitation. purely within the moment. Jim continues to devote time to this practice evolving a style of shodo that is integral to his other work.