CANCELLED | The Arts of the Brush: Japanese Calligraphy and Ink Painting

In the cross-cultural spirit of The Rosenbach’s Manjiro manuscript, this hands-on workshop will introduce you to using brush and ink in two art practices: Shodo, or Japanese calligraphy; and Sumi-e, or ink painting. The workshop will be led by Janice Merendino, an exhibiting artist who has worked with brush-and-ink painting for over 40 years.

The workshop will begin with an introduction to the “Four Treasures of the Study” used in East-Asian calligraphy: brushes, ink sticks, ink stones and traditional papers. Janice will share a westerner’s approach to learning to read kanji, the Chinese characters that are part of the Japanese language, and show examples of her art and calligraphy, as well as pieces made by her teachers. Workshop participants will then use these traditional materials to create a calligraphy and small cherry blossom painting, in recognition of Japan’s gift of cherry blossom trees to Philadelphia. Janice will offer perspectives on the daunting task of immersing oneself in another culture’s art, and integrating this learning into one’s own practice.
Participants in the workshop are invited to arrive 30 minutes prior to start time for a curator-led tour of the Manjiro: Drifting, 1841–2020 exhibition.

About The Instructor

Janice Merendino is a teaching artist, former college professor, one of five founders of Philadelphia’s Clay Studio, and the founder of the Branch Out Project, where she teaches business executives and others how to use drawing and “visual literacy skills” to stimulate creative and strategic thinking. Janice graduated from Moore College of Art and Design in 1974 with a BFA in Ceramics and BS in Art Education. As a student, Janice did an independent study in Japan to study ceramics and visit ancient kiln sites, which sparked a lifelong love of the country and its culture. While there, she developed a passion for calligraphy and traditional Japanese papers which she incorporated into her paintings and ceramic work. Janice exhibited her works on paper and porcelain pottery in Tokyo and continued to visit Japan multiple times to study. She continues her studies of calligraphy with Mayumi Tomii at Shodo Studio Momi here in the Philadelphia area. Janice exhibits her ink paintings in solo exhibitions at Cerulean Arts Gallery and shares her love of the medium through workshops and demonstrations at Shofuso and the Philadelphia Museum of Art