melanie-pearl

Many of you know that many of my first experiences creating aesthetic beauty happened at my paternal grandmother's house. She would cover her kitchen table with newspapers and give me a brush and a cup of water. Most of the time there was no color involved. Just wet newsprint. Sometimes a black box of Prang colors.

She always kept a whole drawer full of paper and scissors and brushes that I would go unload immediately when I went to stay with her. One day Gram-Gram got a calligraphy set from one of her sisters. She shared it and taught me how to form beautiful letters and flourishes. I remember the name of my favorite ink cartridge was "Peacock". Eventually she gave me my own identical set.

While in China four years ago, I brought back a set of traditional Chinese brushes and ink sticks for Chloe. Today I tried them out for the first time.

I am sure I did this because I just finished reading the graphic novel, Forget Sorrow by Belle Yang. It is a beautiful story about intergenerational connection. Above, with Belle's permission, I posted a beautiful still from the book, in which her Chinese art teacher tells her the brush must be "loaded" with "Chi, the breath of life".

The book tells about Belle's ancestral family---the generations before, during and after communism---through her art and strong narrative. Within the story, Belle's great-grandfather teaches her father calligraphy. Though my roots were Mennonite, and formed a good chunk of the way around the world from her father, I too, learned from a grandparent how to load my brush with Chi.

This book powerfully confirms that there are many aspects of Chinese culture which naturally support systems theory and the multigenerational transmission process.