Calligraphy= control

It's all about learning to control the brush and the energy flowing through it. 
Those of us, like myself, given to western self-expression find the discipline of the Orient tough going. Still I had a go... (see extra photo).

Calligraphy cannot be learnt in an afternoon  though the taster workshop given  by Chi Zhang this afternoon, part of the Reflections of the East exhibition at Stirling university, offered a rare insight into the dedication and hard work required by this most ancient of Chinese arts in order to make it appear so elegant and simple.