Calligraphy artist to present works at library
By Keith Loria, Special Writer
We’ve all seen calligraphy on wedding invitations or some other special document, but in Japan, the writing style is considered an art form. There are countrywide competitions and many artists have taken to combining calligraphy with other forms of art.
Artist Taiko Lyding is exhibiting a collection of her own traditional Japanese watercolor paintings and calligraphy at the Gallery at Plainsboro Public Library through June 26, with an art reception scheduled for 2-4 p.m. Saturday, June 1.
”I’ll be presenting pure paintings and pure calligraphy, and some mixtures of painting and calligraphy,” she says. “The secret of doing it well is an awful lot of practice time, doing simple lines and dots over and over again to train yourself to control the brush at any time. That’s my advice to anyone who wants to learn.”
With titles ranging from “What it Means to Live” to “The Miracle of Living” to “Live Your Life as You Believe,” there’s an obvious theme to her exhibit. Even so, pieces with names like “Clouds Follow the Dragon” and “Asian Skunk Cabbage” add some complexity to the show. Each painting, she says, represents some sort of philosophy of life.
”The theme of my exhibition is living. After I started having difficulty walking in 2011, I acquired an acute sense of how thankful I was to have the ability to walk and talk,” she says. “Additionally, I have been thinking about what it means to be compassionate toward the handicapped and the importance of living life every day with a positive and optimistic attitude.”
One of the more remarkable feats of Ms. Lyding putting on this exhibition is that she has created her portfolio while suffering from a rare neurological disease, which has deprived her of her ability to walk and use of fine motor skills.
According to her husband, Chris Lyding, as her disability progresses, she has tired more easily and it’s harder for her to concentrate for long periods of time. But a lifetime of perfecting the art form has enabled her to continue doing what she loves.
”What’s remarkable is that she can’t sign a check or write her name, but luckily she paints and does calligraphy through her shoulder, which is unaffected,” he says. “She has a tremendous spirit and heart to put these things out and fortunately she is still able to do this. She makes these beautiful calligraphies and artwork and it keeps her going and gives her something to keep her mind on.”
Born in Shiogama City in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, Ms. Lyding moved to Plainsboro in 1985, upon meeting and marrying her husband.
Growing up, Ms. Lyding enjoyed writing and painting in school and was a frequent prize winner in the Miyagi Prefecture elementary school writing contest. As her interest in calligraphy intensified, she began studying with some of the masters of the art form — names that in Japan would be comparable to the fame of a Derek Jeter or Madonna.
”It runs in the family. Her father was also a master of calligraphy, her aunt is a semi-pro Japanese painter and her mother and grandmother are also quite artistic,” Mr. Lyding says. “She was exposed to all of this at a very early age and there was little doubt that she would pursue it herself.”
She’s considered a Grand Master of calligraphy today, and she has taught as a Japanese instructor at Princeton University, also lecturing on calligraphy in the East Asian Studies Department. Ms. Lyding also has lent her calligraphy knowledge to those at the Princeton Community Japanese Language School, Wicoff Elementary School, Grovers Middle School, and High School South in Plainsboro.
Although she doesn’t paint every day, Ms. Lyding picks up her artistic tools whenever she’s spiritually in the mood. When she does, she sits on her knees on a futon mat near a small table and gets her mind and spirit as one.
While some say calligraphy may be a dying art form, she says she doesn’t believe that to be true and has seen some of her students become great calligraphy artists.
”Maybe so in this country, but certainly not in Japan. It’s all up to the artist whether it’s dying or living,” she says. “One of the reasons it might be dying here a little is because it’s two dimensional compared to Western art. In Japan, it’s a culture that’s been passed down for centuries so it’s still very popular. Here, there’s not much to compare it to.”
Ms. Lyding won’t let that happen if she has anything to say about it and looks forward to teaching others about the beauty in the calligraphy art.