Signing Your Painting
Traditional Chinese and Japanese artists sign their art name vertically in black ink, followed by one or two personal seals or chops applied with red seal paste.
Your teacher may create your art name in Chinese characters, basing it on the phonetic sounds of your name or as a reflection of certain qualities that you wish to embody. In my case, Chinese master painter I-Hsiung Ju based my art name phonetically on my real name, Virginia. It sounds like “Wei Jen” and translates to “nothing but benevolence and the virtue of the human heart.” I describe it as “nothing but love” when I translate it loosely into English.
Outside of Asia, some artists also sign their Western name in cursive on their Asian-style paintings. I personally ...
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