I did this piece of calligraphy for a book title. The tool is a ruling pen, which I absolutely love. I use it as if it is half way between a pen and a brush. The result is a wonderful ability to flow between thin and thick lines. Of course it does take practice to get the control needed to produce lettering this even. Calligraphy by S. J. Thomas. www.palmstone.comRead More
Winter Bamboo, maintaining vitality even through the cold. Ink on handmade Chinese paper. The inscription in Pali calligraphy reads in translation “Just as I wish well for those around me, may I too be held in great compassion.” Painting and calligraphy by S. J. Thomas. www.palmstone.comRead More
CHOOSE BELIEVE EXPLORE—Tibetan. Stylized rondel designs, Tibetan Ume script by S. J. Thomas. www.palmstone.comRead More
Tattoo Calligraphy in Urdu / Persian — بخس — Bakhsh family name in the center and given names surrounding it in a circle. I do the designs and send them anywhere in the world. Client gets the ink done locally. Photo sent in by my client. Calligraphy by S. J. Thomas. www.palmstone.comRead More
Always, at all times, in every season — सर्वकाल — Sarvakaala — Sanskrit in Devanagari calligraphy by S. J. Thomas. www.palmstone.comRead More
Three Fish Motif — I am fascinated with the number of images that can be developed out of the paisley or buteh form. Fish is one of the motifs I explore over and over again. www.palmstone.comRead More
“Knowing is not enough” — تنها دانستن کافى نيست — Farsi calligraphy by S. J. Thomas. From the German poet Goethe: “Es ist nicht genug, zu wissen, man muss auch anwenden. Es ist nicht genug, zu wollen, man muss auch tun.” In English
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do” and in Persian:
تنها دانستن کافى نيست .مهم نيست شما چقدر ميدونيد .مهم اينکه چقدر از دانسته هاتون رو تبديل به اقدام ميکنيد.Read More
Doodle Motifs: anyone who knows me knows that I doodle any chance I can get. Pretty much all the time. Helps me think, listen, stay calm. Most of them get tossed out or are on random packages and pieces of paper. Here are a few to share. Eventually some of these tidbits find their way onto more completed works of calligraphy. palmstone.comRead More
甲骨文字 — 金 — jīn — metal. Before the Chinese characters were standardized, there were many variant forms of the characters, especially on the “oracle bones” where they were carved into tortoise shells and bones. Sometimes the variants are simply the result of the non-standardization, but once in a while it is clear that a was using the art to make a point. Here is a variant of the character for metal. I was very excited when I first stumbled across this character because I could see immediately that this is a diagram of the lungs within the chest cavity, the calligrapher making the visual connection that is part of medical theory of the metal element with the lungs. The standard modern character is in the top right hand corner. Calligraphy by S. J. Thomas www.palmstone.comRead More
HUMATA, HŪXTA, HUVARŠTA — In Pahlavi script, with modern Persian below. The ethical core of the Zoroastrian Faith since ancient times is also well known to every Iranian, and to many others around the world. In the Avestan Pahlavi the words are “well thought, well said, well done” but usually rendered in English as “good thoughts, good words, good deeds” and in Persian as پندار نیک، گفتار نیک، کردار نیک
or اندیشه نیک، گفتار نیک، رفتار نیک
There is still a very tiny Zoroastrian community in Iran, and through a mutual friend I was fortunate to obtain this rendering of the Pahlavi script from an elderly woman in Kerman who still reads and writes the script and can recite the ancient songs. The symbol at the top is the Faravahar. Calligraphy by S. J. Thomas, www.palmstone.comRead More
