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
OMEGA — the last letter of the Greek alphabet — the “great OM” — with the Sanskrit symbol for OM, made up of the sounds A – U – M, thus containing within itself the A and the UM, the Alpha and the Om. So the “Om-mega” contains in its end, the beginning Alpha. calligraphy by S. J. Thomas. www.palmstone.comRead More
NEW BAMBOO — Chinese ink on handmade paper. Brush painting by S. J. Thomas, www.palmstone.comRead More
NATARAJA — नटराज — Closing out the year with my calligraphic interpretation of Nataraja, the “Lord of the Dance”, the cosmic Shiva dance of creation and destruction and keeping the time beat of the universe. Sanskrit calligraphy in Devanagari script on rice paper mounted on wood panel, by S. J. Thomas. www.palmstone.comRead More
Taking a moment to hold out the aspiration for Peace on Earth for All. Happy Holidays.Read More
Peace Reflection: outer peace as the reflection of inner peace. Calligraphic reflection on the season by S. J. Thomas. www.palmstone.comRead More
Tattoo design in Devanagari script: समाधान — samaadhaana. Although there are many meanings of this word in both Sanskrit and Hindi, in this case samaadhaana references the state of profound absorption or contemplation. Sanskrit calligraphy by S. J. Thomas, www.palmstone.comRead More
Natural Florida Marriage Certificate: one of a kind watercolor illustrated wedding certificate features scenes from Florida including owls, swallowtail kite, woodpecker, live oaks and other birds, flowers and even a child peeking out at the viewer! Each certificate I make is a unique creation using the finest materials available to ensure a long lasting family heirloom. www.palmstone.comRead More
Wedding certificate (detail) showing medallion with Monogram of bride and grooms names combined into one design in Arabic calligraphy. Watercolor, ink and metallic gold. Calligraphy and design by S. J. Thomas.Read More
“I don’t know where I end and you begin” after Rumi. Translated into Tibetan. The calligraphy is in a variant Tibetan script with the first line reading from top to bottom on the left and the second line reading from bottom to top on the right.Read More
