The Artform
The Ancient Brush — Chinese black ink brushwork dates back over 6,000 years and was developed by monks and scholars to illustrate the written word. Images are created from disciplined, practiced strokes with bamboo-handled natural-hair brushes.
On Paper, the black ink used has a base of pine soot and classic paper is composed of rice stalks or other organic materials. Special waterproof pigments are used for coloring. Compositions on rice paper have to be "wet mounted" to flatten the painted paper and set the image. A painting is wet completely with water and adhesive is applied to the back. A second layer of paper is adhered on back and the painting is set out to dry. Slight blurring or bubbles are the result of this traditional mounting practice.
On Pottery, Griffith Tso trades her ink and water for underglazes, pigments that are brushed on before adding a transparent glossy coat of glaze. Her unpainted forms are made by hand, either thrown on a potter's wheel or fashioned from thin slabs of of clay and go through two firings making them food-, microwave- and oven-safe.
Chops
Symbols that are stamped are commonly the artist's name though they also can have various auspicious meanings.
Seals are carved soapstone or agate and stamped using a paste made from cinnabar and mineral oil, creating a rich red, the color representing good fortune and integrity.
Griffith Tso’s chop shows three characters and reads from the top down, ‘Tso’ (surname) then the two identical characters of ‘Yen Yen’ (first name) meaning Swallow, a bird thought to bring good fortune, also a symbol of fidelity.
The Artist
Experience —Tracie Griffith Tso began studying Chinese painting at age 12 and specializes in spontaneous flower-bird painting. The award-winning artist developed her style with a teacher schooled by a Hong Kong master. She took to pottery at the same age, learning to throw on a kick wheel. Griffith Tso paints traditionally, centered around age-old subjects yet. incorporates her animal and herbivore love into compositions. A Torpedo Factory artist, she works and shows on the first floor in studios 22 and 19.
Background — A native Californian, Griffith Tso has taught and lectured about Chinese brushpainting at art centers and museums nationwide. Outside of pottery and traditional ink and rice paper, she works on various creative mediums including tile, apparel and accessories and has incorporated the ancient artform into professional graphics. The artist and her husband reside in Reston, Va. along with her muse and workshop rabbit, Willow.