Shodo Art Gallery
Buddhist Scrolls
Painting Gallery
Kanji Gallery
About the Artist
Heart Sutra Book
Sutra Copying
Sutra Kanji Course
Calligraphy Supply
Calligraphy Brush
The Ink Stick
The Ink Stone
Calligraphy Books
Kanji Symbols
Kanji T-Shirts
Budo-Calligraphy
7 Virtues Kanji
Shodo Bookstore
Sumi Bookstore
Artist Interview
Calligraphy Blog
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Contact the Artist
Link To Us
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Japanese Calligraphy


Modern Japanese Calligraphy inspired on
Buddhism and Zen



It is my wish to bring you closer to the beauty and spiritual power of Japanese Calligraphy. Through my words and my artwork I hope you get enthusiastic about this special art form. Let me introduce you to the way
I practice and experience shodo and show you why it is an unceasing source of inspiration for my life and my art.

If you want to have a look first at my Dharma art, click here to view the Shodo Art Gallery. Jump to beautiful pieces of Japanese Calligraphy inspired on Buddhism.



Taking the way of the brush,
becoming a shodoka

In the pursuit of a true art form where art meets spirituality I found Japanese Calligraphy, shodo, and its spiritual expression, Zen calligraphy. Since then the brush is rooted in my heart.


What is Japanese Calligraphy for me?

I remember that the first time I saw Zen calligraphy and paintings at an exhibition of Japanese Calligraphy in Berlin I was very impressed by the abstract beauty of this artwork. But there was another secret quality in this art that I was unable to identify at first sight.


Calligraphy is an image of the mind

To create the artist has to be in union with the true self. Then her/his artwork will transmit the timeless essence of the universe and communicate on the deepest level of our being.

In very few art traditions this first creative impulse has been trained and practiced so purely and directly as in Zen calligraphy.

Calligraphy is writing from the heart
It reveals the universal life force ki

The essence of Japanese Calligraphy and Zen calligraphy is true creation, you do not stop training until feeling and reason are no longer separated and body and mind become one. You let life flow into the brush and by so doing you create a vivid movement in the brushstroke that reveals the ki
-the universal life force.

That is why Japanese Calligraphy never stops fascinating me; it is an art training that addresses my own inner richness.


It is Dharma art as taught by the Tibetan meditation master, the XIth Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche:

"(...) dharma art refers to art that springs from a certain state of mind on the part of the artist that could be called the meditative state. It is
an attitude of directness and unselfconsciousness in one's creative work."


As a western artist

I dedicate myself to this meditative art, which the ancestors often called the elixir of long life.

When done properly the practice of calligraphy becomes a conversation with the true self. When writing with the brush the mind becomes calm and pure, the intuitive force is released and you discover your inner silent space. It is a fine art feeling that points to the true self and meets with the message of art, the refinement and perfection of the human mind.


At the Shodo Art Gallery you can enjoy and buy my calligraphy and paintings, the contemporary Dharma art of a woman artist. Click here to view Japanese Calligraphy at the shodo art gallery.


May there be happiness!




| Shodo Art Gallery | About the artist |



© Nadja Van Ghelue. All rights reserved.




shodo art gallery, Buddhist shodo by woman artist Nadja Van Ghelue
Shodo online art gallery shows inspiring shodo, Zen and Japanese calligraphy with vivid abstract beauty. Shodo art gallery to enjoy original artwork.

Non-cultural Buddhist art in present-day hanging scrolls by Nadja Van Ghelue
The Buddhist art gallery presents Japanese calligraphy and sumi paintings introducing the principle of non-cultural Buddhist art. The available artwork is carefully mounted on silk hanging scrolls.

Japanese painting gallery, catching the phenomenal world with the brush.
The Japanese painting gallery shows the sumi painting of artist Nadja Van Ghelue. Trained in Japanese calligraphy she expands her calligrafic art into Japanese painting with lucid washes and brushwork

kanji gallery, kanji art, visual dharma
The kanji gallery shows shodo art of Japanese calligraphy. You will find calligraphy with expressive kanji capturing the very essence of the dharma.

woman artist Nadja Van Ghelue, original Japanese calligraphy art
Journey of woman artist into the world of Japanese and Zen calligraphy, her own experience and practice. She introduces you to this meditative art and sells her calligraphies at the shodo art gallery.

The Heart Sutra In Calligraphy, a compelling copy of the heart sutra
The book The Heart Sutra In Calligraphy, a visual appreciation of the perfection of wisdom, shows a rare copy of the heart sutra in seal script, a captivating style of ancient Chinese calligraphy.

sutra copying, shakyo, writing the sacred words of the Buddha
Sutra copying is a major Buddhist practice of contemporary artist Nadja Van Ghelue. She introduces you to shakyo, virtuous shodo, and to her own style of sutra writing with examples of the Heart Sutra

The heart sutra in Japanese, online kanji course for sutra copying & self-study.
The heart sutra in Japanese explained. You will find the 270 kanji, the phonetic reading and the translation of each kanji. With this course you can copy and study the heart sutra in Japanese easily.

Japanese calligraphy supplies give you boundless freedom to create.
Practical guide on Japanese calligraphy supplies written with artistic passion and from personal experience leads the calligraphy practitioner into the vast world of Japanese calligaphy supplies.

The calligraphy brush made of goat's and wolf's hairs performs a graceful dance.
A calligraphy brush looks simple, but in the hand of a skilled calligrapher it becomes a fearless dancer. Learn about the different types of calligraphy brushes and their characteristics.

Ink stick for Japanese calligraphy. How to use a Japanese ink stick.
The ink stick and its qualities are described with practical guidelines, enabling the beginner and advanced practitioner of Japanese calligraphy to select and use the appropriate ink stick.

Select the best ink stone for the practice of Japanese calligraphy.
Only a genuine ink stone gives you the perfect ink for your practice. Learn how to choose, use and care for the ink stone. On the flat surface of the ink stone you grind the ink stick into liquid ink.

Calligraphy books to improve your knowledge of Japanese calligraphy.
Calligraphy books on Chinese or Japanese calligraphy are indespensable to improve your practice of Japanese calligraphy. Read my reviews of my favourite calligraphy books before buying.

kanji symbols, connect with the beauty of Japanese kanji symbols
Kanji symbols are a fascinating world of images. I will introduce you to their rich history and symbolism. You will also find unique examples of Japanese calligraphy of the most popular kanji symbols.

Original kanji t-shirts for men and women. Japanese t-shirt shop.
Our kanji t-shirts are originally designed by artist Nadja Van Ghelue. Our unique designs stress the beauty of Japanese kanji symbols, and capture the creative power of kanji on kanji t- shirts.

bushido kanji brushed in different styles of Japanese calligraphy
The bushido kanji includes BU, martial, SHI, person and DO, the Way. Master calligrapher Nadja Van Ghelue has brushed the bushido kanji, the Way of the Samurai, in fluent calligraphic brushstrokes.

The seven virtues of bushido come alive in seven original kanji calligraphies
The seven virtues of bushido, what are they, which are the kanji, what is the spirit of the bushido code? The artist gives a visual show of the seven virtues of bushido and explains their meaning.

Calligraphy books. Chinese and Japanese calligraphy shodo book store
The shodo bookstore offers a hand picked selection of calligraphy books for beginners of Chinese or Japanese calligraphy. You will find excellent manuals,inspirational and meditative calligraphy books

Sumi bookstore
Sumi bookstore

Artist interview: the role of meditation in art
This artist interview highlights the importance of meditation in the practice of Japanese Calligraphy and sumi painting. Calligrapher Nadja Van Ghelue shares her experience with a graphic-designer.

Japanese calligraphy blog
The Japanese calligraphy Blog keeps you up-to-date with all new galleries, artwork, and articles added to the theartofcalligraphy.com website. Click to subscribe.

Japanese calligraphy site map
Site map for the web of Japanese calligraphy of woman artist Nadja Van Ghelue

Art links, directories of Japanese calligraphy, shodo and art
Woman artist Nadja Van Ghelue presents sites related to Japanese calligraphy, shodo, Japanese painting, Buddhist art, art directories and artists.

Contact the artist.
Contact the artist if you want to buy or commission a Japanese calligraphy or Japanese painting.

Link to us
How to link to us. Easily link to the Japanese calligraphy web site to enhance your visitor's experience.

Kanji love in original seal script and semi-cursive script
The kanji love consists of three clearly recognizable ideograms. Calligrapher Nadja Van Ghelue has brushed the kanji for love in different styles and explains the meaning of the separate parts.

Privacy policy.
Privacy policy.