Seal script, unlike 'regular' Chinese script, allows of nearly infinite formal variations. I started doing my own calligraphy and began to translate some pithy Chinese sayings--some of which are nearly equivalent to English proverbs--into seal script. Some sayings were turned into etching plates and printed in November, 2002 at the Vermont Studio Center. I combined the etched plates with red impressions from actual seals.
A common feature of Asian prints is the vacancy of their centers, a allusion to religious notions of 'emptiness,' 'nothingness,' and similar inaccurate Western translations. I made this vacancy central to my prints as well, with the impressions, both etchings and the seal impressions, surrounding the open center as they do in many originals.
I include below some enlarged details to give a sense of what the prints look like close-up.
