notes from the drifting spaces

Blair’s art notes…

Award for Shodō Calligraphy at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

I am surprised and delighted that my calligraphy artwork has been awarded a Special Selection prize (Tokusen 特選) at the 73rd Shokaisha Exhibition 第73回書海社展 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, situated inside Ueno Park. The exhibition runs from the 28th January to 2nd February. This annual exhibition of shodо̄ calligraphy features several large rooms…

Season’s Greetings

Hope you are keeping well and wishing you a peaceful and relaxing Christmas and New Year holiday ❄️ Here is my Season’s Greetings card, with a sketch of rock strata made speedily on the spot at Oshima Island, south of Tokyo, using brush pens and sketchbook. Recently I exhibited some of my Shodō calligraphy practice…

Exhibition at Dundee Botanic Gardens

TRACES OF SHODŌMargaret Kerr and Blair Shōgen Thomson Green Gallery: University of Dundee Botanic GardenRiverside Drive, Dundee DD2 1QH30th Oct – 19th Nov 2024 This exhibition shows a series of spontaneous abstract drawings inspired by the flowing and dynamic forms of traditional Japanese Shodō calligraphy, made by Margaret Kerr over the past three years. Alongside…

Bristol University Japanese Calligraphy Workshop

In the Arts Complex of Bristol University at the end of April, Blair presented two taster Japanese Shodō calligraphy workshops with a Zen theme, for the Buddhist Studies Day in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, with schools and staff participating. This was part of a varied and educational day of events including discussions, demonstrations…

Bristol University award received at the Bristol Beacon

I was delighted and surprised to be awarded the University of Bristol Outstanding PLUS Award: Wellbeing Champion for the 2023/24 academic year. Here is an excerpt from the university blog with more information. Wellbeing Champion Brief: Improve the student experience or wellbeing of others in your community or workplace. Blair Thomson – Religion and Theology (MPhil) As a…

Season’s Greetings ❄☃

Hope you are keeping cosy and wishing you a peaceful and relaxing Christmas and New Year holiday Here is my Season’s Greetings card, an an abstracted view (actually a few viewpoints brought together in one piece) made in the Dundee University Botanical Gardens using pens, ink and pencil on calligraphy board. This artwork, as well…

Renga: place and time entwined

Exhibition organised by Margaret Kerr 5th – 25th November 2023Green Gallery, Dundee University Botanical Gardens About this exhibition This exhibition features work by eight artists who spent an August weekend making art in the Botanics this year. Our work was inspired by the Japanese concept of Renga. Renga is a form of poetry composed by…

Season’s Greetings

Hope you are keeping well and wishing you a peaceful and relaxing Christmas and New Year holiday ❄️ Here is my Season’s Greetings card, an aerial inspired one of Glasgow this year. In 2022 I’ve been creating worlds within worlds – photography, paintings, Japanese stamp making and practising Shodo calligraphy. In May I was fortunate…

Exhibition in Japan

Blair participated in the ART/X/TOYAMA international exhibition in Japan in May 2022. ART/X/TOYAMA is a contemporary public exhibition showing artworks from Japanese and international invited artists, and has been held every four years. Blair exhibited a series of twelve photographs as well as two abstract paintings. ART/X/TOYAMA website