Biography: (4) the scope of calligraphy

Although Canadian winters may be long and cold, I am always pleased to see the first snowflakes, for winter puts me in the right frame of mind for my work: an immaculate spiritual blank slate, far removed from the day-to-day world. I feel reduced to "nothingness" in the Zen sense; the only sound the rubbing of an inkstick. Concentrating, I pick up my brush and hold it before the blank sheet of paper. Quebec winters and their intense cold are important to me as a calligrapher. They have always inspired my work work, as was the case at our first exhibition in 1982.

Over the years, I have striven to broaden the scope of calligraphy. For instance, I have written tittles for films, books, magazines and even merchandise. I have also been invited to produce calligraphy for all the rooms in the Japanese Pavilion and its garden. This is a great honour for me, to see my work endure at the Montreal Botanical Garden.

As well, endeavouring to gain greater visibility for this art, I submitted three works in 1995 to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, two of which were accepted. This happy event was repeated in 1996 and 2000, and my work is still on display at the Museum.

In 1998, I was part of an International Conference on East Asian Calligraphy Education at the University of Maryland and organized the participation in "Japanese Calligraphy competition in America" in Los Angeles. I also organized the participation in "International Calligraphers Competition" at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in 1999.

In 2001, I did the calligraphy animation title for the film Showa Shinzan for the Canada National Film Board and was selected to be one of the 100 women of Québec who has successfully achieved their goals in a book entitled "Les Ambassadrices" Portraits de femmes accomplies au Québec.

In 2002 I have been honored to be selected by Nationwide Register's Who's Who and is registered at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.

In 2004 "Under the Spell of Singa" was published in East Asian Calligraphy Education, University Press of Maryland.