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Chinese seal carving and calligraphy
 
Qianshen Bai (sitting) and Wen-hao Tien, Chinese seal carving and calligraphy, 2007; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts; Photography by Billy Howard
Qianshen Bai (sitting) and Wen-hao Tien, Chinese seal carving and calligraphy, 2007

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Photography by Billy Howard
 
Fan; Apprenticeship - Chinese seal carving and calligraphy; 2006; Qianshen Bai (b. 1955)
Auspicious (left), 1994 and Return to Simplicity, 1984; Apprenticeship - Chinese seal carving and calligraphy: Qianshen Bai (b. 1955)
Excerpt of Poem; Apprenticeship - Chinese seal carving and calligraphy; 2007; Wen-Hao Tien (b. 1964); Cambridge, Massachusetts; Paper, ink; 17-3/4 x 13-5/8; Collection of Wen-Hao Tien
Du-lo; Apprenticeship - Chinese seal carving and calligraphy; 2006; Wen-Hao Tien (b. 1964); Cambridge, Massachusetts; Stone; Collection of Wen-Hao Tien
 
verticle bar Artist
Qianshen Bai
Chestnut Hill, MA
verticle bar apprentice
Wen-Hao Tien
Cambridge, MA
"We constantly refer to the past masters; it's important to know what the past masters have done before you." Qianshen Bai

Qianshen Bai practices the ancient arts of Chinese calligraphy and seal carving, which he learned from Chinese master artist-scholars before moving to the United States in 1996. Wen-Hao Tien came to the United States from Taiwan in 1987. In 2002, she met and assisted Bai at a community workshop on calligraphy hosted by the Chinese Culture Connection. Wen-hao became Bai's apprentice in 2005 with support from a Mass Cultural Council Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant. She remarks, "My relationship with this art form changed during [my] apprenticeship with Professor Qianshen Bai. He has opened the secret door to the spirit of Chinese scholarly arts and afforded me the privilege of connecting to the past while discovering my own artistic voice."
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