Auspicious Seals and Chops 
Dan Lucas
5 February, 2022
​9:30 am - 11:00 am, PT
Join First Saturday PDX as artist Dan Lucas shares the history of the Chinese seal script. Seals have a long history in China -- the earliest known dating back to the 5th century BC, but their use is thought to have started centuries before. Used as signatures on dynastic court documents, personal documents, contracts, and other official papers, seals also graced works of calligraphy and paintings. Collectors of books and art often added their seals to works.  This talk will include the various uses of seals: learning how artists place them on their work and how seals are being used in modern times -- including those found in Lan Su Chinese Garden.  Molded from metal or carved from stone, ivory, wood, or jade, seals were traditionally inked with red cinnabar paste. The materials and tools used in their design will be discussed, as well as the Xiling Seal Society in Hangzhou, China.

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​Artist's Statement:
​​"Several years ago I participated in an art exhibit in Shenzhen, China along with other students of Portland artist/ teacher Wang Gongyi. At the time I didn’t have a seal to stamp on my work so, on my teacher’s suggestion, I used my thumb print instead. Since there was then no one to make a seal for me I decided to try to make one for myself. Little by little, over several years and with the help of my teacher, I have made some progress in the art of Chinese style seal carving. I continued this, in 2011, with a month at the National Art Academy in Hangzhou, China in order to further my practice of seal carving. Since this art is relatively unknown outside China—although with over three-thousand years of history and development—it is my ultimate goal to help educate the English speaking world about this ancient art form." 
About the speaker:
Oregon artist Dan Lucas uses the name Lu Kesi (魯可思) when painting in Chinese style or carving seals. After receiving a degree in art history from Portland State University, he worked in the library of the Portland Art Museum for nearly two decades. Dan volunteered at the Lan Su Chinese Garden, where he spent 18 years giving tours. During this time, he met Chinese artist Wang Gongyi and learned Chinese calligraphy, landscape painting, and seal carving. In 2011 he spent a month at the National Art Academy in Hangzhou, China, studying seal carving. He has exhibited in both China and the United States and currently works as a graphic artist. To learn more about Dan, visit his website: https://www.lu-kesi.com.
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Dan's website on the Chinese art of seal carving: www.sealsociety.org
Some Recommended Reading:
  • Lai, T.C. Chinese seals. Hong Kong: Kelly & Walsh, 1976. ISBN 0-295-95517-1. This was one of the first, and is still one of the best, books on the subject. There is a very interesting section in the back that shows examples of seals in different scripts. Available from Amazon.
  • Sun, Weizu. Chinese seals: carving authority and creating history. San Francisco: Long River Press, 2004. (Arts of China) ISBN 1-59265-013-9. Only eighty small pages but a good overview of the history of Chinese seals with excellent color reproductions. Available from Amazon.
  • Sun, Weizu. The History and art of Chinese seals. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 2010. — 1st ed. — ISBN 978-7-119-06603-5. 573 p., color and b&w photos. This is by far the best book in English on the history of Chinese seals. If you look hard enough you can find it on Amazon.com; it is expensive, but worth the price. Available from Amazon.
  • National Palace Museum. Lasting impressions: seals from the museum collection. Taipei: National Palace Museum, nd. ISBN 978-957-562-514-6. 95 p., color photos with text in Chinese and English. Beautifully illustrated but the text isn’t much help.
  • National Palace Museum. Masterpieces of Chinese seals in the National Palace Museum. Taipei: National Palace Museum, 1976. Color illustrations with text in Chinese and English. These are mostly ancient seals. Available from Amazon.
  • Niu, Kecheng. Chinese seals. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 2008. ISBN 978-7-119-04197-1. 91 p., color photos. Very good. Though he is not credited in the (English) text, many of the illustrations are of the artist Wang Shihong (王士宏) and his work.
  • Pann, Yunn. Ancient art of the Chinese seal. Philadelphia: Running Press, 2005. (Miniature Editions). This is part of a boxed set which includes seal ink and four small pre-cut wooden seals. The book, although only three inches tall, has eighty-eight pages of worth-while text. Available from Amazon.

For even more recommendations and comments, please go here
Video of this presentation can be seen here
Dan will be giving a seal carving demonstration during Lan Su Chinese Garden’s Lunar New Year celebrations on Friday, February 11th, 2022 from 1 to 3 PM.  For more information on this event, please go here.  

​Join us after the webinar from 11 - 11:30am in our First Saturday PDX Tea House to further the discussion and online social time.  Bring a cup of tea! 
​(Separate  access link for this will be provided in your single registration for this event.)
This presentation is offered via Zoom Webinar:
  • Join with computer, tablet, or smartphone. 
  • Register here  and receive the links to join the webinar and Tea House in the same registration confirmation email.
  • See our Zoom page for information on how to connect to the event.  
Our program series is supported by Portland State University's Institute for Asian Studies, Northwest China Council and Lan Su Chinese Garden.   All our programs are free and open to the public.