Jessica Tai explores the beautiful intricacies of traditional Chinese arts - knotting and brush painting - in her Brooklyn-based studio, C Line Creations. Both of her parents are from Taiwan, and Jessica took up these art forms as a teenager after watching her mother paint throughout her childhood.

Jessica recalls, "Under the deliberate strokes of her brushes, delicate and breathtaking works of art emerged. I remember the pleasure and sense of calm that radiated from her as she painted."

C Line Creations, aptly named for her studio/apartment off of the C subway line in Brooklyn, offers original Chinese brush paintings, hand-painted cards, knotted jewelry and hair accessories, and decorative knotting for home decor.

Where do you go, or what do you do, to get inspired to create?

I get inspiration from just about everywhere! I may walk past a garden and see cherry blossoms in bloom and think that they would make a perfect subject for a painting.

I may see someone's outfit on the subway and immediately want to create a knotted accessory with that color combination. Someone may show me a photograph from a vacation that inspires a new painted landscape.

How have your life experiences influenced your artwork?

Having close ties to my family in Taiwan has given me an appreciation for Chinese culture. That is the single influence that has led to my immersion in Chinese arts.

Being born and growing up in the States has definitely influenced me to tweak that art and modernize it a bit, while still retaining most of the traditional feel.

While still creating Chinese brush paintings and ornamental knottings, I have also applied those techniques to create painted cards, as well as knotted accessories and jewelry. It's a bit of East meets West, traditional meets modern.

Why do you choose nature, especially flowers, as a recurring theme in your work?

Nature and flowers can have such an ethereal beauty to them, which I love to recreate through painting. Additionally, traditional Chinese brush painting has a very light and tranquil style, which allows me to really capture that sense of beauty through those themes.

From your perspective as an artist, what is the historical and cultural significance of Chinese knotting and brush painting?

When I was younger, I dabbled in many different types of art, both Western and Eastern. However, I was always drawn to Chinese arts because of what they mean to myself and my family. My parents immigrated to the States from Taiwan after they graduated from college, but since most of my extended family still resides there, we retain very strong ties to Taiwan.

Through painting and knotting, I feel like I can recreate some of that culture here in Brooklyn, and bring that bit of Chinese culture to other people to enjoy through art.

Who are your favorite artists?

I've always been intrigued by Salvador Dali, ever since I first saw his "The Persistence of Memory" - that well-known painting of melting clocks. Surrealism is clearly a far cry from the traditional Chinese brush painting that I do, but I think it's extremely interesting how much meaning can be put into surreal scenes from the imagination.

What other outlets for creative expression interest you?

I dabbled in ceramics a bit in high school, because I think that some of the forms that you see of bowls, vases, etc., are absolutely stunning. I would love to be able to create ceramic works of art! Unfortunately, the pieces that came off my stint at the pottery wheel were all depressingly lopsided. So for now, I stick to painting and knotting.

I'm also intrigued by glasswork, so if the opportunity arises, I'd love to learn more about it sometime in the future.

What is the biggest challenge you've faced in your work?

I think the biggest challenge I've had with Chinese brush painting is the fact that mistakes can't be corrected. I suppose this is really an ongoing challege. Since these paintings are done with watercolors, once the paint hits the rice paper, there's no going back - there's no way to paint over it. I can't even count the number of times that I've crumpled up a painting in frustration and had to start again from scratch!

In terms of Chinese knotting, it's a similar challenge. Because each knot is created with one continuous cord, if one tiny bit of it is miswoven at some point and I don't catch it until later, more often than not I'll have to undo the entire knot and start again!

In terms of right now, the biggest challenge I'm currently having is space. I'd love to have my own studio someday, but for now I make do with any free surfaces in my Brooklyn apartment.

What piece of art are you most proud of, and why?

I am most proud of the Mountain Scene painting seen here. This type of landscape painting requires many layers of ink and color, and so it needs a lot of patience! With this particular painting, it evolved to exactly how I envisioned it. I love that it is majestic and serene, profound and tranquil.

Jessica Tai's work is available at:

http://www.clinecreations.etsy.com