Shao Yan produces ink paintings that draw from the Chinese calligraphic tradition. Focusing on form and privileging the abstract expression of his mark over the legibility of characters, Shao is considered a practitioner of modernist calligraphy whose characteristics share elements with the basic tenets of Western modernism. Often working on monumental sheets of Xuan paper, Shao applies ink in various consistencies. In recent years the artist has paid particular attention to the application of water to his paintings, and has experimented with other implements, such as syringes, to apply his materials.