Chinese Brush Painting and Calligraphy

You have the choice to focus on Brush Painting, or Calligraphy, or both.

Adults (13+, 18+, Sr.), Tuesdays 7-9pm, October 8, 15, 22, 29
Junior Artists (ages 10-17), Tuesdays 6-8pm, Nov 5, 12, 19, 26

In this class, students of all ages are welcome to discover the secrets to the beautiful, ancient art form of Chinese brush painting and calligraphy. They will get to know the special materials and tools used in Chinese painting and calligraphy such as brushes, paper, ink, ink stick, ink stone, and the natural pigments for Chinese painting. From handling the bushes to executing basic strokes, they will learn the basic brush-and–ink techniques used to produce Chinese art.  With step-by-step guiding, they will practice to create each of the four classic motifs, namely, the Four Gentlemen (the plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum), as well as a range of other flowers such as lotus, magnolia, peony and some birds.

In this class, students will also learn the the basic the materials and skills used in Chinese calligraphy. Having some basic knowledge and techniques of Chinese calligraphy is important and necessary for anyone interested in Chinese brush painting, as both developed from the same source, both required the mastering of brush-and-ink techniques, and especially, as many Chinese painting strokes were developed from calligraphic strokes. The relationship between Chinese painting and calligraphy is still apparent today: a painting is not complete if  it does not embody a piece of poetry, the calligraphy used to transcribe it, and the artist’s  signature or seal (which is inscribed with the artist’s name in ancient form of Chinese characters). And if you are more interested in calligraphy, you can focus on learning and practicing calligraphy in this class as your choice. This will lead you to explore the elegant world of Chinese calligraphy, which is viewed as the supreme visual art form surpassing painting, sculpture, ceramics and poetry, and influences every aspect of Chinese life.

Kate (Keying Wu)

Kate is a scholar in Chinese language and Ancient Chinese writing/script, who has been learning and practicing Chinese calligraphy and Chinese brush painting with private tutors for more than 20 years. It’s a privilege to have her expertise among us to inspire students to this fine art.