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THE LONDON CHINESE BRUSH PAINTERS’ GROUP
Newsletter
June 2013 The Chop above translates as ‘Share one’s Treasures’ the motto of our group!
www.londonchinesebrushpaintersgroup.co.uk
Swee Tan – Autumn Landscape and snowdrops
Autumn Landscape
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For this lovely landscape (see picture page 1) Swee started with the rocks around the waterfall,
outlining and shading as she painted in ink with a dryish brown brush. The lines of the falling water
were added with dry brush strokes. More rocks were added with different tones of ink, the ink
paler at the bottom of the waterfall to imply recession out of the picture (see picture bottom left).
Tree – start in the middle of the tree, with the branches and different tones of ink, and expand
upwards and downwards, add lots of pale branches at the sides and add darker ink to areas where
needed. Keep the character of the branches – these ones are fairly stunted so don’t make them
smooth.
You can add any elements you want to the picture but make sure you balance them in the picture.
Swee added houses to the right of the waterfall with pale trees behind,
Distant Mountain – outline in slightly paler ink and shade as you go, add dots in wetter ink, extend
the mountain right off the top of the paper. Add the rocks above the waterfall (see picture bottom
right).
Colour - Now leave to dry and then strengthen some areas with wetter ink. Mix burnt sienna and
ink for the shading of the lighter areas of the rocks in different tones – try out your colours first,
communicate with them before you add them to your picture. Now mix indigo and ink for the
darkest areas in the rocks – in some places add the indigo over the burnt sienna to harmonise. Add
more branches to the tree in burnt sienna and ink and for the trunks. Add distant trees, rooves of
houses and some more distant mountains, getting paler towards the bottom.
Waterfall – with indigo on a dry brush add a few lines to indicate the movement of the water, then
add water to the brush and place sidestrokes of pale colour on top.
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Leaves – mix vermillion and ink for a dark brown, fairly thick, and add leaves over the branches,
changing the tones. Mix green and ink for some of the leaves behind. Mix burnt sienna and ink – a
pale wash over some of the more distant trees. Use some dry brush strokes with this colour for the
rock texture at the edges of the painting.
Mix pale burnt sienna, indigo and ink and add in a dancing sidestroke over the distant mountains.
Add touches of vermillion and ink on some of the rocks, houses and where you feel necessary.
Swee says ‘ There is no right or wrong way to do things – just follow your heart’ – good advise for all
of us!
Snowdrop
The infinity effect in both the snowdrop and narcissus paintings are achieved in a number of ways.
There is a mix of more defined plants, with stronger tones, in the foreground and looser paler ones
in the background, also by overlapping the plants and by the indication of the path through the
flowers. Swee spent a long time building up the tones in this painting
Start by outlining as in the picture, above left, with a small brown brush and light ink. The basic
structure is a large central petal and two side petals, when seen from the side; the flower hangs
down from a stalk. Draw a group of heads first – a few more accurately then the rest looser and dry
brush outline for the more distant flowers and leaves. Add a few stalks and leaves but don’t draw
one set for each flower, suggestions of a stalk are better. The infinity effect is partly achieved by
using faint dry brush strokes to suggest of few petals in the distance. Paint some leaves stronger
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and some more faint. You are aiming for the feel of snowdrops rather than precise forms. Add
some wet ink blobs at the bottom.
Leaves - Mix mineral Blue, Green and Pthalocyanine Blue to make a greyish blue – to this add a little
yellow and then a little ink. Paint each leaf with one stroke, roughly within the outlines, adding a
few extra leaves that are not outlined. Add water to create different tones. For the more distant
leaves add more yellow and a little more water. Add the stems in dark green. Add the foreground
petals in white. Now add pale indigo over some of the leaves to strengthen them and fill in some of
the spaces and add a few more leaves above.Add yellow at the base of some of the petals and
green dots at the top of the flowers and some at the base of the plants.
Change to a large brown brush and mix a light ink wash and add this with side strokes at the base of
the plants and add dots of wet indigo. Now change to a wet pale mix of the original leaf colour and
add some loose leaf strokes above the existing leaves, add more water for tonal variation. Add
blobs of wet white on top of this to indicate distant plants. Now add a wash of very pale indigo at
the very top of the picture and indicate more distant petals with finger prints of white paint.
Narcissus
Narcissus symbolizes purity and is an important feature in Chinese New Year in the home.
Using a similar outline technique as above - paint the trumpet, 6 petals and 2 dots in the middle
(see picture above right). Now the rest of the technique is very similar to the snowdrop. Swee
created a lovely foreground on the picture above left (which hangs in her dining room). The picture
is a detail of a much longer picture. When the painting is finished wet the bottom with water and
loosely drop in a mix of rouge and ink, then prop the painting up to let it drip.
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Some interesting information from Janet Robinson, Peachy Chee and Mitsuko:
ISLINGTON CHINESE ASSOCIATION 21 Hatchard Road London N19 4NG
www.islingtonchinese.com
The Islington Chinese Association was created in 1986 to serve the local Chinese Community and
beyond. The CEO and co-founder is Lady Katy Tse Blair. In 2005 ICA received The Queen’s
Award for Voluntary Service. Five years ago ICA moved to their current premises in the St.
Gabriel’s building in Hatchard Road. The Association is run by unsung heroes and indefatigable
volunteers as a recreation centre for the Chinese Community and promoting well-being for the
disadvantaged.
This is a vibrant friendly place with a wide variety of activities: from providing breakfasts for the
homeless to aerobics, Tai Chi, dance, Kara-oke, Mah-jong, badminton, table-tennis, including once-
a-week (Wednesdays) Chinese Calligraphy sessions with William Wu (mornings) and Chinese
Painting Classes with William Cai (afternoons). Annual Membership is £5 with a further modest fee
for activities on a “pay as you go” basis – i.e. £1 for one and a half hours Calligraphy and £5 for 2
hours Painting – Definitely Value for Money! William Wu has won international awards for his
calligraphy – his skill with the brush is amazing. William Cai’s paintings are some of the best we
have seen over here with a skilled and well studied eye for composition and depth.
During the February celebrations for the Chinese New Year which was attended by the Deputy
Mayor of Islington and a few Councillors of the Borough, a free vegetarian lunch for all was offered
by the Tzu Chi Foundation and a colourful programme was provided including a lion dance, tai chi,
martial arts and solo musical performances together with an exhibition of Chinese Painting and
Calligraphy by students and tutors of the Islington Chinese Association (see pictures below). Many
visitors and VIPs, amongst them Frances Wood of the British Museum Library, Chinese
Department, were surprised and impressed by the high standard of the students’ paintings – full
marks to both Williams!
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Janet Robinson also sends us an idea of a place to visit over the summer:
FROGMORE PAPER MILL
www.thepapertrail.org.uk
Fourdrinier Way
Apsley
Hemel Hempstead, Herts.
Tel: 01442 234600
Open Summer Mon-Fri 10:30-4:30 / 2nd and last Sundays of the month 11-4.
Winter as above, but closed on Mondays & Fridays. Admission Adults £6.60 / Conc. £5.60
This working museum is situated not far from the A41 and is worth a visit. They have a lovely selection
of unsized thickish paper with flecks of denim, petals, straw, fibres, as well as spiral bound sketch
books (A3 & A4) at more than reasonable prices. These papers are great for Chinese Calligraphy -
thick, absorbent and decorative! I haven't yet tried painting on them - should be good for brush strokes,
but am not sure about "spreadability" of colour washes - too much wet worked in may well destroy the
paper surface. Also I don't know the long term achival properties of the paper itself. I have noticed that
this paper tends to buckle if too much water is applied. This can be sorted by blotting off excess water
with paper towel - place thick clean card under the paper, smooth t-towel on top and heavy weights
(several books) - leave until the next day and all should be well !
Below are photos of the A4 sketchbook which I am using to catalogue all the phrases and poems I have
learnt over the last couple of years.
Thanks to Janet for the great ideas and lovely calligraphy....
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Money raised for our Charities, Starlight and Animals Asia
From February to June inclusive we raised a total of £135.59 for our two
charities and the money will be split between them – thanks again for all
your generosity ( see below for more details of our charities)
Pictures on the website
There are lots of lovely inspirational pictures from members on our website now – thanks to all
who have sent them in – have a look: www.londonchinesebrushpaintersgroup.co.uk
Reiko Hara has given us details of this exciting exhibition at the end of the year:
Masterpieces of Chinese Painting 700 - 1900: Exhibition at the V&A
26 October 2013 - 19 January 2014
Presenting one of the world’s greatest artistic traditions, Masterpieces of Chinese Painting 700
- 1900 will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see rare surviving works of art drawn from
collections around the world. Explore over 70 of the finest examples of Chinese painting, from
small-scale intimate works by monks and literati through to a 14 metre-long scroll painting,
many of which are shown together for the first time.
Charting the evolving styles and subjects of painting over a 1200 year period, the exhibition
includes figure paintings on silk for religious sites, landscape painting and the introduction of
Western influences. A significant number of these masterpieces have never been exhibited in
the UK before, from banners, albums and scrolls created for a variety of settings to the
materials that reveal the traditional process and techniques of painting on silk.
More info at : http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/masterpieces-of-chinese-painting/
Remember – no workshops in July and August!!
Please note date change in December from the 14th
to the 7th
– please amend your
diaries now!
The next LCBPG meeting is on September 14th with Shuhua Jin demonstrating Please note new address to send your cheques to book for the workshop, otherwise the procedure remains the same– please send your cheques to Stella to book your place at the address below : Cheques payable to ‘The London Chinese Brush Painters’ Group’
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Stella Steveni 23 Boldmere Road Eastcote Pinner HA5 1PJ e-mail [email protected] Just to remind members that you have to book and pay in advance as places are
limited and workshops are very popular, even though we now have the big hall
booked for the next few workshops and we can now accommodate 24 people. This
still means that you need to get your cheques to Stella well in advance. Booking is
on a first come first served basis. Once Stella has received 24 cheques the workshop
is full but you can go on the waiting list. If you can book for several workshops in
advance so much the better.
If you are unable to attend a workshop you must let Stella know in good time
otherwise your payment will not be refundable.
Future Workshops (full information in the annual programme Norma sent you
in December):
September 14 Shuhua Jin (a new tutor for us)
October 12 Maggie Cross
November 9 Phoebe Lin (a new tutor for us)
December 7 Our usual Xmas get together - free to members this year
again.
Workshops are held on the 2nd
Saturday of the month except July and August.
Note exception this December!
Workshop times are 10.30 prompt start till 4.30
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Tea and coffee is free at the workshops but individual donations to the Animals
Asia charity and Starlight would be welcome.
Starlight brightens the lives of seriously and terminally
ill children to distract children from the pain, fear and
isolation they can often feel as
a result of their illnesses.
Animals Asia work to free the lovely Moon Bears kept in
barbaric conditions in the ‘bile farms’ in China and
South East Asia. They also provide sanctuaries for these
beautiful animals.
If you have any articles, dates for exhibitions or courses etc. for the newsletter please send
them to Fiona at [email protected]
The images in this newsletter are the copyright and property of the artists and should
not be copied without the permission of the artists
For further information about the Group please contact our membership secretary, Norma Kennedy Tel 01462 678982 email- [email protected]
The other committee members are;
Anush Sarkissian (Chairman and Treasurer ) [email protected]
Judy Wright (Committee member) [email protected]
Stella Steveni ( soon to be Treasurer) [email protected]
Anne King (Committee member) [email protected]
Hakima Fosdike (Committee member) [email protected]
