Fall 2026 Chinese Brush Painting Class with Henry Li Thursdays, October 8 – December 17, 2026 10 Weeks — No Class November 26 (Thanksgiving)
Choose the option that best fits your lifestyle—join us in person at the Joslyn Center, Alhambra Zoom , or study at your own pace with on-demand recordings .
Course Overview Celebrate the changing seasons—from the lingering warmth of early autumn to the festive spirit of the holidays—through the expressive art of Chinese brush painting.
This fall, our ten-week journey will unfold much like a seasonal handscroll. We begin with brilliant flowers, singing insects, and the rich colors of early autumn. As the weeks progress, we move through pumpkins, chrysanthemums, crabs, withered lotus, migrating geese, and misty mountains. Finally, as winter and the holiday season approach, we turn toward playful greeting-card paintings and glowing red persimmons filled with good wishes for the coming year.
Throughout the course, we will focus on expressive brushwork, simplification, composition, and the relationship between observation and imagination. Rather than becoming trapped by details, we will learn to recognize the essential character of a subject and express it through purposeful brushstrokes, ink, color, and negative space.
The course combines traditional Chinese seasonal subjects with familiar American autumn and holiday themes. Students will practice flowers and birds, insects, animals, still life, and landscape while developing greater confidence with ink, color, moisture control, expressive line, and spontaneous brushwork.
All skill levels are welcome.
Fall 2026 Tentative 10-Week Schedule Week Date Theme Focus 1 10/08 Trumpet Creeper (Lingxiao) — The Last Flame of Summer Begin with brilliant orange blossoms and twisting vines, practicing energetic calligraphic lines, clustered flowers, and rhythmic composition. 2 10/15 Okra Flower & Grasshopper (蟈蟈) — Sound of Autumn Paint luminous yellow blossoms and the lively autumn insect. Explore how a painting can suggest not only what we see, but what we can almost hear . 3 10/22 Blue Heron & Hibiscus — 一路榮華 Combine the elegant posture of a heron with autumn hibiscus in an auspicious bird-and-flower composition expressing prosperity along life's journey. 4 10/29 Golden Miniature Pumpkins — Gifts of Autumn Celebrate Halloween and the harvest season with charming small pumpkins, warm golden colors, rounded forms, stems, leaves, and trailing vines. 5 11/05 Chrysanthemums, Crabs & Wine — Autumn Delights Celebrate autumn at its fullest with blooming chrysanthemums, lively crabs, and a wine vessel—a traditional seasonal combination of abundance, friendship, and enjoyment. 6 11/12 Kingfisher & Withered Lotus — Autumn Reflections Contrast the jewel-like color of the kingfisher with curling dry leaves, seedpods, and broken lotus stems—the beauty of living color amid seasonal change. 7 11/19 Wild Goose & Reeds — Autumn Departure Use sweeping reed strokes, open sky, and the migrating goose to express wind, distance, movement, and the quiet departure of autumn. 11/26 No Class — Thanksgiving Enjoy the holiday! 8 12/03 Mountains Entering Winter — A Contemporary Ink Landscape Move toward a quieter visual language of mist, soft ink washes, simplified mountains, atmosphere, and generous negative space. 9 12/10 Panda & Goat — Holiday Greetings in Ink Create playful small-format paintings suitable for handmade holiday greeting cards while practicing expressive animal forms with economical brushwork. 10 12/17 Red Persimmons & Small Bird — 事事如意 End our season with glowing red persimmons and a cheerful bird. Celebrate the holidays with the auspicious wish 事事如意 — “May everything go as you wish.”
The schedule is tentative and may be adjusted according to class progress and seasonal inspiration.
The progression of the course is intentional: hear autumn → see autumn → celebrate autumn → watch autumn depart → enter winter → welcome warmth and good wishes again.
Chinese Brush Painting Supplies Checklist 3–5 Chinese Painting Brushes: Begin with a basic combination of soft, stiff, and small detail brushes.
Sumi Ink: Bottled liquid ink is convenient for class use. Traditional inkstick and inkstone may also be used.
Rice/Xuan Paper: Unsized or semi-sized Xuan paper is recommended for flower-and-bird painting. Mulberry and other absorbent papers may also be useful for landscape.
Watercolor Paints: Marie's Chinese painting colors, traditional Chinese pigments, artist-quality watercolor, or gouache are suitable.
Palette and Two White Ceramic Saucers: For mixing ink and colors and controlling moisture.
Two Water Containers: One for rinsing brushes and one for clean water.
Felt Pad: White or light-colored synthetic or wool felt provides a suitable working surface beneath the paper.
Paper Towels or Tissues: Essential for blotting brushes and controlling excess moisture.
Brush Rest: Helps protect brush tips and keeps the painting area organized.
Paper Weights: Useful for holding Xuan paper securely while painting.
Seal and Red Ink Paste (Optional): Students may begin with initials or a simple artist seal and consider a personalized Chinese name seal later.
Student Value Package For students who are new to Chinese brush painting, a curated starter package containing the basic supplies is also available through Blue Heron Arts.
From Autumn Color to Holiday Spirit Fall is a season of transformation. Flowers fade, insects sing, fruits ripen, geese depart, and mountains disappear into winter mist. Chinese painting teaches us not merely to record these changes, but to feel their rhythm and express their spirit through the brush.
As we approach Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year, our paintings will gradually turn from autumn reflection toward celebration and giving. We will create small works suitable for holiday greetings and conclude with brilliant red persimmons—a traditional image of abundance and an auspicious wish for everything to unfold according to our hopes.
Come paint the changing season with us. Let the brush breathe, let empty space speak, and let our final paintings of the year carry warmth, friendship, and good wishes into the holidays.
