Thursdays, January 8 – March 19, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM PST
Course Overview
Celebrate the coming Year of the Fire Horse while exploring the timeless art of Chinese brush painting with artist and instructor Henry Li. This 11‑week winter session blends classic landscape painting with flowers, birds, fish, and animals, emphasizing expressive brushwork, composition, and the philosophy of balance and harmony.
Whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced painter, Henry provides step‑by‑step techniques alongside historical and cultural context. The goal is to ensure every painting feels grounded in tradition yet personal to you. The class is welcoming, supportive, and paced so students can revisit core skills while trying more advanced, expressive approaches.
What You Will Learn
This term is designed to offer a well-rounded visual vocabulary, split evenly between majestic landscapes and intimate nature studies.
- Seasonal Flora: Use the "Four Gentlemen" (Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum) as foundations for brush control, focusing on the Plum Blossom for winter resilience and the Orchid for spring elegance.
- Birds, Fish, & Animals: Learn to paint hovering birds, swimming koi (symbols of abundance), and small animals, exploring gesture, volume, and character.
- Classic & Modern Landscapes: Progress from simple literati "scholar’s landscapes" to textured scenes, eventually exploring experimental ink-pouring or marbling inspired by 20th-century masters.
- The Year of the Fire Horse: To mark the Lunar New Year (Feb 17, 2026), we will explore auspicious horse motifs and symbolic New Year compositions.
- Technical Mastery: Master loading the brush with multiple tones, composing with "void and solid," integrating calligraphy, and finishing works suitable for mounting.
Format & Registration Options
Choose the option that fits your lifestyle:
Technical Mastery: Master loading the brush with multiple tones, composing with "void and solid," integrating calligraphy, and finishing works suitable for mounting.
The Year of the Fire Horse: To mark the Lunar New Year (Feb 17, 2026), we will explore auspicious horse motifs and symbolic New Year compositions.
Classic & Modern Landscapes: Progress from simple literati "scholar’s landscapes" to textured scenes, eventually exploring experimental ink-pouring or marbling inspired by 20th-century masters.
Birds, Fish, & Animals: Learn to paint hovering birds, swimming koi (symbols of abundance), and small animals, exploring gesture, volume, and character.
A Note on the Year of the Horse
While this Thursday class will feature celebratory horse motifs to honor the New Year, it will not cover deep anatomical studies. Students wishing to focus exclusively on spirited horse painting are invited to join Henry’s separate Monday evening course, “Ink and Watercolor: Horse.”
Supplies You’ll Need
Chinese brushes (soft, stiff, detail), sumi ink, Xuan or mulberry paper, watercolors or traditional pigments, palette, water containers, felt pad, paperweights, tissue, brush rest, seal (optional). Beginners can start with a Student Value Package.
Tentative Syllabus: Winter 2026 (11 Weeks)
This schedule is designed to transition from Winter to Spring, incorporating the Lunar New Year celebration.
Part I: Foundations & Winter Themes
- Week 1 (Jan 8): Winter Resilience – The Plum Blossom
- Focus on "Bone" strokes for branches and dotting techniques for blossoms.
- Theme: Strength in the cold.
- Week 2 (Jan 15): The Scholar’s Rock & Bamboo
- Introduction to landscape elements: Rock structures and utilizing the versatile bamboo stroke for foliage.
- Theme: Solidity and flexibility.
- Week 3 (Jan 22): Classic Landscape I – High Mountains
- Basic mountain composition (Host and Guest mountains) using hemp-fiber texture strokes.
- Theme: Establishing the "High Distance" perspective.
Part II: Life & Movement
- Week 4 (Jan 29): Winter Birds
- Painting small birds (sparrows or chickadees) perched on snowy branches or pine.
- Theme: Adding life to the stillness of winter.
- Week 5 (Feb 5): Abundance – Koi Fish & Water Plants
- Study of fish movement, transparency of fins, and water weeds.
- Theme: Preparation for prosperity (a common Lunar New Year wish).
Part III: The Lunar New Year Celebration
- Week 6 (Feb 12): Year of the Fire Horse Celebration
- Special Class: Creating a festive New Year composition featuring a stylized or "toy" horse and auspicious symbols (firecrackers, yellow plums).
- Theme: Joy, celebration, and the Fire element.
Part IV: The Arrival of Spring
- Week 7 (Feb 19): Spring Elegance – The Wild Orchid
- Fluid line quality for leaves and delicate calligraphy strokes for petals.
- Theme: Grace and the return of fragrance/spring.
- Week 8 (Feb 26): Classic Landscape II – Waterfalls & Streams
- Integrating moving water into landscapes; "void" (white space) as water.
- Theme: The spring thaw and energy flow (Qi).
Part V: Advanced Techniques & Composition
- Week 9 (Mar 5): Small Animals
- Rabbits or Squirrels: using the "split brush" technique for fur texture.
- Theme: Playfulness and animation.
- Week 10 (Mar 12): Modern Landscape – Splash Ink & Color
- Experimenting with the methods of Chang Dai-chien. Pouring ink and color for abstract mountains.
- Theme: Breaking tradition to find new forms.
- Week 11 (Mar 19): Grand Composition & Review
- Combining elements: Creating a finished landscape that includes a small figure, bird, or hut.
- Theme: Harmony of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Class wrap-up.
