Chinese Brush Painting is completely different from anything we've seen demonstrated before. Katrina began by telling us a little about its rich history, which dates back many thousands of years, and the two main traditional styles - the meticulous and free brush. The meticulous style uses outline and blended washes to achieve a realism that tries to express the harmony of nature. The free brush style is simple and spontaneous. The diagramme gives a brief summary of the history and the principles that lie behind this rich tradition.
If the diagramme is too small to read then you can find more information about Chinese Brush Painting on the
Chinese Brush Painters Society website and on
Wikipedia.
You can see more of Katrina's work on show at Ross Market House. Take a look at the
Made in Ross website and at her own website
www.maistra.co.uk
One major difference from most western art is that the paintings lack perspective and shadows.
The ink used in the form of a solid stick which has to be ground in an ink stone. A little water is added to the well of the mixing stone before grinding. The intensity of the ink will depend on the amount of water. The intensity of the ink in the brush is tested on a white ceramic tile before making marks on the paper.
The nature of the marks will depend not only on the type of stroke made but also type of paper used. Note how the paper is held down by brass paper weights. The paper is also laid onto felt.
