Japanese Brush Painting

Take a journey into the meditative world of Japanese ink painting or Sumie. You'll explore the traditional, contemporary and creative styles of Oriental brush painting and how to work with the four treasures: ink, inkstone, brushes and papers.

Riki will teach you the brush strokes needed to express the essence of four plants: Bamboo, Orchid, Blossoms and Chrysanthemums. You’ll practice calligraphy with brush and ink on rice paper to build experience brush skills and design.

Riki will teach you the traditional process of stretching a painting onto another sheet of rice paper to make the artwork more durable and ready for display and framing.

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Course Info

Creative and contemporary brush painting and mark-making will be encouraged. You’ll also use some of your painted papers to create collage on canvas.

An extensive Oriental library will be available for you to research and familiarise yourself with various styles.

Day One

The equipment of the Oriental studio: ink, brushes and rice papers. Basic calligraphy strokes and the classic subject of Bamboo.

 

Day Two

Making ink, calligraphy practice, Blossoms in a variety of styles. Signing paintings and developing your own signature.

 

Day Three

Makings ink, calligraphy practice, Orchid. A demonstration of the traditional method of stretching rice paper. Students can choose to stretch their artwork.

 

Day Four

Making ink, calligraphy practice, Chrysanthemum. signing paintings, stretching artworks. Students will collage painted papers onto canvas – this can be realistic, semi abstract or abstract.

 

Day Five

Write a final piece of calligraphy, review the week and time for questions. Students will finish their canvas and stretch their artworks, ready to take home.

No experience is necessary – for beginner to intermediate level artists

All equipment and materials are provided for a cost of $35, payable to the tutor on the first day.

If you have your own equipment for ink brush painting please bring it along!

Camper feedback

Our teacher, Riki Allsop, was excellent! So encouraging, so creative in approach, her demonstrations of technique - we literally stopped breathing as she showed us a form to practice. And yet, so modest a person. Just excellent.
Riki is an excellent teacher, and creates an inclusive, encouraging and creative atmosphere in the class. She is very generous with her time, information, and extra materials which she brought in to extend our ability to develop the medium. We enjoyed the week greatly, and would do it again.
Riki is an excellent and generous tutor. We covered a great deal of material and techniques. The class atmosphere was wonderful.
Many varied techniques, great tuition, room for experimentation, learning how to stetch and mount finished works, friendly group.
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Riki Allsop
Course Tutor

Riki Allsop

Riki happily shares her skills and joy of Japanese brush painting, Sumie.

Riki was born and grew up in Austria, and she found her passion for Oriental ink painting in the 1980s in Japan. She studied textiles and art at Nakayama Kobo in Tokyo, Japan and also with various artists in Australia and Japan, including Richard Liddicut, Andre Sollier, Kyoko Onagi, Andrew Lo and Iseko Arai.

She is an Australian Chinese Painting Society member and has had solo and group exhibitions in Australia, Europe, Japan and South America.

She has over thirty years of experience teaching Japanese brush painting in various settings – weekly classes, art groups, art projects, workshops and Camp Creative. She enjoys teaching – students always inspire her and her art practice.

Riki is passionate about Oriental ink painting and is a practising artist involved in local and international art projects.
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