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In Chinese characters the word fish began almost with a picture of a fish in the oldest form of the word.

As time advanced, a more abstract word replaced it which became the cursive word used by artists writing in Chinese.

Practicing Chinese calligraphy is done with a grid to teach the artist the correct position of the brush strokes.

When you write, begin with lots of black ink on your brush.

Oi Yee Tai demonstrated calligraphy for the fish and how the brush strokes can be usefully applied to paintings later.

Calligraphy is itself an art form in which the brush strokes are as much a part of the art as the words.

Oi Yee Tai then showed some scrolls of her fish in preparation for her demonstration.

Begin with the structure of the fish. Oi Yee Tai’s fish was twisted in a life like way.

Fins like the dorsal fin and tail were added. Oi Yee Tai reminded artists that not all fins will be shown in a painting.

The eye requires some thought using grey, black ink and some circles. Use white to indicate reflecting light. Scales follow a pattern and are similar in size.

Oi Yee Tai returned to her fish.

Scales were added using a smaller brush.

Shading can be added with a larger brush spreading a grey tone over the scales

The eye is carefully painted with a small brush. Take your time working on precise details like the eye.

Oi Yee Tai added some ink splashing effects to make the painting more lively.

The result was a fish jumping off the page.

Oi Yee Tai checked the eye one more time.

Artists created their own fish with help from Oi Yee Tai’s handouts.

Creating a life like fish is challenging.

Oi Yee Tai’s fish is almost upright as it leaps from the water.

The idea is to create a work of art that expresses the dynamic natural world of rivers and seas.

You can learn more about Oi Yee Tai on her website.

Artists and art lovers treasured every minute of their time with many significant works of sumi-e art in this year’s show.

Art filled every space in the room.

Art engages people.

This year’s Ruth Yamada award was given by judge Po Man Chan to Teruko Davis for her Pine Tree. Po Man Chan commented::

Beautifully executed brushwork that captures the quiet elegance of the pine tree under moonlight. The simplicity of composition and confident use of ink convey both strength and serenity. A very creative interpretation that evokes a tranquil woodland atmosphere. Excellent work — well done!

An Honourable Mention was awarded to Connie Bist for her painting Snail on the Way. Po Man Chan noted:

Confident brushwork combines strength and softness to beautifully depict the snail’s form. The delicate strokes convey an appreciation for the quiet beauty and grace found in small, often-overlooked moments of nature. A gentle and thoughtful piece — well done.

An Honourable Mention went to Marilena Isacescu Carlea for her work Rocks and Pine Trees at Georgian Bay. Po Man Chan said:

Bold and expressive brushwork beautifully conveys the strength and character of the rocks and pine trees. The piece captures the essence of the Georgian Bay landscape with clarity and spirit, evoking the rugged beauty of the Canadian wilderness. Excellent interpretation of nature’s resilience.

Azra Rashid was given an Honourable Mention for Grand Dame of Autumn. Po Man Chan commented:

A graceful depiction of the autumn sunflower- the subtle shimmer on the petals adds a delicate touch of warmth and elegance. The composition captures both the strength and fleeting beauty of the season. Lovely work. Beautifully done!

It’s a Dangerous World Out There by Oi Yee Tai received an Honourable Mention. Po Man Chan noted:

The fish are depicted with striking simplicity and lively energy — a wonderful expression of the essence of sumi-e. Each brushstroke feels purposeful and fluid, capturing both motion and emotion. Beautifully executed and full of spirit.

Intense discussions were common at this sumi-e art show.

Young and old were attracted to the many subjects on display.

It was an art show for everyone.

Art can be contemplative.

Demonstrators like Junko Adachi showed visitors how sumi-e art is created.

Diana Bullock’s flower created with surprising tools like a feather caught the eye of art gallery visitors.

Cards and books created by sumi-e artists were sold to many.

An ikebana by Betty Lou Arai greeted those entering the show.

A tea room organized by Linda Nakatsu and helpers offered a place to chat.

The art at this show led to many discussions.

The art also creates a state of wonder. Inspired by this sumi-e art show, artists and visitors knew that they would be returning next year for more inspiration.

Diana Bullock began by working in black ink to show the outline of the body, legs, wings and many parts to each insect.

Diana created a handout with the bugs we most often meet.

Each bug is unique, a miniature study all by itself.

You can begin a snail using the circular enso symbol.

Colour can be added later to the black ink insects to create vivid bees, fireflies and butterflies.

A ladybug in red, for example, will stand out in a painting.

Then the artists with help from the handouts began to paint their insects.

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Diana Bullock offered some advice to the bug creators.

Butterflies fascinated several artists.

Dragonflies and snails are insects that entertain artists.

Use a side brush to create wings that are semitransparent.

Ants were another favourite bug.

Diana Bullock returned to show how to use bugs in a composition. Artists were interested in her notebooks where ideas are noted.

When an idea arrives, capture the sketch on a notebook page Diana Bullock advises.

Adding insects to flowers and leaves is a way of improving your paintings with a slight but significant addition.

A ladybug on a leaf makes the leaf much more interesting.

Fireflies bring even more life to the painting.

Artists put their works up on the wall.

This beetle and butterfly could be friends.

A collection of ants, snails, dragonflies and butterflies made an energetic painting.

A ladybug added another dimension to this plant.

These butterflies flew off the page.

Diana Bullock found a lot to admire in the creation of these little creatures.

One slight improvement was to add a white dot for the eyes.

Dragonflies seemed to be looking back at you with this update.

Snails too seemed more alive with just some white for their eyes.

Diana Bullock liked the liveliness of these butterflies.

You can learn more about Diana Bullock in the Resources section.

Create a leaf with the side brush.

In autumn, use a variety of colours to make a vivid painting.

Branches created in straight brush strokes, stems and veins in the leaves added structure to Po Man Chan’s painting.

Po Man Chan added more leaves in different sizes to develop the composition of the painting.

The painting had a balance of sizes and colours of leaves. The branches tied the work together.

Examples of leaves from other noted artists were helpful to the artists attending the workshop.

Artists started working on their leaves with Po Man Chan’s help.

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Sometimes the adjustment of a brush stroke can make a painting head in the direction that the artist wants.

Po Man Chan returned to focus on the squirrel.

Begin with the head.

Then the body and tail will follow in the right proportions.

Another squirrel was started in a brown colour.

Leave space between the sections of the squirrel’s body.

Two playful squirrels emerged.

Artists watched Po Man Chan paint the details of the squirrel.

Use a fine brush when creating the details of the squirrel like the eye, ears and paws.

Small straight lines create the fur.

An artist painted these expressive fall leaves.

This artist created a sweeping composition of branches and leaves.

A real leaf inspired this artist to create similar leaves.

We gathered for a photo, then returned to paint more autumn scenes inspired by Po Man Chan.

It takes so long to receive a seal it seems. Then one day your seal arrives and you find yourself discussing your art with others as Sook Park discovered.

One helpful friend along the way for many artists has been Neli Iordanova, who prepared Sook Park for this day. Sook Park’s paintings of pines were from places preserved in South Korea, a country known for its pine trees.

Laura Beaton provided the gathering at the graduation with her thoughts on the many years of development for an artist – a journey with no end.

Sook Park had her own summary of her sumi-e painting journey, and shared this with us.

A fascinating story for the families and artists attending the graduation.

Even a granddaughter wanted to be at this graduation.

The graduation ceremony included flowers and snacks.

Adding your seal to the Sumi-e Artists of Canada collection attracts onlookers.

Sook Park added her seal with help from Neli Iordanova.

We look forward to years of paintings by Sook Park.

Roslyn Levin began her workshop by demonstrating how to wet mount your own sumi-e art.

Remember to use acid free glue when mounting your art. Roslyn recommends you label the brush you use for adding the glue.

For mounting your art to a wood block frame, add the glue to the back of your art and then add the backing paper.

Then add glue to the backing paper.

Place the backing paper onto the wood block to dry

To mount your art for a traditional glass or plexiglass frame, the process is similar.

Before putting your backing paper with your art onto a board to dry, put glue around the edges which will glue the backing paper to the board. Then insert a straw and blow into it to add some air between the backing paper and the board.

While the wet mounted art was drying, Roslyn Levin turned to the cardinal.

Cardinals are often painted as a pair of male and female birds.

Roslyn Levin uses a medium size brush with a little ink on it.

Start with the distinctive crest at the top of the head.

Then add the beak.

Roslyn Levin then added the body and tail feathers of the male. Note that Roslyn paints the feathers with a dry brush. Be careful not to have too much water on the brush or you will lose the definition of the bird.

The branch is added in one brush stroke with pulsing movements.

The female follows a similar pattern to the male.

Then it was our turn with handouts from Roslyn Levin.

Help from Roslyn encouraged the artists to develop their own cardinals.

Roslyn returned to show how to finish the mounted art that had dried. For the art on a wood block, use sandpaper to remove the edges.

Roslyn Levin adds a protective coating to the surface of her art on a wood block.

Art for a glass or plexiglass frame is cut out with a sharp knife.

Colouring the cardinal completed Roslyn Levin’s workshop.

Start with the crest of the male. Use a dry brush with a little red ink.

The female is a blend of yellow and red.

The result is a pair of unforgettable cardinals.

Roslyn Levin’s book demonstrates her techniques including wet mounting.

You can learn more about Roslyn Levin in the links section.

Tien Chang showed his sketches that he uses to understand the structure of the orchid.

The final result as a large painting, Tien Chang also showed.

The painting the artists would do at the workshop was a more manageable size.

An orchid at the workshop would help the attending artists.

The orchid flower is the technical challenge of an orchid painting.

Tien Chang started with an outline of a single orchid flower.

It has three petals. They are layered, some petals behind others.

Tien Chang painted the background petals in a light gray.

Then Tien Chang added more views of the orchid flower including using the whole brush to paint an entire petal.

He answered questions from the artists as he painted.

There are several flowers in an orchid plant.

Tien Chang showed how to create this row of orchid flowers.

The row of orchid flowers are attached by one stem.

Colour can be used on the darker, inner part of each orchid flower.

Tien Chang demonstrated painting the broad leaves.

He also showed the stem, created in a continuous brush stroke.

Handouts from Tien Chang would help the artists paint their orchids.

Everyone likes painting orchids especially with help from Tien Chang.

The handouts and the lesson from watching Tien Chang led to many orchid paintings.

Painting an orchid requires one’s complete attention.

Then we took a look at everone’s orchid paintings.

Tien Chang was impressed with all of the works by the artists.

We wanted one more photo of Tien Chang’s orchid.

Tien Chang brought his book of horse paintings.

You can buy this book and learn more about Tien Chang at his website listed in our Resources section.
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When William Ho demonstrated painting the banana plant leaf, he created the leaf quickly starting from the end of the leaf.

Understanding the leaf structure is the key to painting the banana plant leaf. The stem is painted in two parts not a continous line. The squares in this outline are leaf sections and these sections are painted in one stroke with the side of the brush.

Our first attempts were a close representation to what William Ho created.

Working on the banana plant leaf is an exercise in contemplation.

An artist who is left handed often would paint the leaf in the opposite direction from an artist who is right handed.

William Ho helped each artist in the workshop.

Approximately 10 to 12 brush strokes paint the banana plant leaf, creating a vital, living leaf with these strokes. Beginning at the end, create the largest leaf sections in about 6 strokes with the side of a large brush. Then another 4 sections for the inner part of the leaf closest to the banana plant. Two more brush strokes with the point of the brush add the stem.

This outline shows the big leaf sections on the outer leaf, the smaller leaf sections closer to the banana plant, and the stem that holds this big, heavy leaf.

The leaf can be painted from right to left, or from left to right.

Regardless of the direction, think about the structure of the banana plant leaf.

William Ho offered a personal approach to understanding the brush strokes next.

William Ho put the artist’s hand in his and painted the leaf.

Then the artist created the leaf in a direct learning approach.

The result was a leaf close to William Ho’s leaf.

We had time for a photo of our banana leaf artists.

You can learn more about William Ho in our Resources section.
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A more playful symbol brought by Baoxing Zhang was a toy snake.

Baoxing Zhang began by demonstrating the Chinese characters for the snake.

The head of the snake is like a diamond.

Scales on the head of the snake are different from the scales on the body.

The eye is a slit similar to a cat’s eye.

Baoxing Zhang created the curving body of the snake.

The body of the snake twists as it moves. The top of the snake has scales but the belly is ribbed.

The tongue is red and the belly is yellow.

Baoxing Zhang added these colours to his snake.

Another snake was made in one brush stroke.

The open mouth of a snake often indicates an attack.

Baoxing Zhang painted a curling snake.

Then he added the bamboo that it was curled about.

Artists began painting their own snakes with help from Baoxing Zhang.

The snake fascinates and challenges artists.

Baoxing Zhang returned to demonstrate a bamboo shoot with green paint on the brush and black ink on the edges to create a round bamboo shoot.

Bamboo leaves vary depending on the number of stems.

Then Baoxing Zhang added the bamboo leaves.

A snake climbed the bamboo.

Artists could continue painting the snake with help from Baoxing Zhang’s paintings.

This coiled snake struck a thoughtful pose.

These slithering snakes provided a more contemplative view of the snake.

Baoxing Zhang created a snake with a single stroke using the hake brush.

Vibrate the brush as you paint the snake body.

Use a medium brush to paint the features of the head.

A remarkable painting of a snake.

You can learn more about Baoxing Zhang in the Resources section.

Think blobs when you first paint people, especially children, said Gary Bist.

Using a side brush, a building with large window panes was created.

With a single stroke create boys and girls by thinking of boys as shoulders and girls as hips; that is, start the tip of the brush stroke at the bottom for boys and start the tip of the brush stroke at the top for girls.

The idea with children is to create the spontaneity of a group of children. Children come in a variety of sizes and are usually sub grouped into clusters of friends.

The background on a city street is filled with common elements like trucks and cars.

Trees, the curb of the sidewalk, and other city elements like birds perched on ledges and recycling bins add to an effective urban scene.

Each building has a story tied to the time it was built. An older building with a clock and a peaked roof is found in many cities.

Street lights, balconies, windows, street level stores bring vital details to your street scene.

Painting children leads to smiles in artists.

Take a moment to think about your particular scene.

This group of people captured the variety of motion, sizes and jumble of humanity found at street crosswalks.

Gary Bist returned to work with more detailed figures.

Create detailed people with a small fine brush.

Colour added to the coats of the children and the teachers guiding them makes them stand out.

Additions to the children make them unique such as hats with ears and cell phones.

Painting people can be a humorous experience.

Street lights, cars, windows, flying birds, pigeons on the ground create a painting in the city. Don’t forget other distant people in small clusters on the street scurrying to work and stores.

A hake brush is one way to paint tall buildings. Consider tapping a brush with coloured ink to add blowing leaves or garbage. The side brush with a wash of light gray ink can add fog or smog.

Creating small yet defined people against a larger panorama can be found in Sesshu’s long scroll, painted in 1486.

A Christmas card showed how a townhouse can be distinguished by some observations like a wreath, bird house, squirrel and decorations.

The artists worked on their second more detailed city scene.

Sketching people with a pencil or charcoal stick lets you experiment with an interactive group.

The artists posted their creations on a wall.

Lots of small yet dynamic characters amid common city elements we see every day made this workshop a compelling look at our surroundings..

The city landscape can be as fascinating and challenging as the natural one.

Gary Bist is President of Sumi-e Artists of Canada.