October 5 - Japanese (Blue Flag) Iris with your choice of a bumble bee or a dragonfly.  This class's featured new brush is the Hummingbird brush.  If you have a large orchid bamboo brush, I can show you how to paint it with that too, but the Hummingbird does this better.   This is not one of the four Gentlemen, although it has similarities to the grass orchid.  You will have the choice of square or the larger 13x19 thickened half ripe white xuan paper (which I used) for this motif.  For the fall series, all the papers for classes 1-4 will be the size of the larger Big Bam folder.   This class is full.  Please apply for the waitlist or sign up for other classes.  If you have signed up for this class, please go to the supply shop and order your brushes (either to own or rentals) three days before class so that our start will be less chaotic.

November 2 - Purple Spider Chrysanthemum and Painted Lady Butterfly - Long Flowing goat, Hummingbird brush - This is an open-center style mum with spoon-shaped tips due to tubular petals.  The Hummingbird brush will do the mum this time, and give it a new look, and it is the featured brush.  The Long Flowing Goat is also featured for the stems and the butterfly. Your medium orchid bamboo makes the bamboo cane fence.  A beautiful half-sized mulberry landscape paper with natural fibers is used.   It's fun to use and gives the painting a rustic look.

 November 16 - Apple Blossom branch and Rose-breasted Grosbeak (a Spring through Fall bird).  We will use this thickened "antique" (beige)half-ripe xuan paper, which is very nice to use, identical behavior to the paper used for the Japanese Iris class, or your choice of other available colored papers, such as pale green Yunlong with pupi fibers, or gold mica flecked aqua xuan, all half ripe.  The featured brush is simply the Bee and Blossom, which painted the blossoms, buds, leaves, and the branches, and the bird.  Other than that, only the free hook and line brush was used, including its plastic dotting end. The bird is easy - we slide a pattern under the paper, Gongbi style, of a real bird from Warrenton, VA.   The Grosbeak is a bird that appears in the Spring with a large creamy beak. I've seen images of it with crabapples, and enjoy seeing it at my birdfeeder.  

November 30 - Chinese Signature Calligraphy and Seals (Please provide your preferred first name in advance for your custom calligraphy guide); it takes time and Thanksgiving coming right before this makes it busy.  This guide will help you pronounce your name and teach you how to write it.    You'll learn which size brush goes with which size square.  You will also get help getting started on creating your custom artistic name.  (If you already know your Chinese artistic name you can submit it if you prefer.)  You'll also learn about seal shapes, uses, seal placement, and seal paste.  This class is jam packed with info about these important and fascinating finishing touches.  This class can still be fantastic for all artists, as seals can be done in any language.  Please note; this is Monday, just a few days after Thanksgiving.  This is a fun class to bring a friend - suited to a total beginner.  I actually have at least one total beginner in almost every class.  No floaties required !  Just dive right in!

I will be painting poinsettas and other motifs on cold press watercolor greeting cards live.  Chinese art supplies and some of my paintings will be available.  This is a small arts and crafts/artisan fair/holiday market.