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The Four Gentlemen of Chinese Painting, Virginia Style
Presented by Ruth Ward, Blue Ridge Chinese Brush
Four Saturday workshops in the Blandy Library, one month apart, this summer 2026
Morning: 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. * Lunch break * Afternoon add-on 1:00–3:45 p.m.
Learn the foundational Four Gentlemen of Chinese Brush Painting in xieyi (expressive freestyle) each morning. Afternoon sessions are optional add‑ons which expand upon the morning and help solidify the stroke patterns. Morning lesson only: $35; Full day (morning + afternoon): $55. The add-on classes may not cover all topics, depending on the flow of the class and the number of persons attending. But we will definitely try.
Click here for the class calendar. You can add these links to your calendar.
June 6 – Grass Orchid (Spring Gentleman)
Morning: Get all set up with your supplies. Learn how to make different shades of ink, and control ink on raw xuan. Practice the strokes for the leaves and the flowers, then complete the graceful, feminine Grass Orchid motif in ink, then in color on semi-raw xuan. (color version shown on raw xuan). REGISTRATION NOW OPEN HERE
June 6 Afternoon Add-on: Spring Sisters $20 payable at event
June 6 Afternoon Add-on: Spring Sisters $20 payable at event
Local sister flowers to the grass orchid, painted with the same two brushes as the morning class.
Blandy’s Chinese Ground Orchid (Hyacinth Orchid), a more complex version of the grass orchid.
The stunning Yellow Trout Lily, based on photos by local hikers.
Ephemeral Spring Beauty (Claytonia) shown here on semi-sized bamboo xuan. This painting is based on a photo by my hiker and artist friend Barb Tanner who also paints and sketches with me.
This course is paid in person on the day of event and is only available to those who took the morning class.
July 11 – Bamboo (Summer Gentleman)
Morning: Paint timeless bamboo leaves, nodes, branches, and trunks in black ink in a classic manner. Then get creative with magical black‑and‑gold ink.
Afternoon add‑on: Summer warm green bamboo with vermilion and irridescent gold with the bamboo-loving katydid (leaf bug), and winter jade bamboo with snow.
August 8 – Chrysanthemum (Fall Gentleman)
Morning: Learn traditional simple daisy mums and buds, and leaves in ink, plus a small butterfly. Then explore the curled, showy Chinese chrysanthemum in cinnabar with veined leaves in color.
Afternoon add‑on: Local meadow flowers in the aster family, such as coneflower, cosmos, woodland purple aster, cricket
September 12 – Plum Blossom (Winter Gentleman)
Morning: Paint the plum blossom motif shapes; rustic branches, soft petals, pistils and dots, then combine ink and color in the same painting.
Afternoon add‑on: Blandy’s yellow cornelian cherry with touches of iridescent gold ink, Eastern Bluebird, Mason bees, time willing, winter aconite, snowdrop.
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