Tapsa at Maisan in Chinese Ink

Two weeks ago I joined a Korean landscape painting group, Wolyeonhoe, with perhaps 30 members. I'm not sure really how many are in the group yet, but they have group and individual exhibitions, and a group exhibition is coming up. The group paints every Monday night at the Lyceum, our Korea University Institute for Continuing Education, and everyone basically works on whatever they like -- from photos or webshots. It's a painting-slash-fellowship time of like-minded people to relax socially and artistically at the end of their professional day at work. I LOVE the atmosphere!

So the first night I just dabbled with ink and demonstrated what I knew, and the leader came by and showed me different strokes. Ah! Yes! Techniques on how to manage the ink on such thin hanji (Korean rice paper)! Ink management has been my bane!

Last Monday was a holiday but tonight I came prepared with a picture to paint, a calligraphy landscape by Hong Sung-Mo from his 4th solo exhibition in 2004. I love his light style and delicate brushwork, not the typical heavy brushwork of a lot of Asian painting, but definitely the brushstrokes of someone familiar with western-style watercolor painting. Many of the painting group came over and checked out his exhibition book, which a friend gave me, and really commented what an elegant painter he is! I so totally agree! He doesn't seem to be online, but here's my version of his Tapsa, the temple near Maisan (Horse-ear Mountain) at Jinan, Jeollabuk-do.

Disclaimer, in the early stages I was having trouble managing clean strokes, so the master teacher, a painter of 20 years and very looked up to by the group, came by and demonstrated the quick sketch of Tapsa temple in the upper-right. I wish he did the strokes on another paper, but it's the culture here for the master to paint on the student's paper. It's all a part of the learning process. But wow, after just watching how he quickly dipped the brush in ink rhythmically and swipe it twice before end-brushing the paper really was an epiphany how to control not only the ink but place brush strokes more smoothly!

My first landscape painting! Looking forward to next week 😊 😊 😊 !!!