RESOURCES
Here are links to the people and businesses I have found an invaluable support in developing my artistic practice. I do not receive any finanacial benefits from this - I am simply letting you know what I have found helpful in case you are interested in brush painting, or want to know more about the materials I use.
FINDING THE FOUR TREASURES​ . . .
The four treasures of Oriental brush painting are the brush, inkstick, paper and inkstone. Making each of these requires a high level of skill and a deep knowledge of materials and traditions.
It is believed that the intrinsic beauty of these finely crafted tools create an ambience in the the artist's studio which reflects their personality and supports their endeavours.
Therefore I found great joy in sourcing treasures which were beautiful as well as functional, so that having the honour of using them every day makes my heart sing.
Here is where I found them:
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ASIAN BRUSHPAINTER
I have sourced many of my favourite items from Lulu at ASIAN BRUSHPAINTER. There is a lot of useful information on her site and she has an eye for finely crafted and elegant pieces. My seal stones, carved by Uncle Liu, are exquisite. I also love the paper-weights carved with lotus flowers, the brush holder carved with cranes and the tiny goose-egg inkstones which are great for when you only need a little ink, or want to take one travelling. Lulu is always very helpful and efficient.
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I use the finest hand-made sumi-e ink sticks from Kobaien Inks in Nara, Japan.
My work is featured on their website here
Black comes in many shades, and I have ink sticks with tones of red, blue and purple. Each has its purpose; for example in depicting an eagle I would use black with a reddish tone, but for a raven I would choose a bluish-black.
They also have a set of watercolours called Saibiboku - The Inks of Colour and Beauty which are similar in texture to Gansai Tambi paints. It is a somewhat unusual selection of colours, but with the addition of white and yellow, they provide a range which depicts most tones in nature.
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This is a funny story: When I was in Taiwan in 2023 I briefly met a Japanese calligrapher and we spoke through a translator about inks. As he left he wrote me a note in Japanese, which I could not read. In 2024, while making a purchase from Kobaien, I was emailing them and asked if they could translate the note for me - it said "For best inks - Kobaien in Nara." So I had asked the person at Kobaien Inks to translate a note recommending Kobaien Inks!! We both laughed.
Other sites I have found useful include:
Inkston have a comprehensive range of quality materials and some very fine, rare papers.
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The Yeh family now reside in California, but their dedication to Chinese brush painting goes back generations. They are a great source of quality materials and books. Their video instructions and book reviews are really helpful when choosing what to buy.
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Henri Li stocks a good range of materials, including travel brushes and ink, and silicone paper for dry mounting.
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. . . AND LEARNING HOW TO USE THEM.
My interest in brush painting started back in 1990 when I lived in Sydney. For a few months I did a weekly class with a lovely Chinese gentleman who taught from his home and it was a sanctuary in an otherwise difficult time. Somehow, despite many moves over the years I kept those early paintings, and the brushes, inkstick and inkstone. I also had a book of paintings by Shu-Chi Chang which now is long out of print.
When I finally retired from teaching I found them and started teaching myself.
I watched videos online and discovered the wealth of knowledge being shared by many skilled painters.
One day I was watching a video by Henry Li and he had the very same book by Shu-Chi Chang - I knew then that he would be the teacher for me, and I enrolled in his classes.
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This is the business of the Yeh family in California. Lin Chi's Youtube series Brush Painting for Beginners is a really good place to start with techmique and simple subjects. They also have instructional videos by Ning Yeh who is insightful and has a delightful sense of humour. Every so often they do live instructional sessions over zoom, and their site offers links to classes by other talented artists.
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