Chinese Watercolor Paintings by Darlene Kaplan

The Chinese Brush Paintings (which are the bulk of my paintings now) in my art gallery are rendered on rice
paper, then mounted on a thicker paper using glue. The color is ground from minerals or plants and mixed with
glue so it will stick to the paper. The ink comes in liquid form or ink sticks that are ground on an ink stone made
of slate and mixed with water. The ink stick is preferred over the liquid ink. The brushes are soft (rabbit hair),
medium (mixed fox and horse hair), or hard (horse hair), and are loaded with water first, then as many layers of
color or ink will be added depending on the subject matter. By loading the brush in this manner it allows the
blending of one color into the other gradually in one brush stroke. After the paintings have been mounted the
mood seals and chop with name of artist will be added. One chop has my name while the mood seals are
poetical sayings or a symbol, which has a connection with the painting. The seals are pressed into a tin of
cinnabar paste, a scarlet red color, and is pressed onto the painting. When using a red seal on a monochrome
painting, it is said to be adding the eye to the dragon. Besides the signature seal, my work also has my name in
Chinese characters, and my signature in English.
The subject matter varies from landscapes to birds, flowers, fish, landscapes, animals, insects and so on. Much
of the subject matter has symbolic meaning. For instance,if a couple were getting married, or moving into a new
house, a great gift would be a painting with fish. Fish symbolize long life and happiness. If you have fish in the
work place it keep cash flowing, so a painting of fish in the office would be a great choice. Landscapes symbolize
tranquility, which makes a living room a great place for a landscape painting. Both Crane and pine tree are strong
and is a symbol of long life . These paintings are used by many interior decorators to feng shui home and or
office for their clients.

ART EXHIBITIONS

Have had gallery representation and art exhibitions in SoHo district of N.Y. City, Alabama, Tennessee,
Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. All the exhibitions have been juried shows, either one person or group
shows.
My Oriental brush paintings and Oil paintings are collected by private, business, and corporations worldwide.

Yearly exhibitions at Soft Brush Studio in VA. with over 200 paintings of Chinese watercolor arts. The shows have
been very successful. I get to meet all my guest, and can answer any questions that they may have about my
work. It would be my pleasure to give a private viewing to any client that is interested in seeing my work. To make
an appointment, please e-mail darlenekaplan@cox.net or phone 703-922-4175 Monday-Friday from 10 am till
6 pm, Sat from 10 am till 6pm..

Active member of and President of Springfield Art Guild, member of Sumi-e Society, Virginia Watercolor Society,
The Art League/Torpedo Factory, Vienna Arts League, National League of American Pen Women, McLean Art
League, GRACE, and The Fairfax Arts Council.

My art may be viewed at Soft Brush Studio, 4609 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA. and at ABACA Imports, 1120 N.
Fairfax Street, Alex., VA 22314.








					Powered by: