Bamboo: simple and elegant

The simple elegance of bamboo is brought forth in the Gong Pi style painting.

The 2-stage Gong Pi flower painting

The buddies started on the first half of Gong Pi style flower painting in today's session but only mine went to print as Mrs. Kim took hers home for later coloring in next week while I managed to finish one last night. So, one outlined, and one colored.

Going back in time ...

Today I tried a couple of things. First, I did a makeover of the flower painted yesterday by giving the outline of the petals a golden tread look using the 660 Metallic Pure Gold paint from FolkArt, rendering it a discrete feel.

Then I painted two flowers on brown rice paper purchased by Sister Harrient Lin in Taiwan on her recent trip there. The brownish background is supposed to lend an air of antiquity to the painting, much like the days of the yore.

4 + 1 The Colored Version

The four colored versions of the earlier outline images plus a makeover of an earlier one complete this episode of Gong Pi adventure.

4 + 1 Gong Pi Style

The 4 refers to the number of outline images drawn for coloring in later while 1, coloring completed.

Gold-Laced Peony

For a change, this is a gold-laced Peony drawn the Gong Pi style.

Seeing double in buddy session

Almost. That's because Mrs. Kim and I painted a similar flower pattern the Gong Pi style. I have tried to emulate her lighter color scheme as seen on the top image since I think it looks soothing.

Bamboo transiting into flowers ...

More bamboo scenes easing into flowers, drawn in the Gong Pi style for coloring in later on, forms a tapestry of themes in transition.

The Bamboo Ensemble

The Bamboo score, much like an arrangement of musical notes, permeates the space through its silent music.

Bamboo in common and rare colors

The most common color of bamboo in nature is of course green. On the other hand, bamboo painted in black ink is necessarily in various shades of gray. But Vermillion bamboo, that ought to be a rarity (see second image below, which is patterned after one found in Book of the Bamboo by Johnson Su-Sing Chow in the series the Fundamentals of Chinese Floral Painting, Vol. 3, Art Book Co. Ltd., Taiwan, 2006, pg. 205, that Hubby purchased online here).

Then Hubby read the details, which state that this particular bamboo species does not exist in nature, but was initiated by Su Shih, the famous Chinese poet of the Sung Dynasty, as a form of bamboo art work.

The Soft side of the Peony and Birds

Hubby read that painting is “that wonderful state where nothing else exists but you and your ideas and the art flowing from your fingertips” (Luanne Rice, Last Kiss, Bantam Books, 2008, pg. 106). I would not say I have reached that stage yet but it's pretty close as I painted these two today.

In contrast to the usual bold colors evincing ebullience, I have elected to apply a somewhat subdued color tone that conveys a soothing impression.

One Stroke Painting of Flowers

Here's a one-stroke-style of flower painting, the Peony to be exact.

Food for the Mind via Chinese Calligraphy Class

In today's Chinese Calligraphy class, we continued practicing writing individual characters, ending with a home-cooked lunch provided by the attendees: food for the mind followed by for the body.

The Gong Pi Sets

We, the painting buddy twosome, continued with painting the Gong Pi style by first outlining several base sets in today's session, to be colored in later.

And she came bearing gifts, as usual, tomorrow being Valentine's Day: a vase of elegant tulips.


Ealier on she also gave me a beautiful vase that she has made in her pottery class. Thank you, Mrs. Kim.

The Bamboo is back!

After a relatively long and uninterrupted period of Chinese calligraphy, it feels good to paint again, revisiting some of the nature scenes that have been kept in the recesses of my mind, and loving every minute of it.