Paula Schroeder
Chinese Brush Painting
Twenty five years of experience, trips to China and Tibet and an inclination to simplify her art has developed Paula Schroeder into a skilled Chinese brush painter. Paula started her demonstration by explaining the importance of paper, brush and ink.
Her paper may be made of mulberry residue, rice, weeds or seeds but she particularly enjoys painting on Chinese toilet paper. All paper is fragile and must be treated using alum and glue. Then, although the paper is very absorbent, the ink stays put.
Chinese brushes are quite different from the watercolor brushes of the West. The brushes may be made of sheep, goat or wolf hair and the bristles are arranged by placing long hairs on the outside, short hair within. The brushes have finer tips. They hold a goodly amount of water.
Paula has ink cakes that can be ground on a "painters stone" using fresh water but she prefers ink in bottles. Using just the value of the black ink, Paula paints, and she achieves a rhythmic balance between brightness and darkness.
Chinese painting does not demand strict adherence to reality or a light source. It appears simple at first glance, but from the first to the last stroke, the artist must "get it right" the first time. There is no going back and fixing mistakes. With deft skill, Paula drew cats, rats, bamboo and plum blossoms. She colored inside the contours using Da Vinci watercolor paint, which she believes to be very true to Chinese colors. When finished, she used calligraphy to sign her Chinese name "Joyful Treasure". Paula also uses seals to complete her work, stamps in a motif which has a connection with the painting.
"You must first observe the rules faithfully, afterwards,
modify them according to your intelligence and capacity.
The end of all method is to seem to have no method"
Lu Ch'ai (Wang Kai) Master of Ching Tsai T'ang XVII century.