Imago Foundation for the Arts (IFA) will be offering a two-day workshop on Chinese and Japanese-style ink and brush painting led by IFA exhibiting artist Gary Heise on Sundays, April 21 and 28 at Imago Gallery, 36 Market Street, in Warren, RI.

“A Creative Approach to Chinese/Japanese Ink and Brush Painting” will provide a brief introduction to traditional Chinese brush painting (Japanese sumi- e), and how to use monoprint techniques as a springboard for creative landscape painting on rice paper.

The workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a short break for lunch on Sundays, April 21 and 28. Heise is a Rhode Island School of Design graduate who has painted the American landscape using Chinese brush painting techniques and materials, integrating both Chinese and Western approaches to watercolor painting for many years.

Artists of all levels and experience are welcome and asked to register in advance at: https://www.imagofoundation4art.org/sumi-eworkshop or stop by the gallery during regular hours to register in person. The fee for the workshop is $90, plus an optional materials fee of $45 for that will cover three brushes, ink, and a set of Marie’s Chinese watercolors.

Additionally, participants may bring in other brushes, watercolors and gouache; newspaper/newsprint, a suitable watercolor palette or dish, and a couple of jars for clean water. Paper for the workshop will be provided to all students for no additional fee.

On Day 1, Heise will demonstrate the practice and the basics of traditional “sumi-e” brushwork – the “bone” stroke and lead basic exercises. The workshop will include demonstrations of basic tree, rock and landscape elements with emphasis on black ink. Black ink — and its gradations–is the foundation of Chinese painting. It is referred to as the bones of the landscape; color is referred to as the skin. Handout reproductions from The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting, originally published in 1679, will be provided as examples to study. Students will practice their own landscape.

Participants will be encouraged to continue their practice during the week at home by copying one of the paintings from the handout, or creating their own composition using what they have learned.

Day 2 of the workshop will reinforce techniques and concepts from the previous week, with an emphasis on compositional aspects, plus the introduction of color. Also covered will be the use of color in painting landscapes. Participants will be creating colorful, abstract compositions in the morning, using crinkled paper and monoprint techniques. In the afternoon, these compositions will be used as the foundation for a contemporary approach to landscape painting.

About Gary Heise
Shortly after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Painting, Heise studied Chinese brush painting with noted Taiwanese painter and printmaker Liao Shiou-Ping. Since that time, Gary has painted the American landscape using Chinese brush painting techniques and materials, integrating both Chinese and Western approaches to watercolor painting.

Heise and his wife, Janelle, moved to Rhode Island in 2022. Prior to that he served as president and program director for the Asian Brush Artists Guild (est. 1989) associated with the Hammond Museum in North Salem, New York. View his work on Instagram @garyheisepainting.