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This workshop is inspired by this year of the dragon. You will learn to paint dragons, clouds, mountains and pine landscape and will be guided into the realm of Japanese ink painting and explore your creative artist way and its evolvement. The workshop will take place and Talia’s studio in Mallorca and you can enjoy the peace and beauty of the island. Studio opens at 9am and workshop begins at 9:30. We will work till 1:30pm. All basic tools and materials will be supplied for the duration of practice. You are invited to bring your own kit, and you will have the opportunity to purchase various tools and materials at the studio. Each day will begin with calligraphy and other brush practice. Learning how to paint and creating your own compositions. Work on various types of paper and learn to mount your own work in the traditional Japanese way. Worksheets to form your notebook for the workshop will be offered. Light refreshment will be served throughout the day. Day 1 Intro to the workshop / Dragon calligraphy / One line dragon / How to paint a dragon Day 2 Cloud calligraphy / Clouds / Dragon amongst clouds painting Day 3 Mountain calligraphy / On rocks and mountains / Ink landscape Day 4 Mount your paintings Day 5 Tree calligraphy / Pine dragon / Pine dragons landscape / Outro of workshop *This is a general plan and may change slightly according to need and time. What to look for : Introduction to Japanese brush, ink, paper, colours and the artist tool set. Preparing the artist workspace, and making your own ink. Learning how to hold the brush, body posture and mindset. Guidance on brush strokes, lines and marks to understand the way of ink, brush and paper. Learning various painting techniques such as line work, free style (mokutse), dry brush and washes. Practicing active meditation with your painting journey as part of empowering your artistic creative self. Observing skills and sketching practice, finding inspiration in the almond grove outside the studio. Viewing and learning about ink paintings by various Japanese ink masters, from the rich history of Japanese art and Talia's research and library. Understanding in depth themes on composition, mounting, signing and sealing your artwork. Create your own original one to five completed ink paintings. Learn how to mount your artwork in the traditional Japanese way.

Learn how to enhance the quality and radiance of your painting 'balance comes before form' - The Earth Goblin Like diamonds, we are made of many facets of light and structure. All these many parts of our heart-mind-body, strive on balance. The more we are able to maintain balance within our many facets, the greater the light we emanate, inside and out. For the artist to create an insightful image, the practice of finding ongoing inner balance is essential. If you consider the yin yang symbol, it is all hanging there on the eternal balance and movement of two seemingly opposite forces. Yet together they complete a whole circle which maintain its harmonious stability. Consider another analogy, imagine a beautiful circular stone water fountain, where the water constantly rising up from its centre and flowing evenly in all direction, and whilst doing so, creating a wonderful dome like shape. The flow is constant, keeping the shape of the dome itself, made of water. It is within the moving, flowing balance of the water, that this shape is maintained and therefore offer a balanced harmony. ink painting is like this. Here are five aspects of exploring inner balance within the practice of ink painting. Attune with the seasons Each of the seasons, with its rise, peak, and fall, offers a particular wave of rhythm, lights and colours. It is in this continuous movement of life force that we can find balance to our soul and heart. Painting the way plants and animal appear in each particular season, connect us with nature and the natural cycle of life. This continuum cycle is a healing path, offering well being and stability that are generously provided by mother earth. Within the discipline training of ink painting, the student needs to practice each painting subject in various stages of its growth. If it is a plant like the wild orchid, you will learn to paint it from the emerging leaves and buds to the opening flower, to the full flower and the weathering petals. Same practice will be needed with any living being, be it a rock, a plant, an animal or a human depiction. Go with the flow of the brush Holding the brush is like holding a magic wand with which you can give expression. Practicing your brush strokes lines will teach you of the coming together of mind, heart and hand with an inner balance of flow. When this flow is established within you, it is then, that you make your beautiful paintings. As you find the balance inside, it is reflected in your painting. Use your sumi - Black ink Withdrawing the use of colours, and submitting your expression to the one black ink, allows a deeper focus on shapes, forms and spaces that enhances the artistic images that are personal and yet may touch the viewer with a fresh intake of the world as you view it. Finding your inner balance, regardless of colour, gives your artistic journey a skeleton like strength and power that can then be enhanced with colour, but not before. Practice the art of giving and receiving Learn the art of how much water to give out and use in your painting and how much ink. Find balance between light and dark shades of ink. Explore the delicate coming and going of the brush on the paper, and the pressure of your brush strokes as it dance its journey on the paper. How many details do you give away of your painted story? And how much do you allow of the story of your painting to be received by the viewer dreaming completion. Experience the splendor of solitude The time you are making for yourself to paint, is you creating a clear space for your inner wisdom to guide you and facilitate your quiet, yet powerful dialogue with the creative path of your choice. Allow yourself to expand the scope of the 'YES' realms, as your chi, your life force, directs you. where you can dwell in. It is limitless. Consider your practice time as your splendid solitude. It is not time wasted, it is time to be cherished as it create a something from a nothing. In conclusion The wild orchid flowers, grow humbly on the faraway hidden mountains. They are not easy to reach and are mostly hidden from site, shying away in their splendid solitude. Perhaps this is why they are one of the four foundation lessons of the ink painting practitioners. Their depiction is a learning practice in exploring both inner and outer flow and balance. Finding this balance inside us, with the many layers and positions of ourselves, comes before giving expression to form and shapes on paper. As you practice your brush, you may discover how these fine balances, organizes themselves to increase the quality and radiance of your artistic journey. Learn More > Learn how to paint wild orchids and experience the artistic journey of inner balance and radiance Sign up for a one-time payment of £65 > > For an in-depth foundation course on Japanese ink painting check it out here Sign up for a one-time payment of £220 > > For other individual painting tutorials please check the link HERE > > A selection of wild orchid ink paintings by Talia are available to purchase direct from the studio HERE > Images Credit Wild Orchid paintings - Talia Lehavi photography - Lucia Sanekata

7 roles of dragons in Japanese painted art of the Edo period Dragon emerging from clouds Nagasawa Rosetsu (1754-99), ink on fan paper, 25.5x52 cm., The Brooklyn Museum Originally from India and China, dragon images were mentioned in early kami  worship folklore of Japan. Although not quite seen by the naked eye, dragons were popular in folklore and tradition, associated with powerful forces. Protectors of the universe and the dwellings of man, in service to Chinese emperors and Taoist Immortals, rulers of wind and rain, lords of precious stones and representatives of the creative yang  force in Tao. After being incorporated into Buddhism, dragons humbly assumed the position of protectors of divinities, guardians of temples, and bringers of rain. And yet one has to take into account the possible religious manipulation of dragon images and roles to fit with the indoctrination of new religions upon older ones; and look for what actually is rooted in true appreciation of the world of phenomena. In a culture so inclined to visual images, Japanese art serves as a major source for historical appreciating of the forces at play in the belief and configuration of its culture. The Edo period (1600-1868), particularly the 18th century, was a time of revival and development of the arts, expansion of thought, visual dimension and language. In tandem with its official art schools, scholarly and religious art, there evolved a growing movement of individual artistic expression, and the development of paintings and prints of the floating world ( Ukioy-e ). During this period visual language provided richness and variety of thought and style compounded, in a relatively short time, to meet the creative needs of a changing culture. Taking into account the rich experimental atmosphere of Japanese art during the Edo period, this writing will highlight usage of dragons as part of the visual language in the arts of Japan.  Also will be included a consideration of the dragon’s role as a motif for political, religious, folkloric and decorative contexts. It is part of an extensive explorative essay on the subject, that can be found in full with bibliography and notes on ArtBrush Online library HERE . Dragon and waterfall (c1780-90) Kanō Eisen Michinobu (1730-90), hanging-scroll, ink on silk, British Museum Unseen dragons River and lakes, waterfall and streams, clouds and rain, storms and typhoons, are climatic powers, created by the constant movement of the permeating elements of water and air with different intensities and combinations. They have repeated patterns of curves, swirls, ellipses and spirals, with no sharp lines. Dragon images were visualised from the pattern of these natural forces. When painted as part of the elements dragons are mostly up to two-thirds seen while the rest of their shape blends with the elements. Kanō Michinobu ink painting, who was heading the Shogunate’s official painting school at the time, shows a dragon and a waterfall that merge to the point where it is one entity. In accordance with the Japanese local belief that every waterfall has its guardian deity, Michinobu depicts an image that follows the patterns, shapes and boundaries that the waterfall presents. Ascending and descending at will, moving freely through the elements, dragons were held accountable for natural phenomena, causers of changes. The dragon’s characteristic of transformation was considered to be the very spirit of change, a time when good luck and success were indeed needed. Time dragons Dragon symbols were used often as measures of the twelve-year cycles. They were also used to measure the hours in a twenty-four-hour cycle divided by two to form a unit for each of the twelve animals of the Asian Zodiac. The dragon represents the hours between 7-9 am. Early in the morning, which for some working people is the brightest time of the day, yet for others, like the working girls of the Yoshiwara  quarters is time to rest. In Kitagawa Utamaro print, part of a series of twelve compositions showing scenes from day and night life of Yoshiwara  courtesans, Utamaro depicts two girls under the same futon waking up, but not quite. Time is depicted in a clocklike structure on the top right part of the print. Hour of the dragon (tatsu no koko), 1795 Kitagawa Utamaro, part of a series of the 12 hours in Yoshiwara (seirō jūni toki tsuzuki), Colour woodblock print, British Museum The Portuguese introduced clocks to Japan in the late 16th century. By the 1780s, pocket watches became common amongst the merchant class and standing clocks appeared in wealthy homes and established shops. Although the structure of the clock in the print keeps the general form of it, it does not attempt to represent a real clock (the Japanese kept to their own time count), it represented social status. It was not the working of the machine that mattered as much as displaying wealth, success and order. New adaptation of Western technology in Japanese artistic representations of time reflects sophistication of style and class. The name of the hour (that of the dragon) is written on the bell at the top, the bottom is the name of the series title; the middle part depicts various flowers of the seasons. Temple dragons One of the first painters reputed to depict dragons was a third century Chinese artist, Ts’ao Pu-hsing. It was said that he learned to paint the dragon from an actual red dragon that resided in a lake, and the painting, even two centuries later, had the power to bring rain by causing clouds to gather when held over water. Ts’ao Pu-hsing was considered the first to use dragons on walls and ceilings of Buddhist temples. Roaring temple dragon Nampu Katayama (1887- ), Honji-do, Nikko As if descending from above, dragons on temple ceilings were designed to fit in an egg shape circle around the ceiling. Adopted by Buddhism as guardians of the faith and as bringers of rain and protection from draught. The dragon in Honji-do  , the biggest temple in Nikko, the compound mausoleum of the Shogun Tokugawa Ieasu ( rin-no-ji ), is an enormous image painted on the ceiling. Made in black and white, the dragon covers most of the main hall (21x14 meters). It serves as a prime example of an ‘official dragon’, in service to the Shogun. It is powerful, authoritative and serious in its guardianship. Still a widely practiced custom today, when a person enters a temple where a dragon is painted, they clap hands under its head. The echo of its roar, when heard, confirms their success and grants their wishes. While official dragons were fierce and dramatic, yet showing submission and duty, a whole body of expressive, personal, highly sophisticated and eccentric work was intensively developing in the studios of individual artists, mainly around Kyoto, but also in Edo and Osaka. Their dragon images exhibited a similar excitement, humour, mystery and lively expression. Exaggerated and overdramatic at times, they reflected above all the growing artistic freedom and originality of the era. Official dragons    “His horns resemble those of a stag, his head that of a camel, his eyes those of a demon, his neck that of a snake, his belly that of a clam, his scales those of a carp, his claws those of an eagle, his soles those of a tiger, his ears those of a cow. Upon his head he has a think like a broad eminence (a big lamp) called ch’in muh. If a dragon has no chi’n muh, he cannot ascend to the sky.”         Wang Fu (Han dynasty 206BC-221AD)   Of humble origins, when Liu Bang seized the Chinese throne during the Han dynasty (206BC-220AD) he could not compare himself with kings and princes of the Six States period before him. To consolidate the authority of his rulership, a tale was invented about his mother being conceived by a roaring dragon. Incorporating the symbol used by Taoism for geomancy and divination practices, dragons became, from then on, directly linked with the emperor. When Buddhism was introduced to China, it adopted the dragon to promote its superiority over Taoism. The embracing of the dragon’s image as part of the Shogun’s official school of painting, also adopted the ideas associated with the dragon by Taoism and Buddhist belief. It appears as a powerful authority, beyond human reach, reflecting the character of its patrons. While Buddhism influenced the themes of freedom from suffering and the quest for enlightenment in medieval Japan, the Tokugawa discourse was concerned with the achievement of a stable society. The adoption of Neo-Confucianism as a state philosophy was an attempt to promote social order, ethical life and a hierarchical system based on adherence to authority, the Shogunate attempted to control and rule the growing population and massive urbanization of the Edo period. Dragon of the storm Kanō Sanraku (1559-1635), part of two six-fold screens, 178x357cm., ink and colour on paper, Myōshinji, Kyoto   Kanō Sanraku was an established figure, the head of the Kyoto branch of the Kanō school and a student of the famous Kanō Eitoku. The dragon’s image is powerful and fierce, confronting a pair of tigers on an opposite screen. The composition is heavy, and although it attempts to depict the vicious whirls of strong wind, the gold background makes it quite heavy and arresting. Kanō school decorative styles and themes, offered confirmation of the ruler’s authority and legitimacy. The dragon, of course, was very useful, seen as powerful protector of the nation, provider of rain guaranteeing good harvest. Its image in backdrop screens for the Shogunate presents its powerful obedience to the ruler. It implies the greatness of the leadership, by being reflective of the ruler’s knowledge and education in relation to history, the natural world, Chinese literature and religious ideas. In contrast to dragon motifs in the latter part of this essay, which are personalized, full of emotion and heartfelt spirit, the ‘official’ dragons occupy a moral behaviour and intellectual philosophy. Fireman’s jacket with dragon and tiger design Paste resists dye on plain-weave cotton, quilted with wool and woven gold metallic thread, outlined with gold metallic thread, 90x126cm., Tokyo National Museum Tokugawa rulers were afraid of fires, not only because of its destructive force, but also because of its social upheaval and disorder that it caused. The great fire of Edo in 1657 destroyed daimyo estates, parts of Edo castle, and left more than 100,000 dead. Following this disaster, the Shogunate authorities ordered the establishment of permanent firefighting units ( jō-bikeshi ). This was the beginning of a new organized system of fire brigades. A fireman’s costume was first designed with a dragon and tiger design. Not indigenous to Japan and depicted as big cats; tiger images were imported from China. Strongest of the beasts, and quick as the wind, tigers were used in the feng-shui (‘patterns of wind and water’) system of reading and regulating nature’s influence, as representing powers of the wind itself. Coupled with the dragon, they symbolized the forces of wind and water and their interplay in nature. Their images painted on the Shogun’s fire brigade uniform, were considered protective powers of the elements of water and wind. They represented control over fire where the wind could shifts the direction of a fire, and the water could divert and extinguish it. Furthermore, by combining religious and folk belief in the dragon images, its depiction implied the enforcement of law and order that the Shogunate was aiming at. Decorative dragons Courtesan and Kamuro Utagawa Kuniaki (fl.1844-68), hanging scroll, ink, color and gold on silk, 120x56.2, British Museum. Decorations included in prints and books offered an insight into popular images of the period, the mood on the streets of the big cities, the dreams and hopes of people as well as their humour, general knowledge and major attraction. Dragon images were used, for example, as decoration on the costumes of high-ranking courtesans , and kabuki actors , incorporated in the visual language of the entertainment districts as well as in general education and folklore.  Prints and book illustrations reveal the public taste and more so, what people believed in and how they presented their beliefs. While dragon images used on costumes by Edo fire brigades were considered to hold protective powers against the city many fires, the courtesan’s fashion of late Edo was flourishing with extravagant colors and incorporation of rich folk symbols, not always with the obvious meaning. Dragon images painted with black ink on silk, contrasted by the very colourful overlays of printed patterned kimono  became very popular. Kuniaki, a pupil of Kunisada who produced actor and genre prints as well as paintings of Edo beauties, painted an overly dressed courtesan with flamboyant hairstyle, trying to walk on very high heels with her attendant ( kamuro ). The dragons on both figure’s kimono , are almost the only appropriate theme to match the overly decorated costume. The big dragon on the courtesan’s costume coils around her body, with its tail peeking out on her left side. He is staring at a smaller dragon, which is coiling itself around the younger attendant’s kimono. Her sleeve, hiding her hand, reveals a painted claw. The intersection of glances creates tension and humour. As the courtesan and attendant exchange looks, so the dragons stare at each other. Who is looking at whom? The dragons, no longer formal and fierce, are comic and amusing. Laughing dragons The need for new intellectual ideas and artistic updates in a growing, changing society caused renewed interest in Chinese legends and literature. Copies of Chinese paintings served as inspiration for eccentric artists like Shōhaku in their discovering of new boundaries of artistic expression. Taoist Immortals were known in Taoism as beings that began their lives as humans, underwent physical and spiritual transformation, and then lived beyond the bounds of governing laws ( yin  and yang). Free spirits who could move through the elements, and serve people and circumstances, they interacted on behalf of mortals with the gods and the Tao. Often depicted as unconventional in appearance, emphasizing their rejection of norms and rules, their transcendent state of being, as well as their supernatural capabilities. Taoist Immortals, 1764 Soga Shōhaku (1730-1781), detail from pair of six-panel screens; ink and color on paper, Each 163.2x364, Private collection, Kyoto A water dragon traditionally served as a vehicle to the Chinese immortal Lu Dongbin, but Shōhaku treatment of the theme of Immortals is extreme and amusing. The Immortal seems to be reclining on the head of a rather confused dragon. He is hardly able to balance himself amongst the dragon’s swirl of clouds and water, while holding a bowl which could be magic or for begging. He is stretched to the side in an attempt to keep stable, while the dragon force moves forward. Strong black ink brushstrokes contrast the detailed blue garment and its red sash. With fine details of comic facial expression, both Immortal and dragon convey the wit and humour of Shōhaku’s thought and brush, evident in his extravagant artistic expression and wild character.   Transforming dragons The Chinese painter Chang seng-yu and dragon Nagayama Kōin (1765-1849), ink on paper   It was told that during the 4th century another great Chinese artist, Ku K’ai-chih, painted dragons without eyes. When asked why, he said “ My dragons are live and if I draw their eyes they will fly away. ” From then on, eyes were the last to be painted, for if the painting was real enough it might cause all sorts of natural disasters provoked by dragons. Many stories were told of painters whose work was so real and animated that their dragon flew away. The supernatural powers of dragons come to life with painted art. In the same way as coming in and out of water and air, dragon images seem to use the paper to appear in the world of our vision, only to depart again. Kōin, a student of Goshun and a kyoka  (mad verse) poet, turned to legendary subjects in his work. According to traditional belief, an image of a dragon emerging from a bowl surrounded by people, has a hidden message in it, referring to a phrase ‘a dragon out of a spittoon’ ( hifuki kara ryū ),  meaning that the unexpected in life may happen at any time. In conclusion 'Dragon’s cloud' Mochizuki Gyokusen (1834-1913), ink on silk, private collection Embedded in storytelling, religious legends and folklore, the dragon’s image is mystical and mysterious. Not given to obvious definition as an animal nor a dreadful creature, it remains unseen. Likened to the element’s flowing traces of curves and spiral with no sharp lines, its image follows these formless shapes, created by the patterns of water and wind. Similar by nature to climatic change, and to the transforming quality of the planetary water cycle, dragon images offer boundaries of artistic representation of the natural world phenomena and its powers. Despite the fact that the dragon’s image is absent from the painting on the left, its ecology, habitation, arrival or departure, can be seen in the dragon’s cloud. The painted waves of the sea, suggests the unseen forceful energy of a dragon – without the dragon itself.   The wide range of dragon’s visual characteristic of power authority and efficiency, as well as, playfulness and transformation of states, reflects on the very nature of forces at play during Edo period and its artistic expansions. Originated as a powerful symbol of natural forces, protectors of the universe and in service to sages and rulers, dragon images were incorporated into the Shogunate’s and temple’s empowered symbols, as well as used in the counting of the hour, the season and the year. The 18th century art demonstrated the expansion of the image’s role into decoration and folklore symbols in print, costume, and tattoo, even to be exhibited on the commercial market. The visual language of dragon images of that time, is kaleidoscopic and rich in its role, style and mode of expression. “The bright moon pearl is concealed in the oyster; the dragon is there.”      Shi King Learn More > For the comprehensive essay on 'The Visual Language of Ink Dragons in Japanese Art of the Edo period' with Bibliography and notes and other writings on Japanese ink paintings sign up to ArtBrush Library Sign up for a one-time payment of £75 > Get > A selection of ink dragon paintings by Talia is available for you to purchase direct from the studio collection check out the portfolio collection Ink Dragons > Images credit copyrights All efforts were made to respect copyrights owner where possible.

Carving a personal seal was always considered one of the artist's / calligrapher's skills. The seal completes a painting and is an important part of it. Artists used to make their own seals as part of the creative expression and expertise. Having more than one seal to symbolise different periods in artistic progress was common. Brief historical background Seal carving has a fine history of over a thousand years in Japan. The tradition originated in China and is over two thousand years old. The ancient seal script, known as tensho in Japanese or zhuan-shu in Chinese, is still used in most seal carving today. In 221 BC the first emperor of China united the many states of the continent, and had a Jade seal made to represent sole heavenly authority over the land. This seal was passed on from one emperor to another as part of the ritual of power and control. During the 10th century upheavals, this legendary seal was lost, and from then on other seals were used throughout history by the rulers. The seal represents authority and authenticity of the author and writing. Used by emperors early on in history, it later became a tool for government officials and institutes, schools, teachers and scholars, as well as artists and collectors. With the development of paper, seals have become more important to confirm the writer and writing authenticity, be it official papers, poetry or painting. Materials and design Ancient seals were made of hard materials such as Jade, bronze, gold, silver and agate. Other less successful materials, in terms of longevity, were used, such as bones, amber, wax, clay, bamboo and wood. During the 14th C., soft stones became popular and an easy material to carve seals from. New styles and designs developed, and the craft of seal carving became an art form of its own. Poets, calligraphers and artists specialised in making seals and developing both design and technique. High quality seals have become sought after. They showed knowledge of scholarship and high aesthetics. Sourcing the right stone was important. The place where the stone came from connected the owner with that place. Therefore, ancient temples, well-known calligraphy centres, sacred mountains, and the like, were places from which seals stones were highly praised. The stone quality, like a small sculpture, would be selected according to its colour, texture, shine, and transparency. Seals would be cut into various sizes and the carved areas could be square, round, oval or a unique irregular shape. A high quality seal will have a good, precise and balanced contrast between the engraved white area of the seal and the red parts. The script could be engraved or a relief. Left: Engraving - ‘where there is a will there is a way’ Right: Relief carving - 'the years fly like an arrow - how alarming’ Content and aesthetic As the first purpose of the seal was to identify the owner, seals most commonly would have the name of the owner, their initial, chosen name, artist's name or birthdate. The birth year animal zodiac symbol was also popular. Artists seals were more sophisticated and, in particular, represented a personal philosophical idea, riddle, personal statement or sentiments. The seal and signature were considered part of the whole composition, and an integral part of the painting. Unique graphic script designs were developed, making the seal a ‘stone calligraphy’ work of art. Here are a few examples: Top left: ‘Fence’ script - ‘Who realises that books are immortals’ Top right: ‘Cloud’ script - ‘Long life of ten thousand years’ Bottom left: ‘Crooked’ script - ‘Prayer for longevity‘ Bottom right: ‘Crooked’ script - ‘To keep wealth and health always‘ Seal paste The red paste against the black ink creates a contrasting element which completes the artistic aesthetic. Traditionally, various colours have been used as seal’s paste. However, red paste has become the most popular. This paste was made of Cinnabar (mercury sulphide) mixed with seed oils and the moxa plant. Emperor seal’s paste, would have, particularly expensive mixed powdered materials, such as corals, pearls and rubies. How to use your seal Place the finished painting on a ‘semi’ soft surface, like felt. Carefully choose the area where you wish to seal the artwork, and place the seal evenly on the surface. Make sure to put even pressure on all parts of the seal. Keep pressing until you feel the seal is evenly marked on the paper. When you lift the seal, do so with an upward, firm movement to prevent smudging the paste on the paper. Allow the red paste to dry on the painting, or place a soft cloth to pick up any residues. Care for your seal After sealing the painting, make sure to clean the red paste away from the seal with a clean cloth or paper towel and keep it in a safe box. Get your own seal Get your own Japanese hand carved seal and high quality red paste on our store - HERE

Browse artist Talia Lehavi’s online fine art gallery, including ink painting, calligraphy, mixed media and prints. Gallery View the latest work from Talia. If you’re interested in a piece, wish to see more collections from the portfolio, or arrange a studio viewing please contact Talia . Nothing but Love Wrinkled Angelic Canopy Irises Notes on Pine Hundred Million Blossoms Ink Dragons Buddha Realm Tendril Journey Time Bubbles Diamond Clouds Fired Ceramic Limited Edition Prints FEATURED COLLECTIONS

Welcome to artist Talia Lehavi website. You can view a collection of her paintings and prints portfolio, as well as information about upcoming exhibitions, Japanese ink courses and special events. Talia Lehavi London-Mallorca based artist Talia Lehavi works with traditional Japanese ink and water pigments techniques. Exhibiting both in London and internationally, she is known for her cross-disciplinary paintings, prints and ceramic tiles. Talia’s aesthetic sensibility is an exploration and reclamation of nature's patterns, prompting a dynamic dialogue between the detail and the whole; the fleeting and eternal. Talia has been teaching Japanese ink painting, calligraphy and watercolour techniques at her studio, as well as lecturing at various museums, art councils and associations in the UK and worldwide. Learn more GALLERY New artwork featured in the fine art gallery Browse and shop the latest work. View the gallery Nothing but Love View Gallery Wrinkled View Gallery Angelic Canopy View Gallery COURSES Learn Japanese Ink Painting with ArtBrush courses Talia is the founder of the new ArtBrush online school for Japanese ink painting. The school offers step-by-step courses that teach students how to master Japanese ink painting. It catered to beginners and those with prior ink painting experience. There are a wide variety of courses available, including single courses that focus on one specific subject. View ArtBrush courses Foundation Course Step-by-step how to create beautiful Japanese ink paintings of wild orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemum, and plum blossom View Course Wild Flowers and Grasses Step-by-step how to create beautiful Japanese ink paintings of poppies, grasses, gentian, fennel, cyclamen, dandelion and thistles. View Course Summer Flowers and Insects Step-by-step how to create beautiful Japanese ink paintings of water irises, wild roses, hydrangea, grand peonies, dragonflies, bees, ants and butterflies View Course NOTEBOOK Articles on Japanese Ink Painting and Art History Browse a collection of written articles and insights into the artistic practice and teaching of ink painting. View the Notebook 5 ways of finding inner balance with the practice of Japanese ink painting 5 ways of finding inner balance with the practice of Japanese ink painting. Learn how to enhance the quality and radiance of your painting View Post mono-no-aware and the theme of wild flowers and grasses A short essay about the Japanese aesthetic of mono no aware and the theme of wild flowers and grasses View Post A Shrike on a Barren Branch A short essay featuring an ink painting by Japan famous warrior Miyamoto Musashi View Post

Original Japanese ink paintings of Irises < Back Irises Shop this gallery

Step-by-step how to create beautiful Japanese ink paintings. Some living creatures, like shrimps and crabs, may not look as sophisticated, or as beautiful as other animals. Our challenge in these lessons is to find and bring out the beauty and quality that is within them. In this course, you will learn to translate the shapes and form of these creatures into brush strokes to create a finished painting. The first section of this ink painting course focuses on step-by-step learning of how to paint shrimps and crabs in their natural surroundings, creating your first composition in black ink. While the second section of the course provides opportunity to experiment with using colour to paint dragon shrimps and larger crabs. You will also learn to paint water plants, water pebbles and clam shells to accompany your shrimps and crabs. As part of the bonus material you will find additional compositions for you to enjoy working from and a short essay on the meaning of a crab in an 18th C. woodblock print.