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Lesson 11: Auspicious Flower and Birds: Blue Heron with Cotton Rose - "一路榮華" - Prosperity All the Way
Welcome to the Final Lesson in our Spring 2024 Class!
Introduction: Today, we embark on an artistic journey to capture the auspicious theme of "一路荣华" (yī lù róng huá), which translates to "prosperity all the way." This class will focus on painting a serene heron amidst vibrant hibiscus flowers, harmoniously blending natural beauty with rich cultural symbolism.
Understanding the Symbolism
Heron (鹭, lù): Represents purity, grace, longevity, and success. Its presence often symbolizes an uncorrupted official or scholar, metaphorically suggesting the idea of receiving a high salary or stipend (禄, lù), denoting a stable and prosperous career path. This plays into the homophonic nature of the word with the bird's name in Chinese, enhancing the auspiciousness of the imagery.
• Hibiscus (蓉, róng): Also known as the cotton rose or "Furong(芙蓉)," this flower symbolizes delicate beauty, nobility, and the fleeting nature of fame or personal glory in traditional Chinese culture. Its changing colors from red to white metaphorically depict the journey of life.
• Homophonic Pun: The phrase "一路荣华 (Prosperity All the Way) ” sounds similar to "一鹭蓉花" (yī lù róng huā), which translates to "a heron among hibiscus flowers." This auspicious pun represents continuous prosperity, flourishing, and the attainment of wealth and honor.
• Auspicious Numbers: The sequence 1-6-8 is considered highly fortunate in Chinese culture, as it sounds like "一路发" (yī lù fā), a short-cut of "prosper all the way." This numerical combination adds to the painting's auspicious symbolism.
A “一路榮華”(168) painting demo by Henry(2007) on RU-vid.
Painting Techniques with Guided Practices:
• Color Mixing: Understand how to blend colors on the palette and load on the brush to achieve the desired hues and gradients.
• Brushwork: Learn to hold and manipulate the brush to create bold and graceful strokes for the heron’s feathers, strong bone strokes for legs and feet.
• Composition: Practice arranging the elements in a balanced and aesthetically pleasing manner.
Materials Needed:
• Chinese painting brush painting tools
White soft brushes for the heron’s body and flower petals.
Brown stiff brushes for the bone strokes on heron legs and flower stems.
Small brown brushes for details on the flowers, and veins on leaves.
• Unsized Single Xuan Rice paper or suitable alternatives such as Japanese rice paper or mulberry paper.
• Ink and Marie’s Chinese Painting Colors* or suitable alternatives such as Japanese or western watercolors.
*Please have these particular colors ready: Chinese White (104), Gamboge (218), Rouge (400), Carmine (390), Light Green(593), Light Blue(493) , Phthalocyanine Blue (451). Indigo (495)
9 сен 2024
