The River Célé, Lot, France. There is no need to feel that your paintings must use only traditional or only experimental techniques. By all means combine them as much as you like, as has been done in this painting

IN CONCLUSION

By now you have probably decided what kind of Chinese brush painting you most enjoy doing and looking at. I do recommend that you try to see as many original paintings as possible, in addition to looking at reproductions in books. A number of museums throughout Britain have good collections of Chinese paintings and there are increasing numbers of exhibitions of modern works. Looking at actual paintings rather than their reproductions is helpful in that it will give you a better idea of scale. Chinese paintings are usually rather large and this can come as a surprise. Because you will be able to see the mount as well you will get a much clearer idea of proportions, since the way a painting is mounted is often very important to the overall impact it makes. Mounts are seldom included in reproductions of paintings in books. Also, of course, books often illustrate only a detail from a painting and not the whole thing. This is particularly regrettable in the case of Chinese paintings, where space is such an important element of the composition.

Even though it is important to have followed the whole course of lessons here in sequence, there is no reason why you should not now decide to concentrate on or specialize in one or two subjects that you particularly enjoy. You may want to paint nothing but birds and flowers, or perhaps traditional landscapes. You may choose to leave traditional styles alone and experiment with newer techniques. Whatever you decide, try to paint from your own experience and to develop an individual style while remembering the rules and precepts of Chinese painting.

You may even feel that creating finished paintings is not for you and that you prefer to use your skills decoratively. For example, many shops sell Chinese paper fans to which you can add your own designs. These are made out of Chinese paper that has been heavily sized and is therefore not absorbent. You might find coping with the folds a little awkward, but this can usually be overcome by holding the area to be painted flat with one hand while wielding the brush with the other. In the case of the Chinese fans that you see on sale or in museums, however, the paper was folded and the fan spokes added after the painting was done. You can buy fan bases and circular silk fan blanks in Hong Kong and China.

You can also use your brush techniques to apply designs to pottery. Use ceramic slips before firing for best results – this is not good for your brushes but produces effective designs. It is a good idea to keep a separate set of brushes for these craft uses, saving your good brushes for your serious paintings. Clothing, curtains, scarves, tablecloths, lampshades and wallpaper are all also suitable for Chinese designs, so you can see that there is an enormous range of opportunities to use your skills in Chinese brush painting to great effect.