In celebration of the Lunar New Year, first grade artists studied the art of Chinese and Japanese brush painting.

Students used black paint with water to create a variation of gray washes. They also explored Sumi-e brush painting to learn the beauty of mark-making, the proper way to hold the paintbrush and breathing techniques to help us relax before painting. The Japanese term “sumi” means “black ink”, “e” means “painting”

The classic subjects of Sumi-e paintings are:  Bamboo, Orchid, Plum, and Chrysanthemum. Students created their Sumi-e painting with bamboo as their inspiration.