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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.

Notes to self on the artistic journey Being an artist is not about some kind of a chaotic state, it is about an internal order that makes very clear sense. It is creating light from within by understanding the greatness that is possible. Being a student of the arts, means that we are interested in beauty, aesthetic, shades of light, proportion and glorious images that enhance and graces our being. And whilst practicing our skills, the big secret is, that we are learning this about the way WE are. About what moves and makes us who we are. By practicing art, we are exercising these very spaces in our being. Allowing our lives to glow a little more, with the feeling of beauty, finesse and powerful serenity. And so, even if for a short while, WE become part of it. And so it is not the art that is the journey, it is our own life that is the journey. When asked once, what is the difference between being a professional artist and an amateur one... well, I could say, it is to do with making a living out of ones art, or if you exhibit or show your art, or if it is a full time occupation. As much as all this is true, within the persona of what being an artist is, on a deeper level, any one who is touched by the creative mode, is an artist for that time. It can be in the way that we articulate and put our words together, which is the same way as blending ink on the palette. Or it can be in the way we look at another person and make it count, or not. The way we make a single brush stroke on paper count, or not. So really, when you are practicing art, you are the artist of your life, no less. It really is so, whatever shape and form you choose to do it with. The secret is, that it is within this glory of the moment that we are the power of what can happen, we harness our lives to make sense of it. To make it beautiful, to make it a useful struggle. To make it poetic, and romantic, and fantastic. To overcome the fear of non relevant, non important, or not good enough, or impressive enough. Once this bridge is crossed, over and over again, it is the art of living well that is celebrated in many moments of crossing, and finding new aesthetics to dwell in, to enjoy, to celebrate and to be part of. Find out More > You can find out more about Talia's art in the GALLERY . Connect direct for interior design projects and commissions HERE . > The journey with ink paintings have allowed me the discipline and practice to journey the path of art. You are welcomed to explore highlights of this journey with ArtBrush Online tutorials and read more writings on ArtBrush Library > For Japanese ink painting foundation course 'The Four Noble Ones' Sign up for a one-time payment of £220 > > For other individual painting tutorials check ArtBrush Online HERE

The unique genre of haiga in Japanese ink painting Within the rich tradition of Japanese ink painting the painted image and written word have always been interrelated. The artistic training included both writing beautiful calligraphic characters, as well as painting various themes and subjects with minimal strokes. Painted ink poems has evolved as a unique artistic format that has come to be known as haiga . What is haiga? Combining the three arts of calligraphy, painting and poetry, haiga is a unique form of Japanese artistic expression. It is a composition of a painted image and an inscribed three lines poem, known as haiku. Hai as in haiku poem, and ga for picture, thus haiga - ' haiku picture'. Haiga aesthetic intends to convey a moment in time that has captivated the poet’s heart and mind, giving it expression with few strokes of ink-brush on paper. Such haiku painting developed from the 17th century in Japan, out of a long tradition of hand written poems and paintings, which evolved earlier in the Heian and Kamakura periods (791-1336). But it is only in the middle of the 19th century that the term itself came to be used to signify an artistic genre when it appeared in a block-print album by Watanabe Kazan (1793-1841) called ‘Album of Kazan’s haiga’ ( Kazan haigafu ). The affinity between painted images and written words is Chinese in origin. In a colophon attached to a scroll, dated to the Tang dynasty (618-906), it stated the three arts of calligraphy, painting and poetry, to be considered by the emperor, as the ‘The three perfections’ ( san chueh ) and were highly regarded. To follow on, during the Sung dynasty (960-1279), both calligraphy and painting, were two of the arts known by Neo-Confucian scholars as 'The four accomplishments’ ( kinkishoga ) - painting, poetry, music and gō (or chess). They were valued as part of the stature and standard of a person’s capabilities. This influence was transplanted to Japan, and mastership of word and image was developed and cultivated from as early as the 10th century. The belief that handwriting reveals the inner virtue of the writer was a source of emphasis both in poetry and literature such as in the famous Tales of Genji . From waka to haiku poetry Poetry was practiced by aristocratic class of emperors, courtiers and court ladies, as well as by Buddhist monks. Known as waka (or tanka ) poems, they were most popular in the Heia n and Kamakura eras. These court poetry were written to a meter of 31 syllables with a rhythm of 5-7-5-7-7. By the 15th century it had become popular to compose poetry by groups of poets working together, making chains of waka poems, called renga, keeping to the rhythm of 5-7-5 then 7-7 syllables and repeating it. Each poet added another layer of meaning to the chain, which could continue for hundreds of lines. Eventually each link became a format in itself, especially the 5-7-5 syllable poems, which was the beginning of haiku . Haiku , emerged from an interaction between the new popular, largely urban commoner and samurai-based cultures that came to the fore in the 17th century, and the residual classical official courtly poetry tradition, which haiku transformed into a contemporary language and form. It was different from court poetry, which was restricted to the literate intellectual class who mainly used natural imagery to express emotions, often related to love, its joys and sorrows. Haiku evolved when education and cultural experience became more widespread, drawing less from romantic notions, it infused humour and insight into life with a lack of pretension. The shift from court poetry to haiku influenced the shift from poem-painting to haiga . The first was detailed, elegant, accurate and refined in style, while the latter was free and minimal, using expressive brush strokes. Now, lets look together at two quite different haiga examples: 'Melon Blossom' In ‘ Melon Blossom’ , the viewer first takes in the visual image, followed by reading the poem. The making of haiga starts the other way around; usually the haiku is put together first, even if not finally inscribed until the visual image is brushed in. Matsuo Bashō, the most distinguished Japanese poet, presents here his talent and control of the three arts. Mostly painted in soft colours, the black ink marks of the melon’s branch and leaves lend a contrast to the work, giving it tenacity and balance. Resembling the calligraphy lines, they shift the viewer’s attention from the bottom left of the composition to the top right of the poem. 'Neither to evening Nor to morning does it belong - The melon blossom.' 'Melon Blossom' / Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694) / Hanging scroll, 32.8 x 48.5cm. Ink and watercolour on paper The poem is written in a fluent, balanced grass ( sōsho) script. Also known as ‘reed handwriting characters’ ( ashide-moji), grass script uses kanji and kana characters to form a particular style, favourite by calligraphers and artists alike as words became image. The calligraphy frames the composition and brings attention back into the painting. The signature and seal on the left side nicely balances the whole. Affinity with nature is created in a sensual way, smelling the blossom, sensing the daylight or darkness of night ( nor evening nor morning ). Bashō presents harmonious existence within the natural world, rather then standing in awe of it, as a philosophical idea, as was the case with court poetry of the past. He involves the viewer by revealing an inner meaning and perhaps his own feelings as well. Linkage between the painting and the poem is made by the melon’s image and the melon blossom associating with each other. Big and round on the outside, it is empty inside, drawing attention to the undefined illusive moment of blossoming in contrast to the grand blossom itself. A fragment of a bigger scene, the fact of being ‘unfinished’, is a virtue of the poem, rather then a fault. In keeping with the nature of haiga , it allows the viewer to be involved and complete the story/image in their own mind. With the strong, solid calligraphy balances, the background is left open, empty and unformed. It remains a mystery. Haiku evokes rather than states; haiga minimalist information suggests a scene, a place, and a form. Using hints and sensitive details, it echoes into the viewer’s perception and understanding. 'Moon' 'Through the ages Rising above the mountains - Tonight's moon.' 'Moon' / Inoue Shirō (1742-1812) / 31 x 50cm. Ink on paper Inoue Shirō, a follower of poet painter Yosa Buson, was a doctor by profession from Nagoya whose highly simplified work is unique. One fluent brush line marks a whole mountain, with a changing tonality of colour; perhaps like ‘the ages of time’ in the poem, it flows to meet the haiku on the right top part of the haiga . Where is the moon then ? The calligraphy itself changes tonalities, like moonlight shadows, and the character for moon, tsuki , in Japanese, is somewhat elongated and isolated from the rest of the poem, like a moon rising above the mountain. The empty space, which is most of the haiga , can be considered as whiteness of snow, or as darkness of night, or as reflected light of the rising moon. The suggestive language of word and image corresponds to the empty space, giving the viewer’s freedom to meditate on the images proposed. Simplicity is an important character of haiga. E xecuted with monochrome ink, it is sometimes described as a rough or ‘abbreviated sketch’ ( ryakuga ). The visual image seem to be quickly executed, and it stands at the borderline of literal representation. The painting- poem presents an exact combination of minimal information of the mountain’s silhouette and the calligraphy, transferring the essence of nighttime and the atmosphere of the rising moon. Haiga aesthetic and artists The way a poem is written and the image that is associate with it, creates a new imaginary world. A world greater then each art form in itself. Making more then anything, a new rhythm and pace, a dwelling space invitation to the viewer. The achievement of complementary or confronting connections, or even linkage by absence of word or image, between painting and calligraphy to evoke the poem’s atmosphere, is part of the virtuosity of haiga artists. Haiga is a lyrical, expressive fine art. It is the result of a myriad of influences. Drawing from Chinese aesthetics, and the traditional Heian court poetry, it was also impacted by Zen thought, and ideas of traveling poets. And so those who practiced haiga were equally diverse in styles. Men and women artists, poets, painters, travellers, Buddhist nuns and Zen priests, all worked within the genre. Although not as easy to define or categorise, haiga aesthetic has evolved with a stylistic criteria of abbreviation, selectivity, and simplicity along with the corresponding minimalist brushwork of calligraphy and painting. It heightens the awareness of nature, including human nature, with a hint of a season or other specific time. Using everyday scenery as subjects, and encompassing the senses, haiga leaves empty space for the viewer to engage in a process of a suggested art rather than a confronting one. In conclusion In haiga we can see how the painting amplify the poem's emotion and add layers of context and insight. It offers a slight change of focus, a shift in attention and so invites us back to the inner appreciation of beauty. Rather then seeking it outside, reflection of the inner life might resonate in the beauty of external things, but it is essentially evoked from within. The different intensity of atmosphere and feelings, from solitude to longing, to awe-inspiring joy and humour, expressed in a variety of styles and ways, makes haiga a truly unique genre of artistic expression. Learn More > For the complete essay on haiga with a selection of 5 more artworks, discussed by Talia, you are invited to subscribe to ArtBrush library - Sign up now for a one-time payment of £75 > In the library you will also find various essays relating to Japanese art history and aesthetics, as well as notes referring to the practice of ink painting, recommended resources and artist contemplation. > For an in-depth painting course tutorial 'The Four Noble Ones' you are invited to join ArtBrush Foundation course Sign up for a one-time payment of £220 > > For individual painting tutorials please check the link HERE > Recommended further read - Haiga, Takebe Sōchō and the Haiku-Painting tradition / Addiss Stephen and Fumiko Y. Yamamoto, exhibition catalogue. You can get your copy on this affiliate link > Purchase on Amazon HERE > Recommended further studies - In depth FREE, U-tube recorded series of lectures on 'The three perfections' in Japanese art history, by Dr. John Carpenter- Japanese art curator at the MET, and Talia former Japanese art history professor you are invited to view - HERE * Waka image - Calligraphy by emperor Go-Yōzeione one of a set of 12. Written over decorated paper in gold and silver powders and cut foil, colour, and ink. MET museum collection. ** Portrait image - Matsuo Bashō by Katsushika Hokusai. Woodblock print from Hokusai Manga.

How to better appreciate Japanese art? In particular, lets explore the meaning of the crab in this 18th C. Japanese print. These kind of fine quality Japanese prints, known as surimono , were often made for festive occasions such as the New Year. They were usually commissioned by a poet or a poetry group and privately published. Although their subject matter may seem common, these prints are full of hidden meaning and subtle imaginative ideas, woven between the poem and image. Nature and its patterns When looking at the arts of Japan, flora and fauna were always integrated as part of its visual world. Their very essence quality iconography was used in conjunction with giving expression to notions, thoughts, and beliefs of a culture dependant on its visual language as communication connecting network. The composition representation of Japanese painted art, like in its poetry, seems to always be located in a particular span of time. Artists use of coded imagery as a specific set of vocabulary facilitated the expression of the transitory state of time. Observation of natural rhythms and planetary patterns is a key feature in the Japanese relation to the natural world and its phenomena and how it evolved in the painted art. In particular, the way animal behaviour reacts in specific time and responding to the changing nature of time. Be it ebb and flow, change of temperature and humidity, light and dark, as well as the magnitude of the changing seasons. This aspect of time flow, reveals to us the very essence character of the art work. The crab A particular interesting aspect of behaviour in the natural world is that of heralding time of phenomena not yet occurred. The crab ( kani 蟹) comes out at the ebb of the tide, especially when the morning sun rise or the evening sun set. It waits on the water edge to feed, enjoying the early or late soft rays of light. The etymology of its name kan-i means both ‘court rank’ as well as ’bravery’, which indeed he is, in heralding dawn and dusk and in reacting with the water cycle and the ebb of tide. The crab knows to follow the ocean’s rhythm and the day and night cycle. The art of surimono This woodblock print, known as s urimono - to mean ‘printed things’, is a limited edition and privately commissioned print, made for special occasions and times of the year. In particular surimono were designed as original gift cards for the New Year. The art of surimono was developed during the 18th century by top artists, usually commissioned by a poet or a poetry group. It was designed with subtle details, high quality paper and pigments, and refined technique of printing. Artist Utagawa Kunisada (1786 – 1865) was one of the most prolific woodblock print artist of the 19th C., with over 20,000 designs he has created during his lifetime. In this fine print by him, a giant crab is depicted from above, crossing the soft sand unto the water. Two poems are placed at the top part, with Kunisada beautiful designed round, red seal on the bottom right. Calligraphic poetry The two poems are placed carefully above the crab, as if coming out of the blue water. They are so well engraved that one may confuse them with calligraphy brush strokes. The first poem by Bunsō Takemasa on the right reads: 'The warbler sings to the moon and stars at Susaki Bay as the sun rises auspiciously at the dawn of spring.' The second poem is by Kubo Yasujūrō (1780-1837) , one of the many poets who came from samurai family and of the first to make a living out of the kyōka poetry, by holding competition and compiling anthologies of amateur kyōka poetry: 'Morning arrives in a sea of mist the giant crab crawls ever more slowly as the day goes by.' Both poems indicate the season and hour, describing Susaki Bay on the outskirts of Edo, which was a traditional place for gathering shells and seeing the first sunrise of the year over the sea. Time in poetry and painting was represented often with relation to a specific place, in defining not only the moment but also the emotional mood caused by that place and hour. In conclusion And so, a crab is not just a crab, it is part of the great clock of the natural world and was carefully chosen to be depicted here in this print. Although only one single crab is painted, its image alongside the calligraphic poetry, reveal to us, if only in our imagination, a whole landscape of the disappearing night time with its moon and stars, and the coming of the first New Year sunrise by the silver blue seashore. Learn More >Learn how to paint crabs and shrimps with Japanese ink and brush in this easy step-by-step tutorial - Sign up now for a one-time payment of £65 >   > For a selection of essays relating to Japanese art history and aesthetics as well as ink painting practice, recommended resources and artist contemplation - You are invited to subscribe to ArtBrush library. Sign up for a one-time payment of £75 > > 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

Contact Talia Lehavi Studio for enquires about purchasing original artworks, pricing, and requesting commissions. Contact Talia You are welcome to visitTalia's Almond Grove studio in Mallorca and check out available artwork. The studio is open for art viewing Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Arrange your studio visit by sending a message to Talia below with your details. If you would like to purchase an art piece, commission Talia for a special artwork, or request a private online viewing room with a selection of artworks, please fill the form below with your inquiry and we will be happy to assist. And if you are interested to learn Japanese ink painting visit ArtBrush Online School for more details. Thank you for visiting Talia's website. First Name Last Name Email Message... Submit Thanks for submitting!

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

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