JOYOUSBRUSH PAINTING with TEHWAN TSO

http://joyousbrushclubatkincaid.blogspot.com

Time: Saturday 2:00 to 3:00pm, 6/25/16,

Let’s paint joyfully, nurture your creativity

brush on deliberately, command your will.

Elegant strokes, your personal signature

Explore Chinese treasure retained through time

Discover joy while explore nature

Observe, recall and imaging

Document, express and communicate

Actualize what you visualize

Complete our joy as we hang it up or give it away.

The Joyous Brush Club incorporates the classic oriental brush stroke techniques passed down through the ages and the contemporary exploration of water color effect on rice paper.

Tehwan Tso demonstrates Chinese brush painting in Cobb County schools through Artist in School program. She offered workshops to Georgia schools through Woodruff Arts Young Audiences. She was awarded in 2010 Cobb County Ovation Award in visual art and served as grant application panelists for National Endowment for the Arts in 2012. She taught at many art centers and schools including Callaway Garden, The Art Place, The Art Station, Chastain Art Center...

..etc for over 20 years.

JOYOUSBRUSH REGISTRATION for Home studio workshop (submission deadline 6/23/16)

2 hours workshop: $40 include all class supplies check #_____________

Student’s Name: ________________________________________ age: _____________________

Telephone: ______________________________ E-mail: _______________________________

Please scan it and email to Tehwan@aol.com. Questions, please email me or call 6786773063

2015 reminder: Good Will toward men

This is the good seed God sowed on the day the Messiah was born:  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

The ancient Chinese wisemen searched for such Glory and yearned for the peace on earth they envisioned in their heart.  They pen down these 6 steps of attainment: 诚意sincere will， 正心upright heart， 修身disciplined self ， 齐家harmonized family， 治国well governed nation，平天下Peace on earth.

Herber V. Prochnow in his 700 Illustrations & ideas for Speakers, p128 translated as such: " If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character.  If there is beauty in the character, there will be love in the home.  If there is love in the home, there will be order in the nation.  If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world".  Yet prior to the righteous heart, there is an sincered alignment of the will. Aligned to the highest God in His glory.

It is easy to memorize the concise Chinese proverb.  So make it your 2015 reminder.

2014 Christmas gratitude and reflection.

Dear beloved creative friends:

I want to thank you for supporting Joyousbrush Club in the past or present in journeying with me in search of aesthetic excellence, as Confucius' explains :". What the "Great Learning" teaches is: to illustrate illustrious virtue; to renovate the people; and to rest in the highest excellence. "  The aesthetic excellence is in the condition of the soul, be it rich or poor, splendid or barren.  Brush painting is the language we use to explore, communicate and enrich our soul.  Brush painting techniques or the products is only the means for such reflection.

Confucius continues: ". The point where to rest being known, the object of pursuit is then determined; and, that being determined, a calm unperturbedness may be attained to.To that calmness there will succeed a tranquil repose. In that repose there may be careful deliberation, and that deliberation will be followed by the attainment of the desired end.

The rest he states here is the vision, the aim or the ultimate goal.  What better rest can we find than in the Christmas story.  The ultimate wisdom demonstrates how to instill goodwill to sin ridden men, which is by replacing our sin ridden spirit with the spirit of truth and grace through whatever it takes kind of sacrifice.  So a child is born, a sinless son is given in order for the exchange life to take place.  He takes over our sin and it's curse as we take over His righteousness and blessing.  

Once the point where to rest is known, then the object of pursuit can be determined. Education should first instill goodwill to man then move on with the empowerment of achievements. The object of pursuit is to revive and nourish our poor spirit. Not to cover up with layers of masks but to calmly receive the amazing grace which allows us to see our soul in its deprived and depraved condition without fearing the curse associates with it.  With such acceptance we then can calmly, deliberately, diligently grow out of such condition.  The growth of a righteous spirit is to explore truth, to promote love and to pursue beauty.

I am one who received such grace, so I am administer the same to build communities of truth seeker, love promoter and beauty pursuer.

Merry Christmas to you all

My Tellico Village Joyousbrush worshop delight

honest effort, rekindled passion, boundless goodness and contagious joy

These are the kind of fruit I labor for.  I am so blessed by people like Mary Kay and the kind of experiences captured by her gracious words.

Plain Air at Chastain

We painted outdoor at our last Chastain class.  The live band was playing the blues in the background.  The weather was perfect 10.  No mosquitos.  Delightful group of friends.  We would not discovered such treat if the center was not locked.  What a memorable way to end our extended Spring sessions.

Updated personal mission statement

For the past 2 years, my work took a turn.  Instead of realize beauty on paper, I desire to realize beauty in people.  My canvas has been transferred from 2 dimensional to 4 dimensional. I found a common need and serve people with it. What a delight it is to discover those who are humble and true, deligent and grateful. Through this experience, my mission statement is now updated from:
To proclaim truth, promote love and pursue beauty to:
Building communities where truth can be proclaimed, love promoted and beauty pursued.

The updated mission statement merges my leisure and work.  I can go about fulfilling my mission both at leisure and at work, finding pleasure at work and productivity at leisure.

Art Guild of Tellica Villiage

A delightful visit to the Tennessee Valley sharing the joy of Chinese brush painting with Art Guild of Tellica Village.  A wonderful mature, talented audience eager to be STRETCHed to the Eastern aesthetics.

The brush and the ink that have been used throughout Chinese history to document the artist's thoughts, emotion, volition and spirit.

Smitha Middle School demonstration

 Demonstration at Smitha Middle School with Chinese Calligraphy hands on exercise.

Young Audiences Brush Painting workshops

I represented Young Audiences of Woodruff Art Center to give a brush painting workshop at Drew Charter school in Atlanta. We had luxurious 75 minutes, but it still seem to be short.  Wonderful participation and great work.

This is at Cherokee Christian School after a Young Audience Brush Painting workshop, these middle school students are so enthusiastic and satisfied that they commanded a victory post.  

Chastain Week 7

I saw a new enthusiasm among the students wanting to try new things.  That's the life and the growth that make life exciting.  We venture, we gain some and loss some, but on the way we are revitalized.  How wonderful it is to be revitalized by the beauty within each of us, whether in appreciation, in discovery, in pursue or in attainment.

Chastain Week 6 From bud to bloom

To know a subject well you want to capture the various stages of its growth.  Composing elements through time adds another dimension of expression.  This is how artist can transcend time.

Chastain week 5

It is so interesting to converse with the elderly and get their  perspective in life.  The wise ones have the stages figured out. They understand what mental shifts will happen when.  This is what I call the richness of the soul.  insights like such comes from rich soul.  Brush painting is one of the tools to manifest rich souls.

That's why talking with great artists, not just artisans, are so satisfying.

chastain week 4

This is a painting I did prior to the class arrival.  It's so wonderful to share my joy with the interested.  I will start putting on the picture of the week for silent auction.  This being the 1st one.  The highest bidder gets the painting. The auction will end before the next painting goes up on Tuesday. If you want the painting to be mounted on another rice paper for matting(a standard practice on rice paper) it will be $25.  Shipping and handling is $10.  

This was one of my students practice sheet.  He had 5 Chrysanthemum on the paper.  I helped him link some up and compose into a painting.  The rest 2 are left for him to struggle with.  This process will teach you to place the flowers in strategic places when you practice. I worked with the students individually on their subjects, including peony, landscape, hydreagea, chrysanthemum and daisies.

An introduction workshop is offered at The Art Place on 10/13/12 from 1:30 to 5pm.  You may register with TAP http://prca.cobbcountyga.gov/TheArtsPlace.htm.  I will love to get you started with this art form.  

Chastain week3

Chrysanthemum is a stroke driller.  You get so much practice out of painting this flower.  It was so much fun to have the students participate in the composition of this painting.  The challigraphy says " Harmonious Cooperation".  That's the delight in gathering with creative people.  

If you want to explore this art form.  I am offering a Chinese Brush Painting weekend workshop on 10/13/12 at The Art Place from 1:30 to 5pm. I would love to pass the joy of brush painting to you.   

Chastain 2

One of my students wants to paint bunnies.  So we venture out into a new exploration.  If you are not intimidated by the challenges posted around you, then learning will take place.  The joy of growing will payback many folds if you can overcome the initial resistance. 

Chastain Art Center Week 1

It was good to gather with brush painting lovers to paint together for a morning.  I shared that brush painting in many ways is like a performance.  When you paint, it is like giving a recital.  The strokes are perfected through practice. The understanding comes through daily digestion of the subjects.  The composition is  your choreography of your accumulated understanding.  The expression embrace your collected delight and aspiration.  The painting exudes your philosophical attainment and reach.  The whole painting represent your signature.  No one can copy it.  They can receive your spirit as a disciple as you apprentice under other great masters.  The technique makes technitions, it is the spirit that makes masters. So the main challenge for a artist is to take care that your spirit is aligned to the highest worthy spirit you can find.

Happy New Year from Joyousbrush Club

Dear Creative friends

Happy New Year from Joyousbrush Club.  

Charlotte Mason, 1842-1923, founder of the Charlotte Mason College of Education in England,  stated "There are few joys in life greater and more constant than our joy in Beauty.  It is only through our Aesthetic Sense that we can take full pleasure in what we see and hear,  to an extend that our soul over flow the joy and expression which often produce new forms of beauty in all application of life".  

Joyousbrush Club seeks to awake your students' Aesthetic sense, so that they may be delightfully engaged  in beauty in all circumstances and application of life.  We all need to be trained to see and to have our eyes opened before we can take in the joy that is meant for us in this beautiful world.  Joyousbrush Club seeks to teach each student in their own brush strokes how to document this art of seeing. 

Charlotte Mason continues "It is our business to bring Beauty to places where it is not.  For happiness comes of effort, service, wide interests and of enjoyment.  We do not want to miss the happiness to which the Beauty Sense was meant to minister, the joy of life to all without exclusivity. 

2011 CHRISTMAS GREETING FROM THE TSOS

Merry 2011 Christmas. Joy to the world, not because times are good, but because the Lord has come.

Christmas is beautiful, not because the lights and the sounds of Christmas, but because what happened in that silent night two thousand years ago.

Yet Christmas is beautiful. Silent night will not remain silent, for grateful souls can't stop singing about it. Holy night will not remain calm, for joyful souls can't stop celebrating this Holy birth.

Man's fear of punishment is replaced by God's saving grace. Truth never has to be distorted to spare sinners. Love never has to be compromised to uphold justice.

Lives lived in meaninglessness and purposelessness often force honest souls on search journey. Many treasures may be found, but only one rests our soul. The wise men searched near and far, and God directed them to the most beautiful treasure, Immanuel (God with us). Their eyes are opened to divine beauty. Their world is now beautiful in the substance of their hope.

Let's celebrate Christmas with a child like delight. It is not what we eat, but what we know that nurtures us. Not the food but the Good News that satisfies us. We know the author of Christmas; He is Holy. We know the gift of Christmas; He is love. We know the joy of Christmas; our brothers and sisters have received and passed it on, so have we. Celebrate “Christ child born in us” this Christmas. Let His life grow up in us and restore all peace.

Blessings,

Tom and Tehwan Tso

Joyousbrush Brush Painting demonstration DVD

Math is a beautiful thing.  My daughter needed help in Calculus.  I told her I will look at her text book to see if I still remember them from my college days.  As I was reading derivatives and integration, I was attracted to the beauty of discovery and application of understandings through model and theory building. I was reading her math text book with as much interest as my art books.

Math is like what my art is. I am forever finding the simplest way to paint something from understanding, especially the design in nature.  Instead of painting what I see, I paint what I understand.  I see to understand, not to copy.  That's why I don't use references when I paint.  But I am always collecting references for my understanding as I acquired a lifestyle of observation to satisfy my curiosity.  My painting is a validation of what I understand, not only by my own eyes but also by others.

Why nature?  For one, my bamboo brushes paint shapes besides lines.  They can handle organic shapes better than geometric shapes. For two, I like the validation from people of all nationality and background.  I don't have to explain nature, every one agrees with nature.  More importantly I am learning from the Master designer who created the universe with all the intricate designs.  I am not learning from the objects of nature alone, but the creative mind of the Ultimate Designer through what He created.  

Joyousbrush demonstration DVD captured the process of painting in the most direct way:  from front to back, from topic subjects to decorative objects, emotion supported by logic, disciplined yet free.  It plays out like music recital, the rhythms, the execution of strokes and the composing the parts to make the whole.  It builds like mathematics, theory upon theory.  It entertains like performance, the thoughts behind each stroke and the emotion deliberated.   Hopefully I can take you on a tour through this DVD so you can see what I am talking about.  This 42 minutes DVD is made available for your most creative Christmas present at $19.99. Be joyful always as Joyousbrush documents my personal mission statement to proclaim truth, promote love and pursue beauty.

The Road at Glimpses of His Glory

Title: Path of Life

Scripture: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy” Psalm 16:11

caption: The path of life does not start with my life. It started in the mind and heart of God before the creation of the world. It ends with the glorious work God accomplished in leading me and others to see Him as He is by faith.

Ovation Award

Dear Tehwan,

The Cobb Arts Board and the Friends of the Arts would like to thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for the Arts in Cobb County. It is my pleasure, on their behalf, to inform you that you have been nominated for a 2010 Ovation Award and have been selected as a finalist.

There is a letter attached to this email from Yvonne Wason-James, Arts Board Chair, concerning this year’s presentation. The date of the event has been moved. This letter will give you more information. I will follow up within the month and give you more details as well.

Again, congratulations! And don’t stop making art happen in Cobb County.

Elizabeth H. Weaver

Cultural Affairs Division Director

Cobb County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department

770-528-8845

“After the Dream Only Passion Remains” - Dante

Kincaid Joyousbrush Club

The children did great following my instructions in painting their 1st angel fish.  After that you can see their creative outburst in creating angel fish community and their habitat.  I have attached my sample painting for your reference.  They did not copy mine.  They created their own free hand.  Each person's stroke are unique, their preferences are different, this is only their first experience on the rice paper.  They did great with the line work and the control of the moisture in their brush.  

The students are allowed to take their paintings home.  But they have to remember to bring them back so we will have our portfolio in the end of the school year.  Most students left their paintings in my keeping.  I will request spaces in school to display their paintings down the road.

Thank you for sharing your children with me as we seek to multiply joy together. 

Joyoubrush Painting Club

The Joyousbrush Club is now offered at 

Kincaid Elementary School, 

Shallowford Elementary School, 

Taiwanese School of Atlnata,(www.taiwaneseschoolofatlanta.com) as well as

School demonstration through Cobb County Artist in School Program and 

Brush Painting Workshops through Young Audiences (www.yawac.org)

For information, please contact Tehwan@aol.com

For References, please go to www.Joyousbrush.com

Exhibition

23 pieces of Tehwan Tso's paintings are now exhibited at the Sacred Tapestry until the end of February 2011.

Please come by and take a look. Your feedbacks are appreciated

My Christmas wish to you

May beauty be our aim and

love be our deeds,

Joy be our growth and

peace be our rest,

the fear of the Lord be our beginning and

the favor of the Lord be our end.

Artist Within Cards 3/8

Card#3. The art of seeing

To see in focus is to uncover the true identity of the subject matter. Instead of recognizing things or naming them, know them intimately.
To see in proportion establish one's value and emphasis.
To see in perspective, learning to see by learning to paint, will cause other changes in the perceptions of life around them
To see in relationship, the whole in relationships to the parts,discover discrepancy in missing parts or misfitted parts.
To see in pattern will develop intuition or global, integrative thinking through seeing large amounts of information in patterns or relationships.
To see in rhythm multiplies delight and comfort, guiding emotional response by sorting through the random
To see in meaning and making sense by resolving the ambiguity
To see differently will cause us to think differently.
To see with anticipation will develop our concentration and alertness instead of our mindless wondering and day dreaming.
To see with your heart will bless you with time passed with emotion and revelation instead of boredom and meaningless existence. Nature is a constant source of inspiration and learning.
To see with your mind will liberate your ego as the mind is directed and occupied by interests outside of self, translating the ideas from facts observed.
To see beyond is to project from given
To see within is to waken subtle emotions or suppositions yet unnamed. The resonance in hearts reinforce the cognitive shift for creative thinking.
To see spiritually may emerge through deep understanding of natural facts, bridging the communication between the divine and mortal result in a breakthrough in perception and a new realm of understanding.
To share the vision is to make the unknown known through visual communication. If you can see the invisible, you can do the impossible.

Artist Within Cards 2/8

Card#2. Purpose

My purpose in teaching and sharing art is to invite others
To see with fresh eyes
To marvel with wonder
To reflect with honesty
To know with confidence
To trust with understanding
To create with enthusiasm
To delight with passion
To share with joy
To praise with gratitude
To worship with freedom

Artist Within Cards 1/8

Card#1. Beauty

To pursue beauty one has to travel the road of Truth with understanding and Love with character. When Truth is rejected, love will be distorted, and beauty substituted. There are so many hurting people in this world. They are hurt by deception and rejection. The deceived perpetuates deception, the rejected reacts with rejection. Truth breaks the power of deception; beauty breaks the power of rejection. Beauty invites, beauty heals, beauty satisfies.
Everything become beautiful when we love, for beauty is of the heart. Beauty is a heart attitude matured from goodness, which results from truthful, honest and sincere heart. So if we live by truth, goodness will emerge. And if we exercise goodness, beauty will manifest. Let us pursue beauty, promote goodness and proclaiming truth. 

Exhibitions

My paintings exhibitions:

East Cobb Senior Center Nov. 20th 2009 - Jan. 15th 2010
Callaway Gardens Discovery Center Solo show: Sep. 12th 2009 -Nov. 1st 2009
Kennesaw State University Confucius Center: Aug 18th 2009 - Sept. 10th 2009
The Art Station: July 2nd 2009 - July 24th 2009
Glimpses of His Glory Gallery: Nov. 2nd 2008 - Dec. 7th 2008
Central United Congregational Church Nov. 2005

Beauty invites, Beauty heals. Beauty belongs to the heart. True beauty is an emotional response to all that is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praise worthy.  Beauty can only be appreciated by a beautiful heart.  To be invited into beauty one has to travel the road of truth with understanding and love with character. I, therefore, devote my life to proclaim truth, promote love, and pursue beauty. 

Chinese Brush Painting

I will be teaching Chinese Brush Painting classes in 2010 at the following places
1. The Art Place
2. The Art Station
3. Kennesaw Community Center
4. The Callaway Gardens
5. Out of the Box Art Center
6. Johns Creek Arts Center

My art works are now displayed at
1. The Art Place
2. East Cobb Senior Center
3. Art 101 Gallery in Canton

You may view my work at www.joyousbrush.com