Saturday 1st March

Time: 2.00 - 4.30 pm

Cost: £35

Materials Included

Fish in Chinese New Year

The words for fish and abundance are pronounced the same in Chinese (yu) so the fish in Chinese culture symbolizes wealth. Fish also symbolize harmony, marital happiness and reproduction because they multiply rapidly and sometimes swim in pairs.

Chinese legend says people placed messages in the bellies of the fish, and thus the fish has come to symbolize communication with a distant friend or loved one. Fish is an important symbol in the Buddhist religion and are among the auspicious signs on the Footprints of Buddha. The fish on the Buddha footprints signifies freedom from all restraints. 

Traditionally, people paint fish in Chinese New Year to bring good luck and blessings to the family. Known to most Westerners as Koi Fish, the Chinese carp has numerous symbolic values within Chinese culture. The carp is a powerful symbol of strength and perseverance. The scales and whiskers of the carp resemble that of a dragon, a great symbol of power in China.

In this workshop, we will learn how to use brush strokes to paint the movement of a fish, and how to paint fish from different swimming positions. At the end of the workshop, we will paint a full painting “nian nian you yu”, which means blessings and abundance every year.

This workshop will start with some simple body movement and breathing exercises to help us relax our body and mind. Basics such as body posture, how to hold the brush will be introduced briefly for beginners to get familiar with this practice.