Nihonga - Japanese Painting with Mineral Pigments

In this beginner's two-day workshop, participants will use a simple design provided by the instructor on Japanese Kozo paper mounted on a wooden panel, as well as learn the pigment making, color application and gold leafing which technique unique to the process. The workshop will include presentations of traditional and contemporary Nihonga and techniques. Through this workshop, students will learn traditional painting techniques to explore their future concepts and ideas.

Over the last two thousand years, Japanese painting (Nihonga) has used materials with close analogs in nature to engage with the environment. Some women in my family went to the Joshibi University of Art and Design to learn Japanese art, a feminist art school that was founded against the notion of art universities accepting only male students at the time. So I chose to follow in my great aunt and grandmother’s footsteps and chose my major as Japanese Painting. Learning from a family member and professors at the school, I was taught basic methods for Japanese painting, including, pigment-making, papermaking, sizing, etc. In addition, they also taught me how to explore painting beyond the regular surface, which is washi paper for Japanese painting, such as canvas, silk, and wood as well as the design fundamentals in traditional composition, and usage of gold and silver leaf/powder.