Award winning Professional artist, owner and CEO of Soft Brush Studio, Darlene Kaplan has been captivating art lovers worldwide with her energetic Oriental Brush Paintings using Chinese watercolors for over 40 years. Tennessee native moved to Virginia where she pursued her love of painting.
Kaplan started out in oil painting and switched to the Oriental style when she started taking martial arts. Kaplan is a martial artist teaching Tai Chi. The energy "chi" is also essential in Oriental Brush Painting.
Kaplan paints in the Ling Nan style of Oriental Brush Painting which is a combination of Western and East Asian art. The Oriental art consists of many styles of painting that originated in China centuries ago and spread throughout Japan and Korea.
In her paintings she attempts as an artist to show purity in painting the snow, brightness in the moon, fragrance in the flower, sound in the waterfall and spirit in people. Before beginning, Kaplan will have a vision in mind. In other words, "the mind has the plan and the hand follows." Once started, the brush and ink require full attention. Without the mood, brush and ink do not have anything to attach to; without brush and ink, the mood cannot be expressed. These are inseparable elements.
Kaplan has won numerous awards for her paintings and has been exhibiting for over 40 years in both group and solo exhibitions. Kaplan's Oriental Brush Paintings may be viewed at her Soft Brush Studio in Alexandria, VA, where she teaches her skill to all levels.
All Kaplan's work is derived from nature, never from photographs. Kaplan's work may be viewed at her Soft Brush Studio, Alexandria, VA, The Art League Gallery, Alexandria, VA and The Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, VA.
In her paintings she attempts as an artist to show purity in painting the snow, brightness in the moon, fragrance in the flower, sound in the waterfall and spirit in people. Before beginning, Kaplan will have a vision in mind. In other words, "the mind has the plan and the hand follows." Once started, the brush and ink require full attention. Without the mood, brush and ink do not have anything to attach to; without brush and ink, the mood cannot be expressed. These are inseparable elements.
