Guest demo artist specializes in Chinese brush and sumi-e painting

ART LEAGUE

The Leisure World Art League will have its monthly meeting Tuesday, Sept. 10, in Clubhouse 4 at 7 p.m. Alma Borcuk, an artist, avid supporter of animal rescue efforts and art instructor based in Lake Arrowhead, will be the guest demonstration artist.

Borcuk’s focus has been on traditional sumi-e and Chinese brush painting. She has been studying under her mentor, Dr. Ning Yeh, who is a premier master of this ancient art form. He is known for his Emmy award-winning PBS art show and has authored several art books on the subject.

She shares this art form by teaching Chinese brush painting at the Community Arts Center located in Lake Arrowhead Village. The technique has a distinct influence on her painting style, like her use of ink line drawings with a bamboo stick as her drawing tool and the sparse or non-existent background of her subjects.

In the tradition of Asian painting techniques, she strives to finish paintings in as few strokes as possible and to know when to stop so as not to overwork it. This produces a fresh, spontaneous and serene quality in a painting. In the tradition of John Singer Sargent’s work in portraiture, she aims to capture not only the likeness of her subject but also its soul.

Her favorite medium is watercolor, however, she has created paintings using other mediums— ink, pencil, conte crayons, pastels and oil pastels—sometimes combining mediums to create her own unique artistic style.

Borcuk’s paintings are in private collections throughout the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia. She has also done several commissioned pet portraits. Her work was featured in the December 2003 issue of Northlight Book Club Magazine, as well as a book cover illustration for a children’s chapter book by author Betty Sleep, entitled “Purrlock Holmes and the Case of the Vanishing Valuables.”

The popular vote theme for this meeting is landscape. People should come early, especially if they have art entries for the competition. Judging will start at 6:30 p.m. People who do not want to enter the competition can also bring paintings for display only.

The meeting and demonstration is open to everyone. The competition is for Art League active members only. There is no fee to enter in the art competition. For more information about the club or competition categories, email Marion Higgins at mthiggins24@ gmail.com.