March 2020 – Artist of the Month – Darlene Kaplan

 Exhibit Title:  “More Than Flowers”

Show Dates: Tuesday March 3 – Sunday April 5, 2020

Meet-The-Artists Reception: Sunday, March 8, 2020 from 1-4pm

The Loft Gallery invites you to come and enjoy featured Northern Virginia artist Darlene Kaplan’s March 2020 art exhibition.

Nature has such a variety of subjects to paint. “More Than Flowers” showcases the artistry of International Award Winning Oriental Brush Painter, Darlene Kaplan.  Kaplan will display animals, large and small birds, and landscapes, just to mention a few subjects. The oriental brush painting (Lingnan) style is all about capturing the energy (chi) from nature.  Kaplan paints the essence of the subject allowing the viewer to fill in the blanks with the minds’ eye.

Kaplan has been captivating art lovers worldwide with her energetic Oriental Brush Paintings using Chinese watercolors on rice paper for more than 40 years. Her art has been displayed worldwide including China and Japan as well as throughout the United States. She has been published many times, has been a guest on three different local TV channels, and has won numerous awards both national and International.

“For many years Kaplan painted realism in oils before making the change to oriental brush painting Ling Nan style. Studying martial arts/Tai Chi’ for years inspired her to try this medium, which she fell in love with right away. “The calming effect of grinding the ink before painting, the energy that is put into throwing ink on paper is just the greatest of pleasures that only this style of art allows me to feel” quotes Kaplan.

In her paintings Darlene attempts “to show purity in painting the snow, brightness in the moon, fragrance in the flower, sounds in the waterfall and spirit in animals.” Before beginning, she has a vision in mind. “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.”