Leicestershire Chinese Brush Painting Group meets monthly at the beautiful Attenborough Arboretum at 5-23 Carisbrooke Road Leicester LE2 3TQ (map) [what3words: zebra.splash.chop]. Painting sessions run from 09:45am – 4pm. Students arrive about 9:15am to set up. In good weather we start the day with gentle qigong exercises in the Arboretum.
Our light and airy venue accommodates 12 students plus a tutor, hence the need to secure a place by booking and paying in advance.
Interested in joining us? Please email Paul on: pmcbp1@gmail.com or Claire on: clscbp@googlemail.com to be added to our LCBPG distribution list.
Our tutors, Paul Maslowski and Claire Seaton cater for experienced painters right through to complete beginners. Our friendly group of like minded people meet in a relaxed environment to expand our knowledge of CBP.
On occasions, we also work with Attenborough Arts to provide Chinese Brush Painting workshops…
2025 workshops
Autumn 2025
- Saturday 13 September: Longyuan (Dragon eye fruit) (Please note change of venue: Tur Langton Village Hall)
- Saturday 11 October: Chinese Zodiac Animal – Horses & Donkeys (Fully Booked)
- Saturday 15 November: Animal – Red Panda [Advanced Subject] (Fully Booked)
- Saturday 13 December: Seasonal subject tbc (Fully Booked)
Summer 2025
- Saturday 17 May: Summer trees
- Saturday 07 June: Birds in trees (Please note change of venue: Tur Langton Village Hall)
- Saturday 12 July: Lotus & waterfowl (Fully Booked)
Winter/Spring 2025
- Saturday 11 January: 3 companions of winter (Pine, bamboo & plum) (Fully Booked)
- Saturday 08 February: Animals – Cats (Fully Booked)
- Saturday 08 March: Prawn & Crab (Fully Booked)
- Saturday 12 April: Flower & Insect (Fully Booked)
2024 workshops
Autumn 2024
- Saturday 26 October: Autumn Trees [Suitable for beginners] (Fully Booked)
- See Autumn Trees: LCBPG blog post
- Saturday 09 November: Chinese Zodiac Animal – Snake (Fully Booked)
- Saturday 07 December: Seasonal subject – Snow on Bamboo (Fully Booked)
- See Snow on Bamboo blog post
During Summer 2024, Leicestershire CBP group moved from the University of Leicester Botanic Gardens in Oadby, Leicester where we had held workshops for over 8 years to our new venue at Attenborough Arboretum, Knighton, Leicester.
Summer 2024
- Saturday 13 April: Wild Orchid [Suitable for beginners] (Fully Booked)
- Saturday 11 May: Rocks (& Wild Orchid) (Fully Booked)
- Saturday 08 June: Simple female figures (with Claire) (Fully Booked)
- Saturday 13 July: Scholars Rocks (gōngshí)
Winter/Spring 2024
- Saturday 13 January: Birds: Little birds [Suitable for beginners] (Fully Booked)
- Saturday 10 February: Birds: The Chinese Phoenix (Fully Booked)
- Saturday 09 March: Birds: Angry birds & Flowers with Claire (Fully Booked)
Autumn 2023
- Saturday 09 September: Flowers – Chrysanthemum [Suitable for beginners]
- Saturday 14 October: Zodiac Animals – Chinese Dragons
- See Chinese Dragon origins blog post
- Saturday 11 November: Fish – Koi Carp (Fully Booked)
- See earlier Painting a Lucky Carp – tips and techniques blog post
- Saturday 09 December: Seasonal subject – Winter Landscape (Fully Booked)
Summer 2023
- Saturday 15 April: Figures – Buddhas/Bodhisattvas
- Saturday 27 May: Summer Trees (Fully Booked)
- Saturday 10 June: Contemporary Summer Landscape with Claire
- Saturday 08 July: Birds – Water waders [Suitable for beginners]
Winter/Spring 2023
- Saturday 21 January: Plum Blossom in the moon (Chinese New Year) (Fully Booked)
- Saturday 11 February: Birds – Red Cranes
- Saturday 18 March: Spring Landscape (Fully Booked)
Autumn 2022
- Saturday 01 October: Mid-Autumn (Moon) Festival (Fully Booked)
- Saturday 12 November: Chinese Zodiac Animal – Rabbits/Hares
- Saturday 03 December: Birds – Three French Hens
Summer 2022
- Saturday 07 May: Blossom in the Botanic Gardens
- Saturday 11 June: Large-leaved plants in the Botanic Gardens i.e. Gunnera, Lotus etc…
- Saturday 09 July: Chinese Zodiac Animal – Tigers with Claire
Winter/Spring 2022
- Saturday 08 January: (CANCELLED due to COVID-19)
- Saturday 05 February: Chinese Zodiac Animal – Chinese Dragons [Suitable for beginners]
- See Chinese Dragon origins blog post
- Saturday 12 March: Bird principles [Suitable for beginners]
- Saturday 09 April: Spring Landscape
Winter 2022 Attenborough Arts workshop
Paul ran a Winter workshop entitled A Chinese Dragon is more than the sum of its parts… at Attenborough Arts in Leicester (map) on Saturday 12 February 2022. This workshop concentrated on how a traditional Chinese Dragon is built up in order that students could create their own…
Learn more about Chinese Dragons on our series of blog posts, starting with Chinese Dragon origins.
Autumn 2021
- Saturday 13 November: Autumn Trees
- Saturday 11 December: Trees and Water
Winter/Spring 2020
- Saturday 11 January: Calligraphy – signing and dating your painting (resource links included)
- Saturday 08 February: Fish – Coloured carp for new year
- See Painting a Lucky Carp – tips and techniques blog post
- Saturday 07 March: Chinese Zodiac Animal – Hares [Suitable for beginners]
- See Spring Hares blog post
- Saturday 04 April: (CANCELLED due to COVID-19)
Autumn 2019
- Saturday 7th December: Animals – Camels not kings!
- Saturday 7th November: Flowers – Poppies
- Saturday 12th October: Figures – Goddesses & Demons…
- Saturday 7th September: Chinese Zodiac Animal – Rats & Rodents
- See Rats in the garden! blog post. This workshop ensured we were ready to send Chinese New Year cards in 2020!
Summer 2019
- Saturday 11 May: Birds – Weavers
- Saturday 08 June: Blue Green Landscape 1
- Saturday 13 July: Blue Green Landscape 2
Winter/Spring 2019
- Saturday 12 January: Animals – Deer
- Saturday 09 February: Goldfish
- Saturday 09 March: Birds – Cormorants
- Saturday 13 April: Butterflies with Grape Hyacinth
Autumn 2018
- Saturday 15th December: (CANCELLED due to illness)
- Saturday 24th November: Traditional – Ox and boy
- See Ox and boy blog post
- Saturday 20th October: Birds – Geese & Swans
- Saturday 15th September: Flowers – Morning Glory (Convolvulus)
Summer 2018 A Chinese Brush with the Botanic Gardens c/o Attenborough Arts
Paul ran a Summer School entitled A Chinese Brush with the Botanic Gardens which was run through Attenborough Arts. This took place in the University of Leicester Botanic Gardens on Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th June 2018. The weekend allowed beginners and artists to look in detail at the principles of Chinese Birds and Fish as well as Water Lilies & Gunnera plants that are available in the beautiful Botanic Gardens. Students were encouraged to take inspiration from the Botanic Gardens and by the end of the weekend everyone had created a fabulous array of beautiful Chinese Brush compositions…
Summer 2018
- Saturday 19 May: Visiting Artist – Jane Dwight: Wisteria + Lion
- Saturday 17 June: Visiting Artist – Jean Turton: Birds – Kingfisher + Landscape
- Saturday 21 July: Backing Paintings + Modern Landscape
Winter/Spring 2018
- Saturday 13 January: Landscape – Boats on snowy river + Fishing Junk
- Saturday 10 February: Trees – Back to basics
- Saturday 17 March: Chinese Zodiac Animal – Pig / Boar
- See Radicals and pigs blog post
- Saturday 21 April: Landscape – Waterfalls
Autumn 2017
- Saturday 09th December: Festive subject – Partridge in a Pear Tree
- Saturday 18th November: Animals – Dogs
- Saturday 28th October: Figures – Old men
- Saturday 09th September: Fruit – Grapes
Summer 2017 A Chinese Brush with the Botanic Gardens c/o Attenborough Arts
Paul ran a Summer School entitled A Chinese Brush with the Botanic Gardens which was run through Attenborough Arts. This took place in the University of Leicester Botanic Gardens on Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th June 2017. The weekend allowed beginners and artists to look in detail at Chinese Calligraphy principles as well as Banana plants, Bamboo, Damselflies & Dragonflies along with a fabulous variety of rocks that are in the beautiful Botanic Gardens. Students were encouraged to take inspiration from the Botanic Gardens and by the end of the weekend everyone had created a fabulous array of beautiful Chinese Brush compositions…
Summer 2016 A Chinese Brush with the Botanic Gardens c/o Attenborough Arts
Paul ran a Summer School entitled A Chinese Brush with the Botanic Gardens which was run through Attenborough Arts. This took place in the University of Leicester Botanic Gardens on Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd July 2016. The weekend allowed beginners and artists to look in detail at the Bamboo, Lily & Pine that are in the beautiful Botanic Gardens. Students were encouraged to take inspiration from the Botanic Gardens and by the end of the weekend everyone had created a number of beautiful Chinese Brush compositions…
The LCBP group was founded by Judith Watson and Di Morte as the ‘Leicestershire Traditional Chinese Brush Painters’ and has been running now for over 20 years in various locations. In September 2017 we moved to the University of Leicester Botanic Gardens. For 2020 we removed the ‘Traditional’ from our name to recognise the fact that we now embrace all Chinese Art whether Traditional, Contemporary or Modern.
Contact Information & Data Protection
Contact information that is recorded following contact, is required by the LCBP Organisers to inform LCBP members of meetings, send out notices etc.
This data will only be used for the efficient running of LCBP and will not be shared with any person or agency outside LCBP.
See here to read our LCBP group Data Protection Policy.
Want a workshop with us?
Double Happiness Studio MH 