OAS is...Celebrating the Year of the Dragon

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In this Issue:

The Freedom and Power of the Mind
Double Xuan "A"
Two NEW Plum Blossom Lessons
NEW Panda Paw Brush
NEW Happy Go Lucky Brush
Year of the Dragon - Chinese Zodiac
Dragon Lessons, Paper, and Brush
Chinese New Year - Red Papers

The Freedom and Power of the Mind

by Evan Yeh

The common intention and sentiment associated with a Western New Year celebration is “out with the old and in with the new.” With the classic caricature of Baby New Year arriving and signaling permission for everyone to start the year with fresh intentions, we see this sentiment personified in western media articles throughout modern history.

To commemorate this event, we see people participating in rituals like New Year’s resolutions, where they create a promise or intention towards various types of improvements for the New Year. As a new year is upon us, it is worthwhile for us to take a closer look at this ritual and to examine why it works for some but not for others.

First and foremost, it is essential to understand that each of us is creating our own experience through the thoughts we choose to focus on. When the thoughts we focus on are consistent with the fulfillment of our desires, we feel positive emotion; when they are not, we feel negative emotion. So the common advice of “think happy thoughts” is simple but incredibly powerful.

The coming of the New Year offers an excuse to exercise the discipline of choosing to focus on a different thought to take our life experience in a different direction. But the reality is that this choice is available to every one of us in each new moment of our lives. The New Year simply offers a time where we become more aware of the ultimate freedom and power that we have over our life experience in each moment.

It all seems simple enough but if it is so simple, why is it that most New Year’s resolutions go unfulfilled? First of all, simple is not the same thing as easy. Most of us were attracted to spontaneous style Asian brush painting because of its simplicity, but as we start our journeys as students of the art form, we quickly realize the discipline required to paint even the simplest subjects. The same thing goes for discovering the power of our minds in shaping our life experience.

Thoughts are habitual. Beliefs are just thoughts that we think over and over again. Repetitive thoughts attract circumstances that match the thoughts. And most of us have been going through this process our whole lives unintentionally. Many of us have not gone through the process of disciplining our minds so that they can be directed to focus on thoughts that are intentionally chosen. Instead we walk through our lives being exposed to a myriad of influences from family to friends to media and entertainment that is encouraging our minds to chaotically focus on things that are none of our business. These influences encourage us to be observers of other people’s life experience rather than the creators of our own experience.

These challenges notwithstanding, there is no more powerful skill to learn than the ability to direct your mind to maintain a focus that creates a positive emotional state. Learning how to consistently “think happy thoughts,” can create a state of being where the things you want in life flow into your life experience with relative ease. I will leave you with these immutable truths: You are here for a reason. You are loved beyond imagination. You are powerful, and you are free to create your life experience as the masterpiece of your choosing. 新年快樂, 恭喜 发财 (Xīnnián kuàilè, Gōng xǐ fā cái) / Happy New Year and Sincerest Wishes for Prosperity!

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Double Xuan "A"

This paper is a thick-pulled, single-ply xuan paper, giving it the thickness of a Double Xuan while retaining the feeling of freedom you get when painting with a single xuan.

This paper comes in two size options:

• Third Cut Sheets are 18"x27" approximately
• Full Sheets are 27"x54" approximately

Details: This paper is especially good for flower, bird, and animal paintings.

P08A-12: 12 Cut Sheets $14

P08: 10 Full Sheets $32

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Two NEW Plum Blossom Lessons

Each of these Plum Blossom lessons focus on different aspects of the Plum Blossom. Simple Plum Blossom (left) focuses more on the trunk of the plum tree and the Plum Blossom Lesson (right) focuses on the buds and blossoms, paying special attention to the color variation in each stroke.

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NEW Panda Paw Brush

Panda Paw Brush

Tip Dimensions: ¾” x 3/16” approx.

CSP15: Panda Paw Brush $15

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NEW Happy Go Lucky Brush

Happy Go Lucky Brush

Tip Dimensions: 13/16” x 3/16” approx.

HSP14: Happy Go Lucky Brush $17

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Year of the Dragon - Chinese Zodiac Cycle

The Year of the Dragon unfolds as a tapestry of profound significance in the Chinese zodiac, weaving threads of strength, good fortune, and a captivating vitality. In traditional Chinese culture, the dragon is associated with the emperor, and the emperor's throne was known as the Dragon Throne.

 

 

Dragon Cloud Paper

Dragon Cloud Paper

This mulberry paper with more prominent visible fibers is excellent for Landscapes, Washes, Scrapbooking, and more!

P50H: 5 Full Sheets (27"x54") $15

 

 

Dragon Brush

Dragon Brush

Tip Dimensions: 2-5/8" x 3/4" approx.
Extra large brush with bouncy hairs akin to a Mountain Horse Brush, but is significantly larger and more classically proportioned.

H3: Dragon Brush $75

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Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is a 15-day celebration, culminating in the Lantern Festival. It becomes a kaleidoscope of vibrant hues, echoing with laughter, feasts, and the rhythmic pulse of dragon dances. Amidst this cultural symphony, the color red emerges as a bold brushstroke, filled with the essence of luck, joy, and prosperity. It's the heartbeat of hope, the embrace of tradition, and the whisper of dreams as red lanterns sway and red envelopes exchange hands.

Make your own Hong Bao (Red Envelopes) with our Red Banner Paper and your own papercuttings with our red xuan papers! The art of papercutting can be traced back to the Han Dynasty and they were originally used for religious rituals, decorations, and folk art. Today, papercuttings are primarily window decorations.

Dynamic Paper Duo

Red Xuan Paper Duo

If you would like to try both the Colored Xuan: Red and Gold Fleck Xuan: Red, try this paper duo. It includes 6 Cut Sheets of Colored Xuan: Red and 6 Cut Sheets of Gold Fleck Xuan: Red. (18"x27" approx.)

P04RDGR: Red Xuan Paper Duo $25

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Red Banner Paper

Use this paper to make your own Hong Bao (Red Envelopes). View a tutorial on how to make your own hong bao.
Additional Information: You can paint on this paper with ink or metallic watercolors such as Sakura Gold or Silver or Mica Pan Colors.

PN01A: 10 Cut Sheets (10 3/8" x 14 ½") $5

PN01H: 5 Full Sheets (27"x54" approx.) $10

Hong Bao (Red Envelopes)

Hong Bao made out of Red Banner Paper

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