Jarien de Ham began Chinese brush painting in 2002 with a class offered at Cuesta College. Bird and Flower painting, one of the four genres of Chinese painting, drew her in. Then came Calligraphy and classes in China that covered Landscape and Figure painting. While we are a long way from China here on the Central Coast, many elements revered in China are here — cypress trees with their irregular balance, foggy atmosphere, fish and birds which are subjects of her paintings.