Without a paintbrush, some painters would be at a loss. But artists from Tieling, an industrial city in northeastern Liaoning Province, have accomplished the "mission impossible" through their fingers.An exhibition of "finger paintings" and other traditional Chinese realistic paintings is running at Liu Haisu Art Museum.Tieling has a long tradition of finger painting, going back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), says organizer Zhang Lu. It originated with Gao Qipei (1660-1743). "Then the special art form prevailed in the region, and many scholars and literati learned the technique," he says.At first sight, these ink-wash paintings do not appear much different from those that are "brush-produced." But on closer inspection, the "finger strokes" on rice paper are wilder and much more unrestrained.A painter's fingertips are "magical," as the subject matter is unlimited and can vary from landscapes and human figures to animals."Don't think it is as easy a task as it appears," says Zhang. "In fact, this technique demands practice and patience."Yang Yimo, director of Tieling Finger Painting Institute, says it's extremely difficult to have "an experimental touch of all the tiny parts inside one small finger tip, because each part renders a different texture effect." The direction of movement counts for a lot.Finger painting institutes are established in Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. Many artworks have been collected by museums in Canada, the United States and Germany."The art genre, though it originated in the Qing Dynasty, has a strong modern flavor," says Zhang. "The primitive touch plus the unpolished beauty satisfy modern aesthetics."Date:through April 6, 9am-5pm, and address: 1660 Hongqiao Rd