自幼酷爱绘画，后因家贫失学，备受世俗冷落，康熙四十二年（1703）华氏家族重建祠堂，曾因替正厅画壁画，乡绅看不起他，群起反对，最后偷自进祠堂，画上“高山云鹤”、“水国浮牛”、“青松悬崖”和“倚马题诗”四幅画，愤而离乡飘泊，流寓于杭州，结交了很多文人学士，眼界大开。36岁时曾北上入都，“得交当路巨公，名闻于上”，但并不得意，据戴熙《习苦斋画絮》载：“华秋岳自奇其画，游京师无问者。一日有售赝画者，其裹华笔也，华见而太息出都。”他的中晚年一直频繁往来于杭州、扬州，以卖画为生。在扬州他结识了金农、高翔、李鱓、郑板桥及盐商巨子马曰琯、马曰璐兄弟，彼此交流切磋，诗画酬答，使其绘画修养得到多方面的拓展，成为扬州画派的代表人物之一。

 华岩一生贫困，金农在《画竹题记》提到：“汀洲华岩秋岳，……尝画兰草纸卷，卷有五丈者，一炊饭顷便能了事，清而不媚，恍闻幽香散空谷之中，…… 余恨不能踵其后尘也。”乾隆十七年（1752），回到杭州旧居“解弢馆”。乾隆二十一年卒，有《离垢集》5卷。

 华岩的花鸟画最负盛名，他吸收明代陈淳、周之冕、清代恽寿平诸家之长，形成兼工带写的小写意手法。他善于捕捉自然生物中天趣和人们真切细腻的体验，将花鸟的动人姿态和感受中丰富而健康的情趣融为一体，创造出生动多姿的形象。在画法上，既有细节描写的精微性，又不失笔墨上的简逸生动，禽鸟毛羽细致蓬松的毫毛毕现。这种清新俊秀，率意疏容的花鸟画风格，对后世产生了积极影响。华岩在人物方面成就也很突出。他的人物画得意于陈洪绶、王树毂、马和之、自成一种减笔画法。形象有所夸张而又不变形，线条似马和之的“兰叶描”，简练柔劲，不失形似而更重精神，不仅个性鲜明，而且富有意境。华岩的山水兼法院体，吴派、董其昌诸家，不拘一格，一般比较简略率脱。

据中研院线上目录作华嵒，岩字盖简化故尔。中研院线上目著录有《新罗山人画集》、《离垢集》等著，其中有其手稿《离垢集》（清代稿本百种汇刊. 集部 ；66 附注 据国立中央图书馆藏手稿本影印）乃台北县文海出版社出版者。

 《钟馗秤鬼图》轴，清乾隆，华喦绘，纸本，设色，纵137cm，横66.8cm。

　　图绘钟馗秤鬼的故事，钟馗气质儒雅刚正，被绑缚称量的小鬼则丑陋惊恐，二者形成鲜明的对比，突出了以正压邪的主旨。场景中所绘人物皆刻画细腻，面部神情尤为精致，极好地表现了正、邪人物不同的心理特征。此图笔墨苍秀，气韵生动，当为华喦晚年人物画佳作。

　　按《梦溪笔谈》所载，唐明皇李隆基一日入梦，梦中被小鬼围追，正值惊骇之际，忽现一大汉，此人身材魁梧、勇猛异常，自名钟馗，举手间便将小鬼逐一撕拿食之，遂解了李隆基一难。次日梦醒，李隆基急命吴道子将梦中所见绘制成图，因吴氏画道精湛，所绘图画栩栩如生，此后钟馗题材便流行民间，多取其辟邪驱鬼之意。

　　自题：“壬申（乾隆十七年，1752）秋七月于解弢馆拟唐人笔意，新罗山人”。钤“华喦”（白文方印），“秋岳”（白文方印）。

　　鉴藏印：“岑仲陶家珍藏”（朱文方印），“莱臣心赏”（朱文方印），“虚斋审定”（白文方印），“太一素道人”（白文方印）。

《牡丹图》轴，清，华喦绘，纸本，设色，纵134cm，横53.8cm。

　　华喦长于花鸟画创作，尤重写生，所绘的形象生动多姿。其用枯笔干墨淡彩，敷色鲜嫩不腻，别树一帜，对清中叶以后的花鸟画影响甚大。此图工写结合，花叶俏丽多姿，以没骨法表现，构图新颖，设色活泼，于浓淡之间将色调和谐统一，极富笔墨情趣。

　　自题：“冒月全无色，临风自有香。戊辰春三月，新罗山人写并题”。钤“华喦”（白文方印）、“布衣生”（朱文圆印）、“离垢”（白文方印）。

　　鉴藏印：“馀斋”（朱文方印）、“馀庆堂印”（白文方印）。

 Hua Yan was poor all his life. Jin Nong mentioned in his Picture of Bamboo Painting: "Tingzhou Huayan Qiuyue,..." Taste the blue straw paper roll, roll five Zhang, a meal can be done, clean but not beautiful, as if smelling fragrance scattered in the valley,... Remaining hatred can't follow the dust." Qianlong 17 years (1752), returned to Hangzhou old residence "Xieyu Museum". Qianlong died in 21 years. There are 5 volumes of Lidi Ji.

Huayan's flower-and-bird paintings are most famous. He absorbed the merits of Chen Chun, Zhou Zhimian and Yun Shouping in the Ming Dynasty, forming a freehand brushwork with part-time work. He is good at capturing the natural life and people's real delicate experience, the moving posture and feelings of flowers and birds in the rich and healthy interest into one, creating a vivid and colorful image. In painting, there are not only the subtlety of detail description, but also the simplicity and vividness of the brush and ink. Bird feathers are delicate and fluffy. This fresh, handsome and frank style of flower and bird painting has had a positive impact on later generations. Huayan has also made outstanding achievements in character. His figure painting is proud of Chen Hongshou, Wang Shuhu, Ma He-zhi and his own way of subtracting strokes. The image is exaggerated but not deformed. The line is like horse and horse's "Blue Leaf Description". It is concise, soft and vigorous. It is not only similar in shape but also more spiritual. It is not only distinctive in personality, but also full of artistic conception. Huayan's landscape and court system, Wu School and Dong Qichang's various schools, are not rigid, generally relatively simple and straightforward.

According to the online catalogue of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huayan is a simplified rock cap. The online catalogues of the Academy of Chinese Academy of Sciences include The Paintings of Xinluoshan Man and The Collection of Scales, among which the manuscript "The Collection of Scales" (a collection of hundreds of manuscripts in the Qing Dynasty; a copy of 66 notes according to manuscripts collected by the National Central Library) is the publisher of Wenhai Publishing House in Taipei County.