Sumi-e: There & Here

Sumi-e is an ancient art form of Japan originating in China and Korea. It uses handmade ink to produce not just a figurative representation but the felt essence of the subject as experienced by the artist. 

The work in this exhibition contains both the traditional subjects, skills and method of presentation but also key elements of the contemporary.

Both old and new subjects are first painted on paper then scrolled by a master scroll maker. Other pieces are on Awagami bamboo paper or board and then framed by a professional framer with knowledge of the ink process. From conception, through composition and painting and to presentation the whole process is considered one. The finished and presented painting, though passing through many processes displays Dependent Origination, we are all part of this process. From the brush maker of the particular brush used, the rock carver of the ink stone, the ink maker and the years of the inks maturation, the paper maker, the scroll maker and you…your gaze completes this process.