What is Sumi-e?

Oriental brush painting originated in China and spread to Japan and Korea in the seventh century. The Japanese adapted this Chinese painting method to their own culture, and called it sumi-e, a term meaning "ink picture." It is an art form that calls for intense concentration and discipline. The subject matter is nature and ranges from land and seascapes, to bamboo, flowers, birds, fish, insects and animals.

Sumi-e paintings are created using traditional Asian methods and materials, including bamboo brushes made from a variety of animal hair fibers, ink stick and grinding stone, asian watercolors and rice paper or silk.

The object of sumi-e is to capture the essence, or spirit of the subject matter rather than to attempt to copy or master nature. Emphasis is on brush control and control of the ink and/or color on the very absorbent rice paper, and "ch'i" or life force within the brush stroke, as well as the finished composition. Very often, the voids within the painting and the empty spaces where the paper shows through the brush work (called flying whites) are as important as the painted areas.

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