Sumi-e

"Sumi-e" or Indian ink painting was the first of the Japanese traditional arts that I studied after moving to Japan in 1993. It taught how to use the brush, ink and grind stone. It was also my introduction to the use of empty pace (kuukan) and the simple use of different shades of black. Unlike oil painting, where the entire canvas covered, it is the unpainted paper that is just as important as the painted in making a full and complete work of art.