If you are seeking a meditative and restorative experience for yourself, or simply enjoy creative artistic activities at home, please consider joining our Sumi-e ink painting workshop.
Here are the materials and supplies you should prepare in advance for this class
- Liquid Sumi Ink (Japanese India ink)
- Sumi-e brushes or traditional Calligraphy brush options
- Washi Paper (traditional rice paper) and Newsprint paper are highly recommended. However, any standard paper is acceptable for beginners.
- Two or more containers filled with water for rinsing and mixing
- Several small mixing dishes or shallow containers for ink and water combinations
- Paper towels or absorbent rags for cleaning brushes
This class will be conducted live through the Zoom video conferencing platform. A secure private Zoom meeting link will be distributed to enrolled participants before the class session begins.
Sumi-e, alternatively called Suibokuga, represents the traditional East Asian art form of ink wash painting. Characteristically originating in East Asia, this artistic practice has been continuously developed and refined there for well over one thousand years. Sumi-e emphasizes capturing the spirit or underlying essence of a subject or natural scene rather than rendering its exact physical appearance, and accomplishes this goal using the absolute minimum number of brushstrokes necessary. Because of this deliberate simplicity, the painter's individual character, personality, and unique artistic vision clearly emerge throughout the finished work. Whether viewing or creating Sumi-e artwork, the practice constitutes a highly contemplative, meditative form of painting.
In this class held at RESOBOX, an authentic Japanese cultural center located in New York City, all students will begin with foundational Sumi-e concepts, including the correct techniques for holding and controlling the brush properly.
Class themes vary by month:
March session: A small bird known as Uguisu perched delicately on a plum tree twig
April session: Cherry blossom arrangements with Mt. Fuji or an elegant butterfly composition
This course is available for "remote" learning and will be available to anyone with access to an internet device with a microphone (this includes most models of computers, tablets). Classes will take place with a "Live" instructor at the date/times listed below.
Upon registration, the instructor will send along additional information about how to log-on and participate in the class.
