Sumi-e Atelier

During my education at the Academy of Art, I preferred to work with watercolors and ink in a direct and spontaneous way. Still I was looking for the technique I could express myself the best.

After several years I came across a Japanese artist who showed me how to work on rice paper. Rice paper is a very absorbent kind of paper which needs a lot of technical practice. To work on it one has to be very fast without hesitation, any inadequate pressure will result in a blotch of ink.

Sumi-e, which means 'painting with black ink', was brought from China to Japan during the 13th century , where it developed itself as a Zen art. The art of Sumi-e is not only to understand the unity of life, but to experience it. One has to be in the moment and capture the vital essence out of a deep connection with nature.

c/o Pictoright