sumi-e

In Russia, in the Sakha Republic, upstream from Yakutsk, along the Lena River... unforgettable! Sumi-e, Sumi on "rice" paper, unmounted

Sun shines on the snow Soon the pussy willows bud Long days come closer. Sumi-e on 7"X11" hosho paper

Winter's resting time Spring's a time to wake and stretch Summer no one sleeps! sumi-e on 9"X12" Chinese xuan paper

Well... I tried Aurora in sumi-e, I know I need, next time, put dark sky 'round light aurora but I just wanted to try to find the right brush strokes. Then, just for fun, I threw in the cute itty wittsy animals. Oh well... Disclamer: This is from my kindling box. I was laying a wood fire in the stove & these where pictures I threw away for one reason or another. I did decided, right now, to photograph them before burning.

2009, the year of the Ox. Sumi-e, 12"X20", unmounted.

Even the birds know Winter cold's not absolute Warmth is there to find. Sumi on "rice" paper.

It's not a tree, bamboo's a grass. Sumi on "rice" paper, 11"X13"

It is just a tree Not a complex metaphor Nothing but a tree

I followed autumn From Alaska to Japan and saw evergreens. I'm still trying out the new paper I bought in Japan. sumi on paper, 7"X8"

There was this frog see... he was born and had lived all his life in Kyoto. Well on day he said to himself; "Hum. I have lived all my life in Kyoto which everybody knows is the center of the world and that anything and everything that is wonderful and of any importance happens here but... Maybe I otta see something more of the world, get out into the real wilds. I know, I'll hop all the way to the very edge of the world, to Osaka!" Sooo, he started hopping and hopping. After a long while he got about half way there, to Senroika, climbed a tree atop the hill and looked down on Osaka. One look and he said: "Shucky darn, it's just like Kyoto, I might as well go home." So he did. I'm just playing around with sumi and Japanese watercolors. sumi and watercolor on paper, 10"X13"

The Ishitegawa flows through Matsuyama to the Seto Inland Sea. Sumi-e on handmade paper I got in Matsuyama, 10 inches by 13 inches

One of my first tries at sumi-e

My friend, Kumiko, in Japan has been chiding me and calling me lazy for not posting anything lately. So! In order to maintain good international relations I am putting this up post haste! She, Kumiko, by the way; is definitely a 'do as I say, -not as I do' person. She hasn't posted anything on her flickr site since 11 August! -grin- sumi and hand ground Chinese water colors, on gasenshi, 17 X 12 inch.

To the left are the color sticks I used for East of the sun. Wanting a white suzuri (ink grinding stone) so I could see the colors, -but not finding one, I ground the back, unglazed, side, of some tiles to create a surface to grind my colors.

EDM challenge 173 was illustrating a memory. One tradition, when doing sumi-e, is to view the scene and then, later, paint it from memory, that way capturing the feeling of the scene that lingered in your mind. This isn't even from my memory. It's based on a description, so a second hand memory, of a place visited by a friend.

Sume and hand ground colors on "rice" paper, unmounted. 12"X18"

I was looking at EDM challenge 167 when I decided to paint this one... but I don't think it would be a good idea for me to post it as such.

My brand new fourth bestest friend, She Wolf, has an excellent Tompkin's Park painting she did at her flickr site. Wow, it brought back memories of when I was a card carrying beatnik, living on 7th street and Avenue B and reading my poetry at the coffee houses... so.. I did the above. The statue is Samuel (some initial) Cox, the postman's friend though I'm not sure it's still in the park. By the way: Vazak's Bar, on the corner of 7th & B, was, at that time, one of the last 2 bars in NYC to have a free lunch counter.