Inspired Materials: Sumi Ink
Welcome curious empaths!
Falling in Love with Ink
A significant moment on my journey as a painter was falling in love with ink. Here’s why…
As a medium, ink is deeply pigmented and so it feels very powerful, but I love the way it is so responsive to the brush, so delicately manipulated simply with water and gesture, and so changeable depending on the texture and thickness of the paper or substrate. Ink spreads and blooms quickly on a thin rice paper, but pools and then slowly seeps into the weave on a canvas. Because of this, when I first started to experiment with ink in 2020, I found it compelling to try it out on different surfaces, which led me to making tiny paintings on linen.
Ink spreads and blooms quickly on a thin rice paper, but pools and then slowly seeps into the weave on a canvas.
Anne Keefe
Inspiring a Collection
What later became my Ink & Linen Collection was, originally, just a series of tiny studies that were experiments—me playing around to see how different inks would absorb on the fabric. Out of that experimentation, I developed the collection of miniature paintings with acrylic & sumi inks on raw linen, framing each one in a double-sided locket frame so the rough edge and the seepage of the ink could be viewed from both sides.
The Ink & Linen Collection is sold out, but you can view the archival images in my portfolio.
I was fascinated by the different ways the inks would soak into the linen. Sometimes traveling like a raindrop on a leaf, leaving a slick trail, but at other times absorbing immediately. So it was the interaction between the ink and linen that fostered the inspiration for the collection. It was as if the absorption of the ink gave the impression of the medium embodying the subject, as if the tools went beyond extensions of the artist to becoming extensions of each other.
In the end, I felt that the frayed edges of these pieces suggested having been pulled from the fabric of something much larger (the universe?), their threads reaching beyond their material existence in a way I never could've planned.
The abstracted lines of these tiny works simply reflect my intuition in the moment of painting, an embodiment of the subject and the mediums. Though I adapted the principles to my own use, the channeling of that creative movement—from gesture to brush to linen—made me feel a rich connection and deeper understanding of the practice of Sumi-e.
What is Sumi-e?
Sumi-e is an art form brought to Japan by Zen Buddhist monks. In China, ink and brush painting was considered one of “The Four Arts,” and has roots in Taoism. Like Taoism, Sumi-e asks not for forced concentration but rather for surrender into the spirit of what is.
surrender into the spirit of what is
Sumi-e is sometimes called ink wash or brush painting, “suiboku-ga,” and is taught as a mindful practice. The black ink is made from soot, called Sumi, which gives the technique its name.
Mindful Practice
From the grinding of the ink using a stick of pigment and grinding stone to the gesture of each simplistic brush stroke, each of the steps in preparing for calligraphy or painting with sumi ink are taught as mindful practices.
Much like Western watercolor, Sumi painting relies on the intentional layering of different amounts of concentrated pigmentation of the ink by dissolving it in water. Sumi-e calls for a balance between mindful presence and the intentionality of purposeful brush strokes.
Practicing Sumi-e starts by bringing yourself into a meditative state where you allow the medium to reveal its subject to you. With no focus on creating a realist representation of the subject, you are meant to align with the subject and allow yourself to move in a natural response to it. Like Zen and Taoist practices, Sumi-e can be understood as a method for creating through simplifying.
create By simplifying
A mini lesson in
Sumi-Inspired MarkMaking
While Sumi-e is an honored and skillful tradition, you can replicate the mindful and centering benefits of self-expression with some simple markmaking, using everyday mediums and substrates, such as a pen/marker/crayon and paper, or by exploring a nontraditional materials. For instance, what tools for markmaking, mediums, and substrates do you have in the space around you? Sand or soil and a stick, flour on the table and your finger, water on a chalkboard (or a Zen art board), or even lotion on your skin.
Follow these Steps:
(For the purposes of description, I’ll just assume you are using a pen and paper.)
Start by making a mark or shape with the pen—a line, a swoop, a circle, a smudge, or any other scribble.
Then replicate that mark. You may replicate it by repeatedly tracing the initial first mark or moving to another spot on the page to recreate it.
Continue replicating the mark, but allow yourself to repeat it with some little element of difference. For instance, you could continue with the same color and shape but change the size of each mark, or you could vary the mark in every shade of blue you can find. The key is that you honor whenever you feel the sensation to create a new motion, mark, or change the position, size, or color.
Keep in mind that you aren't trying to make anything here, so don't plan; don't think about what you are doing or why you are doing it. Respond to any desire you have while creating. Allow yourself to get into that flow state of thoughtless concentration.
If you struggle to get to this space, try giving yourself a little more structure. Plan to use the same color and make the same mark, but allowing the spontaneity to determine where you place the mark; if at any point you feel the urge to switch it up, do it!
Finish when you feel no more desire to make marks—maybe you’ll come back to this drawing (if its on paper), but perhaps you won't. Either way is a purposeful success because…
the purpose is in the process!
mindfulness
The Purpose is in the Process
Recommended Sumi Ink Materials:
If you are interested in trying more with sumi ink, here are my recommended tools and materials.
Liquid Ink by Yasutomo, click here. A little goes a long way, so I recommend just getting the small bottle to start.
A good, solid xuan rice paper for practicing, click here.
For really nice mulberry paper by Blue Heron Arts, click here.
White porcelain bowls for mixing different gradations of ink, click here.
A basic bamboo brush set, click here. Or splurge a bit on my favorite brushes, click here and here.
Not absolutely necessary but nice to have: felt mat (for underneath rice paper), click here.
Also nice to have for the care of your brushes: a wooden brush stand for drying, click here.
For the perfect set up, you may also want calligraphy paperweights (since rice paper is so light and sensitive, if your paper moves it can cause unintended marks), click here.
It’s also useful to have a brush rest for your wet brushes, again to avoid unintended marks and to keep your work area tidy for a more peaceful, mindful painting experience. I often use chopstick rests for this purpose, but there are many options like these adorable ones, click here.
If you’re looking for more personalized or supported creative practices, feel free to check out my one-on-one offerings here.
