Dogwoods Spirit of Spring

Seafarer's Sunset

Reef, Sand & Golden Fish

Tiger Cat

Beautiful As The Morning Sun

Sumi-e (soo mee ay) means sumi (black ink), e (picture). My are is basically a watercolor done on ancient hand made rice papers in the sumi-e style. Sumi-e is an art form which uses black ink, water, and paper. These are as basic as the elements of the universe, empty space in which earth and water take their form. The artists subject is also taken from nature as the artist endeavors to capture the spirit of a subject in as few brush strokes as possible. The result can be striking, elegant, and direct. Sumi-e is associated with the study of Zen, or search for enlightenment. The road to enlightenment is traveled through paying attention (meditative observation), working hard (grinding your own inks & practicing brush strokes), and a spontaneous quality which is related to the sudden illumination sought by Zen priests. Basic meditation begins each painting session because it lulls the logic, critical part of the mind to sleep while stimulating the creative and curious part to surface. Living next to a mountain creek which is a water shed for the Great Smoky Mountains, offers a tranquil atmosphere in which to meditate. I paint to record texture, color, solidarity, lightness, and projection into space, ---whatever makes the subject different or special. I practice brush strokes; short lines, thin or heavy lines, bones, leaves, squiggles, and scratches. I practice, move, explore, discover, and start over. I practice until each stroke is like a breath and becomes involuntary and natural and generates life into the art.

Sumi-e is the art of the unsaid, of the unpainted. White space is more important than the painted art. White is eternity and the painted part is self. The bottom of the painting represents earth and the top, heaven. Sometimes the artist likes to have more space at the top than the bottom of the art. Although Sumi-e is traditionally done only in black ink, when the artist chooses to add color it is called "tansai" sumi-e.