"Sumi-e:  Its History and Role in Japanese Art"

Presented by: Kay Storck - Sogetsu School

We started our 2020-year with a terrific and interesting cultural program by Kay Storck on Sumi-e painting.

Literally Sumi means ink made of soot, originally from pine branches and “e” means painting—so, Sumi-e is Japanese painting on rice paper. Although steeped in tradition, it is a spontaneous and expressive art form, each stroke made carefully, because it cannot be painted over or changed in any way. It tries to capture the momentary essence of the subject matter.

The Four Disciplines - the beginning strokes are: Bamboo - Summer,  Wild Orchid - Spring,  Plum - Winter,  Mum - Fall.

Once you master these, you have mastered all of the brush strokes in Sumi-e. The idea is to master these and you can master Sumi-e. The point is to master these and you can do anything.     

Aside from these four you also see birds, flowers, animals, and people. Traditionally there are two styles: One is the very meticulous style. The other is more freestyle – more quick strokes. Also circles are literally a single stroke and you don’t know how it will end. Sumi-e is considered a mixture of Ying and Yang, light and dark, wet and dry, large and small. So you seek a certain balance when you work in Sumi-e.

Kay Storck shared traditional, as well as, more abstract pieces with us from her portfolio. She arranged a lovely seasonal Sogetsu arrangement to interpret one of her pieces.  

Kay Storck Bio:  Click Here