Sumi e abstract painting “Sound of Breezes”. And what is mind and how is it recognized? What is Mind? “And what is mind And how is it recognized? It is clearly drawn in sumi ink, the sound of breezes drifting through pine.” -Ikkyū Sōjun 1875S This Sumi e abstract painting “Sound of Breezes” and the […]

Sumi e “Suddenly” and an upcoming workshop. This painting is a mystery – maybe all my abstract sumi e are. Everyone will see something different and every different view is equally valid. “You Are the stillness of snow I enter suddenly…” -Unknown 1870S I have always been mystified by this painting, and I love it. […]

Want to take a personal journey into seeing more deeply? Do you know that seeing abstract sumi e from heart and soul can take you to a deeper level of insight, intuition, and understanding? It’s really a form of “sacred seeing”, like the ancient monastic tradition of lectio divina*, except lectio has to do with […]

To “Find Your Heart and Soul in Sumi e Brushwork”, we gathered at Walker Fine Art, Denver CO in May. As a sumi artist, I led my workshop here. This is a great setting for a new experience in meditative painting! Here’s what I have to say right now about this process: “When I teach […]

With registrations for “Finding Your Heart and Soul in Sumi e” coming in, we’re on our way to having a really good workshop on May 7! Please pre-register so you’re on my list. New information is below. With sumi e work, anything is possible. Some of you may want to work in a more traditional […]

There is an inner power which, when discovered within, frees one from reliance on force to exist in this world. I express this in my sumi-e artworks inspired by poetry or quotations from various sources. These works convey my own path to inner awakening to that power; I hope they may inspire you as you […]

Did I tell you why I’m enjoying the sumi e abstract paintings? There are many reasons. First of all, they are fun! I have always begun with a poem, a quote, a piece of music in my mind. I want to know this concept on a deeper level of consciousness than the intellect alone. I […]

Adding a few more abstract sumi-e paintings to my repertoire, “…this much I have learned— if not enough else— to live with my eyes open…” -Mary Oliver 187S How I believe these are viewer friendly… As I said in an earlier blog post, I have been surprised at how well people relate to these based […]

I am happy to say I’ve successfully mounted a dozen new abstract sumi-e artworks. This took awhile to remember all the delicate little techniques and possible disasters, of which I had at least three! “We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And […]

I want to share a few of the new sumi-e I am working on. For such simple pieces, it takes a surprising amount of time to prepare for presentation…