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TACVB Artist of the Month - June 2007

THE ARTIST

Diana Mayer Orrick was introduced to the art of sumi-e several years ago. The free style and meditative quality of oriental brush painting has been inspirational. The tools are simple and the art form very meditative. The art invokes a ‘be here now’ immediacy and yet allows growth through the patient practice of the strokes. She is an active member of the Swamp Buddha Sumi-e group in Tallahassee, Florida and a member of the Sumi-e Society of America.

 From the Sumi-e Society of America:

ORIENTAL BRUSH PAINTING
Oriental brush painting consists of many styles of painting which originated in China centuries ago and spread throughout Japan and Korea. Sumi-e Society member artists use a variety of styles, from representational to abstract and from purely oriental to a combination of Western and East Asian. Essentially all oriental brush painters, regardless of style, use the same tools and similar techniques.

TOOLS
The tools which are essential are called the Four Treasures. These are the brush, ink, ink stone and paper. Special brushes made in East Asia are used. The ink is not ink at all but consists of a formula of soot and glue made into a stick by a special process. This in turn is rubbed in water on an ink stone and forms what is called black ink, "sumi," in Japanese. The paper may be machine or hand made and is generically called rice paper.

BRUSH STROKES & COLOR
The artist must learn to use ink freely with a controlled brush stroke. They must be able to capture the essence or spirit of the subject in their paintings. To evoke poetry of nature, brush painters create beautiful lines and forms by means of brush strokes using a number of techniques and methods to bring life to the subject. The flow and spread of ink on rice paper in many shades is an idealization of the form itself. To this basic technique, color may be added. Sources of this color are varied but include powdered jade, white pearl, ground malachite and other pigments from nature such as rattan yellow and indigo. An integral part of the composition is the red seal, which signifies the artist's name. Additional seals may be added as indications of the town or philosophy.

THEMES
Brush painting speaks simply from the power of its basic inspiration. Themes from nature are the subject matter, but brush painters do not try to imitate, copy or master nature. Rather, they appreciate every aspect of it and enjoy each natural process. They seek harmony with the universe through communion with all things. Artistic beauty most often lies in that which is natural and has personality. If one looks at these paintings at leisure with thought and open heart, their inner significance will slowly become apparent.

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