Sumi-e Japanese Ink Painting Workshop: Red Spider Lily

Japanese Sumi-e (Ink-painting) workshop for beginner and intermediate level

The theme for this class is the Red Spider Lily (higanbana), the flower that marks the arrival of autumn in Japan. Students will learn to capture its dramatic, radiating petals and slender stems with the sweeping, confident brushstrokes that sumi-e is known for. Blooming along riverbanks and field paths each September, the higanbana is a striking subject for practicing control of ink density and brush pressure.

“If we study Japanese art, we see a man who is undoubtedly wise, philosophic and intelligent, who spends his time doing what? He studies a single blade of grass.” —Vincent van Gogh

Sumi-e, also called Suibokuga, is the art of ink wash-painting. Characteristically an East Asian art, it has been practiced for well over a thousand years. Sumi-e depicts the spirit or essence of an object or scene rather than its outward appearance — and does so in the fewest possible strokes. Because of this simplicity, the painter's character and personality come through in his/her work. In both viewing and creating, Sumi-e is a very contemplative form of painting.

In this class at RESOBOX, a Japanese cultural center in New York, all students will start from the basics of ink-wash painting, such as how to hold a brush. All materials such as ink, brushes, and calligraphy paper will be provided. No previous painting experience is required.

About the Instructor

Ayakoh Furukawa (a.k.a Ayakoh Furukawa-Leonart) is a visual artist with a unique background who has mastered Japanese calligraphy and Western painting. She studied with Buddhist calligrapher Sougyu Kashimoto in Osaka, Japan, and is currently a member of the Metro New York Sumi-e Society. Besides the RESOBOX Sumi-e class, she has taught at educational and cultural institutions such as Lyceum Kennedy Japanese School and the Japan Society Summer program. She moved to New York in 2000 and studied Asian Art History at Hunter College, CUNY, where she received her Master of Fine Art in Studio Art. Her paintings and drawings have been exhibited internationally. Her deep knowledge of both Western and Asian arts offers an enjoyable experience of the Japanese art of Sumi-e.

PLEASE NOTE: The class sign up deadline is 72 hours before the class begins. Cancellation after this period will NOT be refunded.