SUMI-E JAPANESE BRUSH AND INK PAINTING Japanese art workshopsby Takumasa Ono Sumi-e is a traditional Japanese art form, which was introduced from China many years ago. It has developed over the centuries and is very different from Chinese ink paintings. Like European oil painters, the Chinese use a variety of colours in their paintings whereas the Japanese use only black ink to describe a subject in a very simple way. Takumasa Ono is a well known Japanese artist. He first came to UK in 2001 to take part in the "Japan 2001" cultural exchange project. He was invited to exhibit his watercolour sketches in his Exhibition at various venues belonging to the National Trust in the UK. He also toured around some primary schools, teaching children how to paint in the traditional Japanese brush and ink style. Initially he planned to give only six lessons but this number increased in response to many requests and he actually taught twelve lessons at six primary schools to children ranging from five to eleven years of age. Because of the interest shown by children in Japanese washi paper, and fude brush pens, we have decided to hold sumi-e workshops in 2004 as in this year.
*****************************************************************************  Japanese art workshops for Schools with HENRO Exhibition The National Trust has held “HENRO Exhibition” at these properties in the UK by Takumasa Ono as an official artist of The Association of National Trusts in Japan since 2001. This SUMI-E Workshop which first given at the nearby schools where HENRO Exhibition was held. It is a Japan-UK cultural exchange project. More than 600 school children have participated in SUMI-E Workshops and the workshop has had a favourable reputation at each property. The National Trust advocate this is a meaningful workshop that gives good opportunity to not only children but also adults to learn different culture through painting the nature with SUMI-E technique. Please contact all enquiries to e-mail : suzuki.yasuyuki@nifty.ne.jp Takumasa Ono and SUMI-E Takumasa Ono paints a number of beautiful landscapes he wants to pass on to the next generations. He uses the environment friendly water ink in consideration of the environment, which he has specially developed for his silkscreen printings. He creates a colourful world in his art as vivid as Ukiyo-e, Japanese wood block prints. Ono is a master of both silkscreen printing and sumi-e, a traditional art form of Japanese black and white painting. He creates the beautiful scenery in this monochrome ink painting just as he does with the colourful silkscreen printing. His creative process starts with a visit to the venue of his artwork, where he chooses the most beautiful scenery, makes sketches with sumi ink or watercolours first, and then sets free his imagination. After returning to his studio, he reconstructs the scenery into colourful images by meticulously screening and adding each colour at a time. For Ono, "sumi-e" is a means of expression that enables him to capture fresh images in an instance. Its simplicity is an indispensable step for him in consolidating his images  Exhibition at the Embassy Young Britain and Sumi-e: Japanese Ink Painting by British Children Embassy Foyer Gallery 12 - 27 February 2004 Monday - Friday 9:30 - 17:30 Admission Free This exhibition has arisen from the sumi-e workshops which Takumasa Ono has given to primary school children, aged between five and thirteen, throughout the United Kingdom and which first accompanied his own touring exhibition, Henro, at various National Trust properties during the major year-long cultural exchange festival, Japan 2001. Sumi-e, or ink pictures, are monochrome paintings characterised by the use of black ink (sumi) applied to the paper with a brush. Although only black is used, it was recognised long ago in Japan that this one 'colour' offers an infinite range of tonal values. The aim is to describe a subject in a very simple way. Through this medium, many British children have encountered a Japanese tradition through which they have been able to express aspects of the world around them. They have shown delight in the process of using a brush (fude) on Japanese paper (washi) whilst taking their inspiration from nature. Since Japan 2001, Takumasa Ono has continued to conduct sumi-e workshops in the United Kingdom, expanding considerably on the original project. This exhibition is the result of the workshops thus far and the workshops continue to further the cultural exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and the United Kingdom. >>top |
