ABOUT SUMINAGASHI

Suminagashi ("floating ink") is a 900-year old Japanese form of marbling wherein abstract images are created by alternately dipping the tips of two brushes (one with ink, the other with surfactant) on water surfaces. Patterns are then transferred onto paper by gently placing it on top of the water.

 

The predictable yet unpredictable effects of this medium portray the complexity of simplicity in nature and wider cosmologies. Suminagashi embodies stillness and movement, life and impermanence, emptiness and form. It requires presence and calm, with deliberate action. Dipping the brush too deeply or rapidly causes the ink to sink, a sigh is enough for patterns to change, too long a wait and the ink will disintegrate, yet lifting the paper too soon means a loss of depth, sharpness and tonality.

 

Each Suminagashi image is a monotype, expressing a unique moment in time and - just like in life - there is no going back for corrections.