Sumi = Ink and Sumi-e = Ink Painting

As a Sumi painter, for me, the grinding and preparation of the ink is a wonderful meditation before I begin my painting. I prepare my work in the traditional way. However, my Sumi-e style is 'Contemporary Sumi-e' reaching beyond the limits of traditional ink painting. With my sumi preparation, I also prepare my mind.


An artist puts a few drops of water on an ink stone and grinds the ink stick in a circular motion until a smooth, black ink of the desired concentration is made. Traditionally, ink was made in this way. This method is still favored by many brush painters today. Shanghai Premium Ink Stick produces a smooth, shiny brown-black permanent ink.   Ink sticks range from the inexpensive to the very rare and quite expensive.


Ink sticks can come in colors as well.  The set shown at the right comes with 15 rich colors. The color sticks are also ground on a Sumi ink stone with a little water added. Each cake of color has a raised Chinese dragon painted in gold. The set is beautiful just to look at! It comes in a special box that has a glass lid so you can see the colors inside. Part of the lure of the Sumi-e experience for me is being able to use such lovely materials as I paint.

This is one of the ink stones I use for grinding my ink. This ink stone is an ornate one and very beautiful. This ink slab was carved in a 'cucurbit' shape. This shape stands for good fortune and every success. I generally have more than one ink stone in use at one time. I tend to use several different kinds of inks in my contemporary Sumi-e paintings. This practice is not traditional.

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Photograph Inspiration





  Oak Tree Mandala

From the Artist:
'The inspiration for this mandala is a picture I took of a 105 year old oak tree in front of my neighbor's house.  This tree draws you in with its massive stance and grandeur.  A truly majestic being'.





Photograph Inspiration





Taro Pond Mandala

From the Artist:
'This mandala is made from a photo of a taro plant that lives in my backyard pond.  I am drawn to the contrast of the rich brown color of the taro stalks along with the fresh, green earthy leaves'.




Photograph Inspiration






Sea Dragon Mandala

From the Artist:
'This mandala is created from my photo taken at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California several years ago.  It is a Sea Dragon, one of the most camouflaged creatures I have ever seen.  I didn't even know it was a creature until a knowledgeable friend pointed it out to me.  Can you identify it?  (hint...it is the yellow plant-looking animal at the bottom center of the picture)'.




Photograph Inspiration






Contact Annie:

Email: astillness8@yahoo.com
astillness blog  (larger photos of work available here)
astillness Zazzle Gallery
Annie on FaceBook

Last month you all met me. I am Gabe ~ Casey's service dog.  I am very excited. 'Gabe's Gossip' will be a brand new monthly fun feature of Casey's art newsletter. Each month I will be able to keep you informed about what I am doing and about my accomplishments as Casey and I grow into a dynamic team. This is gonna be fun!

To start, let me tell you about my first day at work at Cabrillo College. As many of you know, Casey is a college instructor, when she's not painting. I am her assistant! We had to go teach her online orientation class at the beginning of the semester on campus this last February. Truth be told, I was a little nervous about it all. There were students everywhere on that huge campus. It looked like the streets of NY. I've never been there but I've seen it on TV. (I like to watch TV by the way. I love the kids and dogs!) When we got to our classroom, we had over 60 students and 35 computers! I stayed in front of the room right where Casey told me to lay. Students were walking by me a lot and I wanted to get up and sniff them so bad but I was a good boy. Some of them smelled really good like kitties! One guy even smelled like a yummy steak!!!

Here is a picture of us that evening as we left our computer classroom in the library. Our colleague, Shawn Ogimachi, took this pix with his fancy iPhone. Don't I look handsome in my harness? Casey holds onto my harness and I walk real slow with her. This helps her with her balance and to also be able to negotiate uneven surfaces or go up and down stairs. I am so proud to be able to assist her. Well, that's all for this month. I'll see you in April!

Don't forget to visit my trainer, Maureen Maurer, and her website.

Hawaii Canines for Independence

We have a video of HCI graduates on YouTube also. You just gotta watch it. Guaranteed to make you cry!  Can you find Casey and me? We are there with bells on! Well, that's just a saying but we are there. ~ Bye for now, Gabe

HCI Puppy Love on YouTube