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Don't Ink Twice, It's All Right

Tribune Photo by CANDACE C. MUNDY

Instructor Linda Cox watches student Catherine Page draw her expression of penguins during an Oriental Brush Painting (Sumi-e) Course at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road. Students in the introduction for beginners class learn bamboo brushstrokes which include how to paint bamboo, birds, butterflies, lizards, insects and mushrooms. Sumi-e is an ancient art form that originated in China and Japan.

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By ELIZABETH LEE BROWN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 11, 2008

CARROLLWOOD - One of the oldest forms of painting, with roots in Chinese ink wash painting and calligraphy, is making a comeback in Carrollwood.

Artist Linda Cox teaches the sumi-e oriental brush painting classes at the Carrollwood Cultural Center.

Cox says the ancient art is easy to learn. Even her students at Cannella Elementary School do it.

It offers therapeutic benefits, because the practice takes patience and is about making each stroke more beautiful than the previous one. It requires poetic flourishes from an ink-soaked bamboo brush.

Sumi-e, the Japanese term for "ink picture," was brought to Japan around the seventh century by Japanese scholars returning from a visit to China.

Cox likes to play oriental music during her weekly hourlong classes to set the meditative mood.

Students in Cox's beginner class learn three basic brush strokes - the line, dot and wipe. From there, they can recreate small animals or scenes in nature.

They have tackled bamboo, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, bumblebees and herons.

One recent class focused on penguins.

"Everything, remember, is just one stroke," Cox told her group of three students. "It's your own expression. It doesn't have to be perfect, but you do want to try to make it look like a penguin."

Cox dipped her brush three times - in the water, in a light shade of sumi-e black ink and in the darkest shade - before testing the color on a paper towel and putting brush to paper.

Slipping the brush into the water and ink mixture three times creates variations of the black color and brings depth to the painting, Cox said.

"They're not perfect, the strokes," she said. "You want them to be rough and have character."

Students practice on newsprint or copy paper. They place a felt liner underneath the paper to absorb any moisture and to keep the ink from bleeding onto the paper pad.

Cox alternates between demonstrating the techniques and allowing her students to practice what they witnessed. Throughout the class, she stresses free expression and encourages students to branch out.

At the end of each class, students finish a piece by marking it with a red stamp with the Chinese character for "nature."

The bold seal is an integral part of the artwork, because it balances the painting while giving it interest and drawing the eye inward, she said.

Student Martha Sagues of Lutz said she finds beauty in the ancient art form.

She's not a novice to oriental painting, having taken a class long ago. The brush painting helps her improve her understanding of the proportions of animals and foliage.

"I've always been fascinated by it, because it's a minimalist painting. Every little brush stroke means something, and every little brush stroke needs to be perfect and beautiful," Sagues said.

Cox cautioned her students to avoid some painting pitfalls.

For one, be sure to drain off excess water from the brush. Also, artists should never go back and re-stroke a brush stroke, because it takes away from the spontaneity of the art form.

"Sumi-e should be a one-stroke thing. It should be an expression from the heart," Cox said.

Aside from those tips, students shouldn't worry if something is crooked or doesn't look right. One of the biggest challenges is loosening up. In the end, perceived goofs give it personality.

"Really, there's no right and wrong to this," Cox said. "I don't get hung up on it being perfect. It's just fun, and that's the main thing."

SUMI-E CLASSES

For information on sumi-e classes, contact the Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road, at (813) 269-1310. Or go to the Web site at www.carroll woodcenter.org.

Reporter Elizabeth Lee Brown can be reached at (813) 865-1502 or ebrown@tampatrib.com.

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