ORIGINAL ASIAN INK PAINTINGS WITH TOUCHES OF GOLD LEAF

of Downeast Maine's Children, Salty Seas, Woods and Flowers

Paintings in the gallery are for sale. Click on a thumbnail to view a larger image.

MAINE SHORE ASIAN STYLE

Sumi on Raw Suen with Japanese Brocade 13 x 54

BIRD SINGS TO THE WINTER MOON
Sumi, Suen Paper, Vegetable Colors, Ground Sea Shells, Cream- Cream is used as a resist. The blue or Indigo, was painted on the BACK of the painting. This paper is so translucent, paint on both sides can become part of the picture.

These paintings are done on a fiber paper from China called suen.

PEONY SUNS
Sumi, Ground Sea Shells,
Vegetable Colors, Suen Paper

The ink , SUMI is made from pine pitch and a

binder called nikawa. It comes as a hard stick which is reconstituted by grinding it on slate with water.

SUNNIES IN DISARRAY
Sumi, Suen Paper, Vegetable Colors 14 x 53
I had to do 3 versions of this paintings losing two to the mounting process. Because the paper is no longer absorbant when painted on, the unpainted parts during the laminating process, expand more quickly than the painted parts. In this picture the unpainted parts are so interspersed with the painted areas the paper did really funky things when wetted for laminating.

The translucent colors are vegetable, the opaque ones mineral. In classical Asian art the minerals are ground to varying consistences from a pure powder called suido to large granuals.There are 16 different grinds.

Opaque whites are ground sea shells; originally pearls were used.

BIRD SINGING TO FALL BERRIES
Sumi, Suen Paper, Vegetable Colors 17 x 44

The paper is tissue thin and very absorbant. Unlike western watercolor paper on which water rests and moves the pigment on the surface, suen paper absorbs the pigment into its fibers.

PLUM SHOOTS HAROLD SPRING
Sumi, Vegetable Colors, Suen Paper, Ground Sea Shells

This means each movement of the brush is recorded as well as color and moisture content of the brush at the time of painting. The brush can be loaded with many different colors and/or values of ink. For example the base of the brush can have the lightest wettest value, a quarter of the way down towards the tip will be darker and a touch drier and so on to the tip which is loaded with dry very black ink. The brush is applied to the paper in an oblique angle so touching the paper is the tip to the base.

HUMMINGBIRD IN THE MAINE GARDEN

Sumi, Vegetable and Mineral Colors on Raw Suen Paper 13 x 58

BAMBOO FOREST
Sumi on Raw Suen

MAINE LOBSTER BOAT IN CHINA
Sumi on Raw Suen with Vegetable Colors

DINNER!
Sumi on Suen Paper 14 x 53

Note in the picture, DINNER! how far apart the parts of the composition are placed. Asian artists will often try stretching the composition enlarging the negative spaces seeing how distant the pieces can be while still reading as one picture.

Because the paper is so fragile, it wrinkles ( and rips) when wetted. Therefore it must be wet laminated to backing paper. It is during this process that I often loose a piece. The larger the piece of paper, the more difficult and time consuming the mounting process becomes. A small piece can be done quite quickly. Consequently, a small Asian piece can cost $15-$20 while the larger ones run $200-$300 unframed.
The first step in laminating is to cook the glue. I use a wheat paste purchased in Chinatown. Once it has cooled it has to be forced through a sieve. Then water is added gradually until it is the consistency of skim milk. The painting is laid on its belly and the glue is brushed on to the back. This is the hard part since the paper (not unlike tissue paper or paper towels) tends to fold. If touched at this stage, it will deteriorate. The backing paper is then wetted and put on the painting. I use a shoe brush to pound the back until the two papers' fibers mesh.

Next the edges of the backing paper are glued and the piece is put onto a board to dry for 2-3 days. After it has dried, I cut it off the board.