ORIGINAL ASIAN INK PAINTINGS WITH TOUCHES OF GOLD LEAF

of Downeast Maine's Seas, Rocks, Birds and Flowers

For larger images of unframed work email me.

PEONY WIGGLE
Sumi, Suen Paper 14 x 54 $210

GRAPES
Sumi, Suen Paper 6 x 27 $45

IRIS CHORUS
Sumi, Suen Paper 13 x 27 $75

ISLAND LIFE
Sumi, Suen Paper 13 x 54 $210

SURFS UP
Sumi, Suen Paper 13 x 27 $75

BALANCE
Sumi, Suen Paper 13 x 27 $60

TREE
Sumi, Suen Paper 13 x 27

MOONED
Sumi, Suen Paper 13 x 13 $45

TO CROW OR NOT TO CROW
27 x 27 $150 sumi, ground sea shells

TWO TURTLE DOVES
13 x 27 $70 sumi, ground sea shells, vegetable colors

NESTED ROCKS
22 x 27 $130 sumi, vegetable colors

BIRDS AT DAWN
Sumi, Suen Paper 7 x 53 sold

BLUE BERRY
Sumi, Suen Paper 14 x 27

BOAT BELOW
Sumi, Suen Paper 7 x 53 $250 Unframed

CARDINAL
Sumi, Suen Paper 7 x 54 $320 Framed

CLOUDS? SEAS?
Sumi, Suen Paper 13 x 27

SAID THE BIRD TO THE BUG
Sumi, Suen Paper, Vegetable Colors 14 x 27 $80

BIRD SINGING TO FALL BERRIES
Sumi, Suen Paper, Vegetable Colors 17 x 44 framed $320

GENTLEMAN of the GARDEN
Sumi, Suen Paper, Vegetable Colors 10 x 27

LANDING
Sumi, Suen Paper, Vegetable Colors 13 x 27 $80

GLORY TRUMPETS
$60

DEBUGGER

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

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. 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.

Because the paper is so fragile, it wrinkles ( and rips) when wetted. Therefore it must be wet laminated to backing paper.

Cooking the glue.

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.

Cooked glue become translucent.

I use a wheat paste purchased in Chinatown. Once it has cooled it has to be forced through a sieve.

Putting the glue through the 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.

Stretching the painting

If touched at this stage, it will deteriorate.

A wet painting...

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.

Drying

After it has dried, it is cut off the board.