What is the ancient art of Sumi-e?

Sumi-e expresses the character and soul of the artist. It is a meditative process and spiritually personal. Understanding this concept has been at the center of my art. I have been a student of Western painting and of ink painting. Ink painting called Sumi-e has captivated my spirit and soul. I am continually trying to increase my understanding of the secret of beauty and grace and elegance.

The Sumi-e art form is steeped in Zen Buddhism. In Sumi-e or ink painting, you have to 'become one' with the object in the painting. When you understand and/or experience how the simple and bold lines of the brush strokes and various shades of the ink are transformed to create a powerful spirit and energy, then you will have a sense of what these philosophies and paintings are all about.

Below is an example of a contemporary Sumi-e by Casey Shannon. I have used the traditional sumi (ink) for painting the flower. The red chops or artist seals are very common for Sumi-e painters. The sumi-e painting is not finished until the chops are applied by the artist.  Here the large round chop translates into 'be well'. The square chop is my name 'Casey'.  And the small round chop above my signed name translates into 'spring'.     More to come..........


Flower of White

Bird of Paradise 10 Artwork Gift Zazzle Today's Best

I'm excited to say that for the first time one of my artwork photos has been selected as a today's best at Zazzle. I've been working hard every day at making great art so it is fun to see some recognition. Please let me know in the comments what you think.  I actually like some other products with this image better :-)



I have many other products using this image from stamps to t-shirts. The colorful version should be available at my flower and plant photo art gifts gallery at Zazzle later today. Both the antique and colorful versions of this artistic photo are available at my Imagekind galleries as museum quality fine art prints (with custom framing options).

Links to this image at Imagekind for framed prints

Antiqued Bird of Paradise 10

Dreamy colorful Bird of Paradise 10

Antiqued Purple Iris 1

Antiqued Purple Iris 1

This antiqued purple iris was put through a series of filters including a light sepia to give it an antique look even though I took it about a year and a half ago in color. I'm just starting to experiment with black and white and/or sepia so please give me feedback if you have experience with these.

Antiqued Blue Iris 6

Antiqued Blue Iris 6

I took this iris flower through a series of filters including a light sepia tint to make it like an antique photo print.