| JAPANESE PROFILE |
I am a British sumi ink artist living and working in Nara, Japan.
Whenever I begin a painting I feel as if I’m in a void – as if there’s nothing under my feet. I tend to compound this fear by increasing the unpredictability of the painting process. At the start I pour, dribble or splash the sumi ink. I sometimes fold the paper itself and the initial outlines of the design are often done with a thin bamboo stick or torn pieces of paper. From this state of unknowing and lack of control I slowly build up patterns, textures, rhythms and washes to create a whole. My inspiration is the natural world and its patterns, energies and movements.
By the time I finish, I have created a whole which I recognize – even though parts of it feel alien. The paintings are simultaneously ‘out there’ and of me. As a product of my interactions and experiences of the natural world they embody what I do not understand and can’t control and also what I do.
Stylistically the paintings have ranged from impressionistic to completely abstract. Sumi ink is a versatile medium and allows for a wide variety of expressions, from deep black washes to delicate, dry line work. Papers and sumi ink vary tremendously, I have a few favourites but I often experiment with ones I don’t know.
I also use script: English, Japanese phonetic script and Chinese characters. For me, text is another form of patterning. Living in Japan I am surrounded by a substantial amount of text I do not understand. It is foremost a visual impression and linguistic and cultural meanings come second. Recently I have been using texts to explore my relationship to the culture of Japan and my roots in Britain.
The paintings are mounted in either East Asian or Western formats – vertical hanging scrolls, or panels and frames. I often work in series and I sometimes use hanging scrolls in sets of two or three.
Besides painting, I make artwork in a variety of media: collages, small sculptural pieces, photography and moving images.
Parallel to my studio art, I research and write about the sumi ink arts. I published a book “Japanese Calligraphy: The Art of Line and Space” in 1999 and “Sumi Workbook” in 2014. I regularly write articles for culture and calligraphy magazines.
| Education | |
|---|---|
| 1977 | Graduated Durham University. UK. Philosophy/Psychology Joint Honours |
| 1978 & 1986 | Colour theory and practice at Richmond College under Paule Le Breton |
| 1982-92 | Japanese calligraphy under Seika Kawabe (Mainichi Calligraphy Organization) |
| 1999-02 | Chinese ink painting with Chinese painter Li Geng, Kyoto University of Art and Design |
| 2002 | MA in Art Education, University of Surrey Roehampton |
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Exhibitions |
Solo and small group exhibitions include |
| 1988 | Solo exhibition. La Pola, Osaka. |
| 1991 | ‘Responses’ The Small Mansion Arts Centre. London. Japan Festival 1991. |
| 1993 | Solo exhibition. Gallery Nakai, Kyoto. |
| 1994 | Solo exhibition. The Roof Garden, The Lyric Hammersmith, London. |
| Solo exhibition. The Staircase Gallery, Kew Studio, London | |
| Solo exhibition. Kyoto International Community House. Kyoto. | |
| 1997 | Solo exhibition. Osaka Contemporary Arts Centre. Osaka. |
| 1998 | Solo exhibition. 5th Space, Kyoto. Supported by the British Council. |
| ‘Drawing Tea’. Six Women exhibition. Honen-in, Kyoto. Festival UK 98. | |
| 2000 | ‘Ex-Isles’. Six Women exhibition. Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, London. |
| 2001 | ‘Five Views of Japan’. Five Women exhibition. East Asian Art Museum, Bath. UK |
| 2002 | ‘Paths in Japan: Five European Artists’. Gallery Saoh & Tomos. Tokyo. Europe Week |
| 2003 | ‘Mosaic’. WAA exhibition. Kyoto. |
| Solo exhibition. Wall Gallery. Osaka | |
| 2004 | ‘What draws Us’ Five Women exhibition. Honen-in, Kyoto. |
| ‘Drawing the Line’ Selected group exhibition Orleans house Gallery, London | |
| 2005 | Collaboration exhibition with Chinese artist Li Geng, ‘Sumi Time’. Wall Gallery, Osaka |
| 2006 | ‘Stretch a Point, Draw a Line’ Five Women exhibition. Honen-in, Kyoto |
| 2007 | ‘Space Shifts’ Two person exhibition with Hiro Sato, Wall Gallery, Osaka |
| ‘Drawing East’ Five Women exhibition. Gallery Saoh Tomos, Tokyo | |
| 2007-2013 | Sho to Hisho no Kiwa (On the border of Sho and non Sho) JARFO, Kyoto |
| 2008 | ‘Being Here’ Two person exhibition with Hiro Sato. Gofusha Gallery, Nara |
| ‘Continuum’ Five Women exhibition. Honenin, Kyoto | |
| 2010 | ‘Sumi²’ Two Women Exhibition with Penny Robertson Sugihara, Space Kagiya, Kyoto |
| ‘Wind and Rocks’ Two person exhibition with Hiro Sato, Lotus Roots, Osaka | |
| ‘Revisiting the Tradition’ Two person exhibition with Hiro Sato, Art Promenade Nara 1300, Gofusha, Nara. | |
| 2010 – present | Kyoto Contemporary Ink Painting Exhibition |
| 2011 | ‘A Turning’ Solo Exhibition, Gallery Den Mym, Kyoto |
| 2012 | ‘The Grain of Nature’ Two person exhibition with Hiro Sato, Gofusha, Nara |
| 2014 | ‘Wordsworth and Basho: Walking Poets’ Wordsworth Museum and Gallery, UK |
| 2015 – 2018 | Light Up Show The old Soukoudou Iga Ueno, Mie |
| 2016 | 5 Person Exhibition Gallery Denmym Minamiyamashiro Mura, Kyoto |
| ‘Wordsworth and Basho: Walking Poets’ Kakimori Bunko, Osaka | |
| 2016 – present | Twelve Person Exhibition Takahama, Fukui |
| 2017 | ‘Encounters’ Four Person Exhibition Gallery Space Kagiya, Kyoto |
| Collaboration Exhibition with Traditional scroll mounter Shousaku Yoshimura Gallery DWS, Nara | |
| 2019 | Lacquer Exhibition Imai Cho, Nara, Invited Artist |
| Solo Exhibition Okagero, Ikoma | |
| 2020 | Kyoen:International Artists inspired by Kyoto The Terminal, Kyoto |
| Gakuenmae Art Festa Gakuen Mae, Nara | |
| 2020 – present | Sho to Hisho no Kiwa (On the border of Sho and non Sho) JARFO, Kyoto |
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Awards |
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| 1990 | Osaka Governor’s Prize in Calligraphy School Exhibition. |
| 1992 | International Cultural Association of Kyoto. Essay Prize. |
| 2010 | 24th Kyoto Art Festival International Exhibition of Art and Design, Chinese Consulate General Prize |
| 23rd International Kakyou Calligraphy Exhibition International Prize | |
| 2012 | Kyoto Contemporary Ink Painting Exhibition Fujinami Prize |
| 26th Kyoto Art Festival International Exhibition of Art and Design, Kyoto Newspaper Prize | |
| 2013 | 27th Kyoto Art Festival International Exhibition of Art and Design Kyoto City International Foundation Prize |
| 26th International Kakyou Calligraphy Exhibition Kyoto City Mayor’s Prize | |
| 2014 | Kyoto Contemporary Ink Painting Exhibition Ouka Prize |
| 2015 | Grand Prize Kyoto Contemporary Ink Painting Exhibition |
| 2015 | 28th International Kakyou Calligraphy Exhibition Special Art Prize |
| 2019 | Grand Prize Kyoto Contemporary Ink Painting Exhibition |
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Commissions |
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| 1991 | Alfred Plaut Co. Ltd., London. |
| 1999 | Design for stained glass window in St Philips and All Saints Church, North Sheen, London. |
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Collections |
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| West Middlesex Hospital, UK | |
| Sunderland Art and Design University, UK | |
| JARFO Kyoto Society for Inter-Art Exchange Japan | |
| Private Collections in Japan, UK, France, USA, Israel | |
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Publications |
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| 1994 | ‘Land of the Waning Moon’ in ‘Essays on Japan III,1988-1992’ Kyoto Intl. Cultural Assoc., Bunrikaku Publ. |
| 1999 | ‘Japanese Calligraphy: The Art of Line and Space’. Osaka: Kaifusha Publ. Supported by grants from the Japan Foundation and the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. |
| 2001 | ‘The Rise of Avant-Garde Calligraphy in Japan’ in ‘Spring Lines: Contemporary Calligraphy from East and West’ exhibition catalogue. Ditchling Museum, Brighton. April-June |
| 2003 | ‘Sumi’ in Letter Arts Review, Vol 18 #1. |
| 2004 | ‘Fude’ in Letter Arts Review, Vol 18 #4. |
| Illustrations Phantom City a CDRom of poetry by Jonathan Brewer | |
| 2005 | ‘The Four Treasures’ in Kyoto Journal # 61 |
| 2007 | ‘New Directions in Japanese Calligraphy: A small survey of independent and semi-independent calligraphers’ in Letter Arts Review Vol 22 # 2 |
| 2008 | ‘Kanteiryu’ in Letter Arts Review Vol 23 #1 |
| 2009 | ‘Tsubasa Kimura’ in Letter Arts Review Vol 23 #3 |
| ‘Japan-Belgium Letter Arts Exhibition: Line and Spirit’ in Letter Arts Review Vol 23 #4 | |
| 2010 | ‘Ishikawa Kyuyoh’ in Letter Arts Review Vol 24 #4 |
| 2011 | ‘Seal Carving in Japan’ in Letter Arts Review Vol 25 #3 |
| ‘The Restoration and Conservation of Japanese Calligraphy’ in Letter Arts Review Vol 26 #1 | |
| 2013 | ‘A Family of Mounters’ in Letter Arts Review Vol 27 #3 |
| 2014 | ‘The Nature and Experience of Sumi Arts’ Kyoto Journal #81 |
| ‘Sumi Workbook’ Kaifusha Publishing Company. Supported by Boku undo Sumi Manufacturers | |
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Related activities include |
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| 1991 | Sumi Workshops. Asahi Culture Centre, London. Japan Festival 1991 |
| 1993-03 | Member of Women’s Art Association. Kyoto. |
| 1996-2009 | External examiner for the International Baccalaureat examination in art and design |
| 2004 | Invited tutor ‘Breath, Spirit, Energy’ Writing Symposium, Sunderland, UK. |
| 2004-present | I hold sumi ink workshops regularly in the UK and Japan. |
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Reviews and Interviews |
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| 2008 | ‘Inking her own mark’ from The Japan Times 29/6/2008 |
 
‘Kiraku’, Vol 17 11/12 2008 |
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| 2011 | The review ‘A Turning’ by Patricia Fister ( International Research Center for Japanese Studies) ⇒ read review |
| 2013 | ‘Nara: Ancient Echoes 1,11’ produced by Hiro Minato, Design Work Studio, sponsored by Nara Prefectural Government |
| 2014 | ‘Wordsworth and Basho: Walking Poets’ exhibition catalogue |
| 2014 | ‘The Unexpected Delights of Brushed Black Ink’ Michael Lambe, Kyoto Journal #81 Christine Flint Sato Sumi Workbook Review in Kyoto Journal #81, Deep Kyoto |
| 2015 | ‘At Play with Brushed Black Ink’ Michael Lambe, Kansai Scene #177 p 23 |
| 2014 | ‘A Sumi Journey’ Alice Miyagawa, Kyoto Journal #79 |
| 2016 | Nara NHK TV “Nara Kore” Feb 3rd |
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2018 | ABC TV “Cocoro” Oct 25 |
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| 2019 | Ikoma City Newsletter May 15 p36 |
| Kyoto Journal #94 | |
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