Fumiko Kurokawa Sumi-e Painting Show
Moment of Grace
Fumiko Kurokawa "Morning Mist" Sumi-e on paper Image size 21" x 26"
Sumie, a traditional Chinese and Japanese art form literally meaning painting with water and ink, is an extraordinarily expressive medium ideal for capturing subtle moods of quiet subjects. Unlike realistic Western painting which uses light and shadows to create an illusion of perspective, sumie emphasizes beauty of forms created by brush movement and ink flow on paper. In this regard, sumie and Oriental calligraphy share common aesthetic qualities that have no parallel in Western art.
Fumiko Kurokawa is a sumie artist in the Japanese village "No-se", at the foot of Mikusa Mountain northwest of Osaka. Kurokawa paints with a style called mottkotsu ho (without outline). Her sumie captures the quintessential of tranquil country life in rural Japan. Her favorite subjects are simple quiet landscapes and still life, reminders of beauty in things ordinary. Kurokawa’s brush work is lively and graceful like a dance. To achieve different effects, she uses an amazing collection of brushes and a wide variety of paper, including Chinese gasenshi, Japanese mashi, silk cloth. One of her favorite subjects is snow. She would go out in a snowstorm to paint, allowing snowflakes falling on the paper to create dynamic effects so characteristic of her winterscapes!
Kurokawa’s latest works show off the artist’s poetic visions using the sparest of forms and impeccable compositions. The exquisite purity of her medium provides perfect complement for the remarkable grace of her art.
The exhibition - Click on paintings to enlarge.
Contact call (505-988-8072) or use Inquiry Form for price and questions.
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| Fumiko Kurokawa "Moment
of Grace 2" from Snow Dance Series
Sumie on paper 18" x 14" Sold
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Fumiko Kurokawa "Moment
of Grace 1" from Snow Dance Series
Sumie on paper 14" x 54"
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| Fumiko Kurokawa "Moment
of Grace 4" from Snow Dance Series
Sumie on paper 14" x 18" Sold
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Fumiko Kurokawa "Moment
of Grace 5" from Snow Dance Series
Sumie on paper 17" x 26" Sold
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| Fumiko Kurokawa
"By the Pond"
Sumie on paper 14" x 18" Sold
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Fumiko Kurokawa
"Clearing Fog"
Sumie on paper 14" x 18" Sold
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| Fumiko Kurokawa
"Morning Mist"
Sumie on paper 21" x 26"
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Fumiko Kurokawa
"Shimmering Frost"
Sumie on paper 18" x 27.5" Sold
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| Fumiko Kurokawa
"Listening to the Forest"
Sumie on paper 18" x 26" Sold
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Fumiko Kurokawa
"Soft as New Snow"
Sumie on paper 18" x 27"
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| Fumiko Kurokawa
"Calm after the Storm"
Sumie on paper 22" x 27.5" Sold
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Fumiko Kurokawa
"Wintry Night"
Sumie on silk 16" x 18"
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About the artist
Born in Kawachi-Nagano near the Wakayama Prefecture in Japan, Fumiko Kurokawa spent her childhood surrounded by mountains and towering Japanese cedars. She had always wanted to be an artist, but fate and circumstances made her a typical Japanese housewife and mother of three sons. When she was in her late 30’s, after her youngest son entered kindergarten, she began to study sumie, watercolor painting, and sketching. She was especially inspired by her sumie teacher Yasuo Shimizu, and her talent was recognized quickly. Since 1984, Kurokawa has been exhibiting her works in major art shows, including the Japan-France Modern Art Exhibition. Her works have brought her many awards, including Work of Excellence and Best of Show awards in the Toboku group shows in Tokyo.
In 1990, Kurokawa and her late husband built a traditional country house in the village "No-se". It was there she found the "forgotten Japan" - old houses with straw-thatched roofs, mountains with towering Japanese cedars, plenty of rice fields, and a simple life. She would pack her car with painting materials and drive alone to remote villages and countryside to explore and paint. It was and still is a wonderfully nurturing place for an artist.
More recently, Kurokawa fulfilled her long-time dream of training young artists. Inspired by Kurokawa’s paintings, the principal of an elementary school in Osaka started a new sumie class and appointed Kurokawa to teach in it. Her devotion to the community also prompted Kurokawa to offer classes to mentally and physically handicapped individuals. It has been a tremendously rewarding experience, and her pupils’ works often surprised her.
Art education
1976-1982 Studied sumi-e with Jo-ichi Fukui
1982-1985 Studied sumi-e with Yasuo Shimizu
1983-1987 Studied pencil and charcoal sketching with Jyoji
Kikunami and Shintaro Yasukura1986-1988 Studied water color painting with Minoru Mihara
1989-present President, Suiboku Nanamidori Kai (Nanamidori Sumi-e Club)
1999-present Instructor, Sankei-gakuen Osaka
2000-present Instructor, Kine Elementary School, Nose, Osaka
Awards
1984 Selected for show, open competition, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo
1985 Selected for show, open competition, Itami City, Hyogo
1989 Copper prize, open competition sponsored by "One Painting Publisher", Tokyo
1991 Selected for show, Japan-France Modern Art Exhibition, Tokyo
1992 "Work of Excellence" award, Toboku group show, Tokyo
1992 Selected for show, open competition, Toyonaka City, Osaka
1994 Best of Show award, Toboku group show, Tokyo
1994 Second prize, open competition, Takarazuka City, Hyogo
One-person shows
1990 Gallery Ikeda, Osaka
1991 Gallery Gen, Osaka
1992 Gallery Ikeda, Osaka
1994 Gallery Ikeda, Osaka
1995 Gallery Ikeda, Osaka
1997 Gallery Ikeda, Osaka
1998 Gallery Ikeda, Osaka
1999 Gallery Kawanishi, Hyogo
1999 Gallery Kawachi, Osaka
2000 Touching Stone Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2001 Gallery Kawanichi, Hyogo
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