Fumiko Kurokawa's sumi-e painting show
Black in Full Bloom
May 2 - June 11, 2003
Fumiko Kurokawa "Poppies" Sumi-e on paper Image size 18" x 26"
Sumi-e, a traditional Chinese and Japanese art form, is an extraordinarily expressive medium ideal for capturing subtleties of quiet subjects. Unlike realistic Western painting, which uses light and shadows to create an illusion of perspective, sumi-e emphasizes beauty of forms and notan (dark/light relationship), created by spontaneous yet highly disciplined brush movements. In this regard, sumi-e and Oriental calligraphy share common aesthetic qualities that have no parallel in Western art.
Best known for her lively mottkotsu ho (no outline) brushwork, Kurokawa has developed a dynamic style that suggests free-spirited movements that flow with the grace of a dancer. She explores new possibilities with the medium by tackling particularly difficult themes. In recent shows, she has painted different forms of water, clouds, frost, snow, and ice, using only black. The challenge forced her to develop new techniques and ideas.
The current show "Black in Full Bloom" offers a glimpse of the breadth of Kurokawa’s styles. "Mokuren I & II" showcase her exquisite lines and tonal nuances in a more traditional style. In "Anthurium" and "Calla Lily", she distills the essence of the floral forms into minimal calligraphic lines. She surprises the viewers in "Taisanboku" and "Botan", by reversing positive and negative spaces, painting the foliage background to reveal the blossoms. Her "Zazenso" and "Mizubaso II" are exquisite studies of lines, forms and notan, focusing on details of the rare flowering plants. Kurokawa’s mastery of the medium, matched by her refreshing aesthetic sensibility and boldness in exploring the extraordinary, establishes her as one of the most exciting contemporary sumi-e artists today.
Click on images to view selected pieces
To order call 505-988-8072 or click Inquiry/Order
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| Fumiko Kurokawa
"Tsuwabuki"
Sumi-e on paper 26" x 18"
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Fumiko Kurokawa
"Cherry Blossoms"
Sumi-e on paper 18" x 14"
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| Fumiko Kurokawa
"Mokuren I"
(Lily Magnolia)
Sumi-e on paper 18" x 14" Sold
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Fumiko Kurokawa
"Mokuren II"
(Lily Magnolia) Sumi-e on paper 14" x 18"
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| Fumiko Kurokawa
"Iris"
Sumi-e on paper 14" x 18"
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Fumiko Kurokawa
"Anthurium"
Sumi-e on paper 14" x 18" Sold
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| Fumiko Kurokawa
"Calla Lily"
Sumi-e on paper 18" x 14" Sold
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Fumiko Kurokawa
"Tulips"
Sumi-e on paper 14" x 18"
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| Fumiko Kurokawa
"Zazenso"
(Japanese alpine plant)
Sumi-e on paper 18" x 14" Sold
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Fumiko Kurokawa
"Mizubasho II" (Japanese alpine plant) Sumi-e on paper 18" x 14"
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| Fumiko Kurokawa
"Roses I" Sumi-e on paper 14" x 18"
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Fumiko Kurokawa
"Cosmos" Sumi-e on paper 14" x 18"
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| Fumiko Kurokawa
"Negibozu" Sumi-e on paper 18" x 14"
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Fumiko Kurokawa
"Roses II" Sumi-e on paper 14" x 18"
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| Fumiko Kurokawa
"Taisanboku" (Magnolia Grandiflore) Sumi-e on paper 18" x 14" Sold
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Fumiko Kurokawa
"Botan" Sumi-e on paper 18" x 14"
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| Fumiko Kurokawa
"Poppies" Sumi-e on paper 18" x 26" Sold
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About the artist
Fumiko Kurokawa grew up in Kawachi-Nagano near Wakayama Prefecture in Japan, surrounded by mountains and towering Japanese cedars. She had always wanted to be an artist, but 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 sumi-e, watercolor, and sketching. She was especially inspired by her sumi-e teacher Yasuo Shimizu, who quickly recognized her talent. Since 1984, Kurokawa has exhibited 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.
Since 1990, Kurokawa has lived in a country house she built with her late husband in the village "No-se". It is there she finds the "forgotten Japan", old houses with straw-thatched roofs, mountains with towering 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 is a wonderfully nurturing place for an artist.
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 Yasukura
1986-1988 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, No-se, 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 Pub lisher", 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 "Musing in Rural Japan", Touching Stone, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2001 Gallery Kawanichi, Hyogo
2001 "Moments of Grace", Touching Stone, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2002 "Waiting in the Fog", Touching Stone, Santa Fe, New Mexico
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