The Sumi-e Scroll

This evening I began a new large Sumi-e scroll. The topic will be a winter journey up into the high mountains.

I decided to do a photo record of my progress beginning with this view of my table with a portion of the first section. I am painting on rice paper with a bamboo brush using Sumi ink from a green bottle combined with a little water.

The scroll will show what I see as I climb in my imagination. I will pull the images I hold in my memory from years of climbing in the Sawtooth Mountains on the North Shore of Lake Superior.

I have thought of doing this work for many years. My son suggested to me that I do a scroll of a journey across the winter prairie, and I almost fell over because it was such a good idea -- way too obvious to me. However, this one must come first because it has been cooking in my brain long enough.

I begin my climb by going through a gate. A large evergreen is on the right, and I can see the snow-covered mountains in the distance.

Done