My current body of work of paintings is informed by two apparently opposing styles: sumi-e and gestural abstraction. The former achieves the greatest expression through the fewest carefully executed brush strokes, while the latter relies on the physical act of applying paint to be an integral aspect of the work.
As a student of the written Japanese language, I am intrigued that a series of individually simple strokes, combined, convey complex concepts within a single ideogram. Deconstructed rather than painted according to strictly prescribed stroke sequences, these marks take on a personal meaning that I reveal through color and movement.
Stage 5, a series of watercolor, gouache or sumi paintings made after my mother’s death, is an expression of acceptance using the fewest gestures possible. White spaces of paper press against strokes of paint as a person’s absence presses against one’s presence.
Photos this page by Tina Koyama. Please click on each thumbnail photograph below to view the piece up close.
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Stage 5 - No. 31
(2010) 18" x 24" Watercolor and sumi on paper (private collection) |
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Stage 5 - No. 32
(2010) 18" x 24" Watercolor and sumi on paper (private collection) |
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Stage 5 - No. 33
(2010) 18" x 24" Watercolor and sumi on paper (private collection) |
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Stage 5 - No. 34
(2010) 18" x 24" Watercolor and sumi on paper |
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Stage 5 - No. 35
(2010) 18" x 24" Watercolor and sumi on paper |
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Stage 5 - No. 36
(2010) 18" x 24" Watercolor and sumi on paper (private collection) |
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Stage 5 - No. 37
(2010) 18" x 24" Watercolor and sumi on paper (private collection) |
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Stage 5 - No. 25
(2010) 18" x 24" Watercolor and sumi on paper (private collection) |
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Stage 5 - No. 26
(2010) 18" x 24" Watercolor on paper |
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Stage 5 - No. 27
(2010) 18" x 24" Watercolor on paper (private collection) |
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Stage 5 - No. 28
(2010) 18" x 24" Watercolor and sumi on paper (private collection) |
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Stage 5 - No. 29
(2010) 18" x 24" Watercolor and sumi on paper |
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Stage 5 - No. 30
(2010) 18" x 24" Watercolor on paper (private collection) |
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Stage 5 - No. 1
(2010) 10" x 13" Watercolor on paper |
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Stage 5 - No. 2
(2010) 10" x 13" Sumi on paper |
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Stage 5 - No. 3
(2010) 10" x 13" Sumi on paper |
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Stage 5 - No. 4
(2010) 10" x 13" Watercolor and sumi on paper |
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Stage 5 - No. 6
(2010) 10" x 13" Watercolor and sumi on paper |
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Stage 5 - No. 8
(2010) 10" x 13" Watercolor and sumi on paper |
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Stage 5 - No. 9
(2010) |
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Stage 5 - No. 12
(2010) |
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Stage 5 - No. 16
(2010) |
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Stage 5 - No. 18
(2010) |
e-mail: tina@tinakoyama.com
Photos by Greg Mullin except as noted. All content copyright© Tina Koyama, 2013.