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| Sumi-e artwork |
I had several returning students to help me explain mindful bodies, mindful breathing, and the anchor spot. It was amazing to hear the students talk about these ideas in their own words to their peers. Our new students caught on fast and participated in a full, beautiful way. We simply focused on mindful breathing for two minutes, concentrating on how our bodies were feeling, and using the anchor spot.
After that, I introduced the students to Sumi-e, a Japanese painting technique using black ink. Sumi-e artists are not as interested in replicating the way an object looks as they are in capturing the spirit or the essence of the object. Nature is the dominant theme of Sumi-e artwork. Interestingly, Samurai swordsmen practiced this form of painting because the brush strokes used were similar to the strokes of the sword. And the calm needed in creating a work of art was also needed on the battle field.
I asked if anyone noticed the blooming trees and flowers that were beginning to emerge throughout the Portland area. Our paintings are meant to be a celebration of the annual coming of Spring. I showed many pictures of the cherry blossoms around Portland, as well as Sumi-e artwork depicting cherry blossoms.
For the movement part of our class, I asked the students to come to seed posture and imagine they were each the tiny seed of a cherry tree. They imagined being under the soil of the earth, and feeling the damp rain soaking through the layers of dirt. Then they began to move their arms forward in child's pose, imagining their arms and fingers were tiny roots beginning to grow. Eventually these little seeds poked through the earth and began to grow taller and taller. Though our feet remained planted in the earth-floor, our leaves and limbs moved and swayed in the imaginary wind and the rain that I concocted for them. Eventually, we made our way to tree pose.
In beginning of the art portion of class, I encouraged everyone to experiment with the black ink that was new to most of them. In order to get a variety of tones, from deep black to light grey, water must be mixed with the ink. The students used palettes to combine different values of grey and had fun creating freeform lines and shapes on their paper.
If they had time, some students had the opportunity to select a photograph of a cherry blossom artwork to emulate. It was fun watching them translate their painting experimentation into the painting of a tree. I explained that next week they would receive special paper to create a final ink painting!
