Introduction
These drawings were done awhile ago, before the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, during a mostly peaceful late winter and early spring. I wanted to explore themes I had worked with in sumi-e many years ago in a new way. These drawings are a form of homage to my teachers and to the traditions I absorbed as a calligrapher and student of Japanese art. They bear little superficial resemblance to traditional sumi-e, but they use the atmospheric qualities of powdered pigment and charcoal to reinterpret the subtle tonalities of ink on paper. Now, as I have been absorbing the news of the tragedy in Japan they look strangely prescient.
