The Flautist

Mercedes Guillamón

Sumi-e (black ink on rice paper) is a painting technique which, in the thirteenth century, was introduced in Japan by zen monks. Like Zen, this technique reduces reality to its purest, naked form. When I begin painting, I take an empty sheet of white rice-paper in front of me, and I concentrate on it to make all other thoughts disappear until I only think of the sheet of rice-paper. Later, the image comes to me that I want to entrust to the paper.