Water. Colour. Nature. Movement. Presence. Impermanence. Suminagashi speaks to me of the mysteries of life.
When I retired from self-employment as a silver artisan, my search for a more contemplative practice led me to Heather Midori Yamada who teaches painting as meditation in action and celebrates washi as a substrate. Learning about washi led me to suminagashi. Right away I felt profoundly suited to working with floating ink - it speaks to my love of nature, the wild invisible, improvisation and metaphor. It calls me. And so, like a Willow I stand by the water. I am of the water. I offer my hand to the water, by the water, for the water.
I especially love sharing what I'm learning. For live demos and workshops, /events
About the Artist
In 2025 Susan was given the name Willow, acknowledging her affinity with water. Inspired by the behaviour of fluid surfaces, she explores gesture and pause, intention and surrender.
She's taught at MISSA (Metchosin Summer School of the Arts), demonstrated curb-side in Victoria's Moss Street Paint-In, and shown at various BC galleries and the juried Sooke Fine Arts Show. She's given several suminagashi presentations at Victoria's Nikkei Society Japanese Cultural Fair. In 2026 she received a Juror's Choice Award at the SPAC spring show in Sidney BC.
Her images have been published internationally (Canada, India, the US and Australia) in science textbooks, craft magazines, LARK books, on CD covers and in literary journals.
Winner of several poetry and short story contests (Saltwater Slam, Kitchener Waterloo Library annual literary prize, Victoria School of Writing), she is intrigued by the historical association of suminagashi and poetry. The learning curve goes on!