INK
Evocative. Sensuous. Tranquil. Spontaneous. For centuries critics have used these words to describe the Japanese aesthetic that underlies much of its art from ceramic vessels to painted scrolls. These words are particularly apt when describing the exquisite medium of Japanese ink drawings. Mastering the ancient tradition of marking rich paper with seemingly spontaneous lines takes time, talent, and commitment. Shirli Marcantel’s recent brush drawings, steeped in the style, show that she has learned well.
Shirli’s attraction to ink drawings came naturally as a similar desire to capture lyricism and serenity is apparent in her garden designs. During her decades-long career as a garden and horticulture specialist, Marcantel strove to create tranquil, harmonious spaces. The goal was to juxtapose carefully selected plant material to create environments that looked like they had always been there with each object serenely nestled in its right place.
The same sense of “rightness” informs her ink drawings. While Marcantel’s results often appear effortless, nothing could be farther from the truth. She considers every aspect of a drawing’s creation. Each work begins with the correct brush selection. A brush heavy with soft, natural bristles and loaded with viscous ink will create a lush liquid line; a brush with minimum hairs will mark the paper with wisps so delicate as to be almost indiscernible. Shirli has bought brushes, traded for brushes, and made her own brushes to achieve the effects she sought.
Paper selection is equally important as every Asian hand-made paper reacts differently to ink. Shirli is drawn to Xuan paper, a soft, thick paper, made of exotic tree fibers and rice, originating in ancient China. Its richly textured surface absorbs ink unequally and results in expressive lines that blur at the edges.
With paper, brush, and ink selected, the real work begins. Combining the ancient approach of marks on paper with the modern abstracted approaches of masters as Robert Motherwell, Yves Klein, and Agnes Martin, Marcantel sets out to create lines that move from brush to paper seemingly without conscious thought. There is no predetermined idea of where the lines will fall on the paper. It’s a trust the artist must place in her innate talent. Marcantel’s results are a remarkable mix of artistry and serendipity.
While one circular drawing with frenzied swirls created with flying brush strokes draws the viewer into its excited vortex, a second drawing with thick, impenetrable marks projects an aura of gravitas and permanence. Still another drawing takes advantage of its paper’s natural absorbency to produce skeins of intertwined lines that “bleed out” at the edges. These marks seem to self-create as the ink diffuses into the soft paper. The result is a drawing that appears to hover above the paper’s surface as a mere suggestion rather than a concrete assertion.
Among the most expressive of Marcantel’s drawings are those in which she allows the ink to pool into deep black recesses while drawing other lines with an almost dry brush that trails sketchy, parallel tracks. The visual results suggest something akin to floral forms with variegated coloration and dark veining or maybe even overripe pomegranates bursting with seeds. Who can say if these “Rorschach” interpretations are correct? What is certain is that image’s final form could not have been predicted at the start.
Arriving at this medium after working as an interdisciplinary artist in photography, collage, painting and ceramic sculpture, Marcantel realizes that the art form demands complete artistic discipline. As she notes, this artistic journey has left her with a tremendous respect for lines on paper. “Marking paper is an ancient art. It is timeless, contemplative, spiritual. The more I study the masters, the more I appreciate the tremendous effort it takes to mentally let go and let the brush lead.”
by Kahren Arbitman..PHD
