Inkstick

I painted using soot collected directly from the lamp at Kobaien in Nara, together with a handmade Japanese Five Stars inkstick—produced since 1577—and a handcrafted Duan inkstone I acquired in China. Working with this traditional ink on cotton watercolor paper became an exploration of how it responded to water, texture, and absorption. I also had the opportunity to make my own inkstick in the shape of my hand, which will be shipped home after drying for several months.