Ayan Rivera began this practise 30 years ago under the tutelage of Koho Yamamoto, a Sumi master, who learned the art form during her time at the Japanese internment camps in Idaho during WWII. Sumi-e means “ink picture.” The materials are minimal (brush, ink stick, inkstone, paper). Once one master the skill of the stroke, the skill falls away along with all thought, creating space for the eye, hand, and brush to move together. Ayan Rivera may begin with an intention in mind yet the medium asks him to ease his attachment to this original idea. The brushstroke cannot be altered or erased. Each stroke guides the next thus revealing the present moment on paper. A presence of what is unfolding before him is integral in allowing a state of flow. Some call this “letting the unconscious move through.” Ayan Rivera calls it to surrender. This calligraphy as well as all signatures on paintings are renderings of a pre-colonial writing system from the Philippines called Baybayin. Sumi painters typically paint calligraphy in the kanji (Chinese). Instead, Ayan Rivera chose this ancient writing system to honour his cultural roots.
