The Art of Roslyn Levin
For nearly a thousand years, the art of sumi-e has been practiced in Japan. In Japanese, “sumi” means ink, and “e” means picture, and the style is as simple as its name – simple but not easy. However, that’s the very reason that Roslyn Levin has been practicing sumi-e for nearly 50 years. It may be the most challenging medium she’s ever worked with, but it’s also the one that enables her to capture the way she experiences the world around her, translating her feelings into beautiful images.
Sumi-e continues to use the same natural and organic practices that it did when it was first developed hundreds of years ago. The paper, washi, is made from the fibres of three shrubs, the gampi tree, mitsuma, and paper mulberry, or kozo. The ink Roslyn uses comes from pine soot and indigo powder, which gives the faint blue tint she prefers. Roslyn gets her ink from a company that has been producing ink in this manner for 600 years. Even the brushes are handmade, with Roslyn making many of her own. A proper sumi-e brush is made from uncut animal fur or feathers. They bundle the shorter hairs in the middle before surrounding them with longer hairs, which creates an extremely responsive brush. This is key to the smooth strokes that make up sumi-e artwork.
How, you ask, does an artist from Canada become involved in an ancient Japanese art form? The same way that anyone becomes involved with anything – chance and circumstances. Roslyn was in Ottawa studying watercolours when she first encountered sumi-e. Across the hall from her watercolour class, an instructor, Tomoko Kodama, taught a class in sumi-e, and Roslyn thought that it could help her improve the strength of her brush strokes in watercolours. So, clad with the cheapest sumi-e instruments she found, Roslyn signed up for a 10-week course, and never turned back. After only a handful of classes, Roslyn knew that she’d found her medium.
It’s not just the sumi-e materials that embrace simplicity. It’s the art form itself. Roslyn’s sensei (teacher) taught her to use the same brush for the entire piece. Many sumi-e artists don’t do this due to the great difficulty involved. However, Roslyn never strayed from her early teachings. While age has forced her to embrace more complex pieces, much of Roslyn’s work is completed with one to three brush strokes. She achieves different effects through variations in how she loads the ink onto her brush and pressure applied to the brush through the stroke.
Sumi-e’s simplicity comes with its highs and lows. Unlike other mediums where you can layer paints or colours to smooth out mistakes, there is no hiding a stray stroke on washi. If something doesn’t work, then you have to start again. However, the practice is deeply connected to the physical. Typically, brush strokes are controlled through full body movements and the timing of breaths, rather than flicks of the wrist, making it a soothing and meditative practice to sink into.
Roslyn’s favourite moment comes at the start of the process. She grinds her own ink, using a special tool, a suzuri, designed for the process. Drawing water from the lower basin up to the flat palate-like top surface with the edge of the ink block, she swirls it around to draw the rich pigment out, creating her ink. The calming motion of the swirl and the release of the gentle aroma of the ink set Roslyn at ease. In her words, “That’s when I know I can paint”.
Having honed her craft for many years, Roslyn is a part of many groups and has shown her work across the globe. However, her status as an elected member of Artists for Conservation holds particular significance for Roslyn. A quick look at her work shows that she’s drawn to capturing animals and the natural world. Each of her pieces evokes a strong emotion, highlighting not just the beauty of nature but the complexity of animals. Roslyn hopes that her work can not just highlight the wonder of nature that we take for granted with carelessness, but also the wide range of expressive emotions that animals show if you take the time to look.
To visit Roslyn or her work, you can go to Dragonfly Arts on Broadway in Orangeville, where she’s had her studio for 20 years. Not only will her work be on display from October 7th to November 4th in Dragonfly’s window, but she has several shows scheduled this fall. On November 8th and 9th, her work will be in two different shows: the McMichael Volunteer Exhibit in Kleinburg and the Sumi-e Artists of Canada’s annual juried exhibit at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto. If you can’t make it to either of those, the Artists for Conservation exhibition will be available online September 25th. 2025 till August 31st, 2026, where Roslyn has a painting called Barn Owl’s Intense Gaze.
WRITTEN BY: JILLIAN KENT | PHOTOGRAPHY: CORY BRUYEA | RESOURCES/PHOTOS: ROSLYN LEVIN
