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Drue Kataoka uses the sumi-e technique of painting to render figures and scenes.

There’s Something About Sumi-e

By Yihai Lai

Drue Kataoka has a pretty good idea how she wants to change the world. The technique she employs has been around for more than 2000 years, but this eloquent, 22 year-old artist is very much of our time.

Born in Tokyo of a Japanese father and American mother, Kataoka lived in Japan for the first 6 years of her life. She then moved to the Bay Area and grew up in Menlo Park.

She graduated from Stanford University last year and is currently living and working in Palo Alto. As AsianWeek catches up with her, she is busy preparing for a national speaking tour of her commissioned art work.

AsianWeek: Tell us a little bit about your childhood background. What do you remember most vividly about Tokyo?

Drue Kataoka: I grew up in a household immersed in the arts. My parents tell me they spent a lot of time with me in the great museums of Japan, and they have told me many stories. One of my favorite activities as a young child was daily shopping in the arcade with my mother. My mother tells me how I stubbornly would stand still and look up and down the arcade, focused on the kanji signs. I am sure that as I stood, I internalized what later became a canon of brush strokes.

AW: Where and when did you first become interested in sumi-e techniques?

DK: My journey of brush strokes began when I was five years old. As a young child in Tokyo, I was fascinated by grinding sumi ink on a hard, cool stone. One thing that was always important was to spend a long time grinding the rich sumi ink. I was fascinated that at different times the ink reacted differently.

AW: What other media are you trained in? How do you compare each medium?

DK: Although I am familiar with other media, sumi-e is the art form I have studied. Sumi-e requires a lifetime of dedication. Practice and discipline are the hallmarks of this ancient art form. Since it has endured for over 2000 years, its longevity and beauty set it apart from other contemporary media. The subtle tones of the black sumi ink seize your attention. It refreshes the eye, in a color-saturated world, that is constantly bombarded with visual information.

AW: What did you major in at Stanford? Any thoughts on your time spent there?

DK: I graduated as a member of Stanford’s Class of 2000 with a degree in Art History.

When I arrived on the campus, I launched my own dream to make sumi-e an integral part of my college experience. From freshman year to senior year, I created projects that include: Gallery of Champions, a permanent installation of original paintings at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium; Explosive Movement (1996-2000), an exhibition of a 50-piece collection celebrating the athletic brilliance of Stanford sports at the Arrillaga Family Sports Center; and my feature, “Cardinal Strokes”, published in The Stanford Daily, which chronicled campus events and sports.

AW: What got you started on drawing athletes and sport scenes?

DK: Motion fascinated me. One of my favorite games was to look at something in motion, and think about it in brush strokes.

AW: What kind of feedback did you get from your subjects (athletes, musicians, political figures)?

DK: Since each of my projects is different, my research takes many forms. For example, when I paint athletes, I often go to their games or matches. I interview as many people as I can who know them, including their parents, peers and coaches. I study past footage and videotapes of games and matches. For musicians, I study their recordings, attend live performances, and follow up with interviews.

Of “Celestial Tennis” Venus Williams said, “Now, that’s me when I get serious.”

Arthur Lee called his own artistic tribute, “The Art of the Steal,” a masterpiece, while his father Art Lee Sr. said of Art’s head in the painting, “That is the head I cradled.”

AW: Any ideological connection between making art and playing sports?

DK: The baseball diamond, the fairway, the basketball court, and the shikishi board, all stretch out before you with endless possibilities. You have but one chance with each motion to capture the essence of your dreams. There is no changing any brush stroke since the ink is indelible. You are committed to each one, and there are no instant replays! Both athlete and sumi-e artist must begin at a very young age to master their sport or art form. Years of dedication crystallize in ephemeral moments of beauty.

AW: Tell us about the Jump Rope Junction project and the National Speaking Tour.

DK: On February 4, I will begin a national speaking tour with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Ventura, Calif. Criss-crossing America, I will reach out to young people in the arts, releasing a commemorative poster “Jump Rope Junction” commissioned by Shawn and Antoinette Addison as an artistic tribute to Shawn Addison’s grandfather, who is a lifetime member of the Boys & Girls Clubs in Ventura. I will also participate as a judge for the Regional Art Exhibitions held annually by the B&GCA.

My speaking tour will cover five states beginning in Ventura, Calif. (Feb. 4) and continuing on to Boys & Girls Clubs Regional Art Exhibitions held at Spartanburg, South Carolina (Feb. 6), Nashua, New Hampshire (Feb. 8), Pueblo, Colorado (Feb. 12), and Prineville, Oregon (Feb. 14).

AW: What do you hope to accomplish with this tour?

DK: The pairing of the poster release with a speaking tour will allow me to spark interest and awareness for this important project celebrating diversity. It will give Boys & Girls Club members an opportunity to meet someone who began to set goals and work toward them at their age. Speaking to the children directly and showing them the complexity of my research will provoke their interest in the possibilities of art. I hope my enthusiasm will act as a catalyst to their imaginations.

AW: What function does your art serve?

DK: Art is what remains when a civilization is gone. I think it is imperative to leave something behind for future generations. My mission is to leave an artistic footprint with an ancient art form. My sumi-e brush paintings, chronicling a wide swath of the American experience, suggest the multi-cultural landscape of the 21st century.

AW: Who do you consider your audience and community?

DK: Since I have received attention in the national, ethnic, and international media, I hope I reach diverse constituencies that are cross-cultural and cross-generational. CNN and USA Today, Chicago Tribune Media Services, Hokubei Mainichi, Navajo Times, and Indian Country have interviewed me. The Chronicle of Higher Education, San Jose Mercury News and San Francisco Chronicle have featured my work.

AW: How do your parents feel about your success as an artist and advocate of sports, community and educating children?

DK: My parents have consistently supported my passion and desire to be a sumi-e artist.

Because I have been enriched by a dual heritage, I feel I my background is an asset. I hope other parents can also see that their children — no matter from what background — can look up to me and see themselves in me and my work. I invite my audiences young and old to share my opinion that sumi-e celebrating diversity has the power to challenge and cross categories, defy cultural boundaries and violate expectations.