The Ki Paintings of Yoshio Ikezaki (Photo – Shumei Arts Council)
Discover the one-of-a-kind ki paintings of Yoshio Ikezaki at Shumei Hall Gallery in Pasadena. The exhibition opens Sunday, October 4, with a reception and live demonstration by the artist from 1:30 to 3:30 pm.
By Melanie Hooks
Shumei Hall Gallery in Pasadena will present a solo exhibition of monochrome ink paintings by Japanese artist Yoshio Ikezaki from Sunday, October 4, through Sunday, November 8, 2026. The exhibition will feature works created over the past two decades, including abstract landscapes shaped by Ikezaki’s use of water, sumi ink, handmade washi paper, and ki—the vital energy known in Chinese as qi or chi.
At the opening reception, Ikezaki will demonstrate his distinctive painting technique.
The free exhibition will be on view Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
For Ikezaki, ki is an essential element of his artistic process. Before he begins, he practices meditation and concentration to unite mind, body, and spirit. He then wets the paper, applies ink, and allows water and ink to move through the paper’s fibers. He describes ki as a force that helps transform his intention and intuition into the movement of ink across the surface.
The resulting landscapes are subtle yet haunting. Their calm surfaces suggest depths beneath the water, shadows among the trees, or worlds just beyond view. In this atmosphere of mystery and suggestion—what the Japanese call yūgen—Ikezaki’s paintings invite contemplation.
His work also reflects the Japanese aesthetic concept of ma: the meaningful space or pause that gives structure, balance, and possibility to art and life. Through the graceful interplay of positive and negative space, Ikezaki encourages viewers to slow down and observe what emerges between the marks.
About the Artist
Yoshio Ikezaki was born in Kitakyushu, Japan, in 1953. He received his BA and MFA from Florida State University, where he concentrated in painting. He later returned to Japan and spent six years in Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture, studying traditional handmade paper with master papermakers Shigemi and Shigeyuki Matsuo. He also learned to make his own sumi ink.
Since 1986, Ikezaki has divided his time between the United States and Japan. He taught for many years as a professor at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena and as visiting faculty at Tama Art University in Tokyo. His work brings together contemporary Western and traditional Eastern painting styles and techniques.
Ikezaki writes:
Ki is the essential element for my artwork. I use water as an active force to control the ink on wet paper. Ki serves to transform my will and intention to control the ink movement over the entire and local space of paper, for both even distribution of intended and/or accidental collisions of ink and water.
Shumei Arts Council
Founded in 1998, the Shumei Arts Council promotes arts activities and events in Pasadena and throughout the surrounding Los Angeles community. As a nonprofit organization, its goal is to foster a better world by promoting beauty, harmony, and creativity through the arts.
Over the past 28 years, the council has presented a wide range of programs, including children’s concerts, Pasadena ArtNight events, artist exhibitions, Makoto Taiko performances, and chamber music concerts, including premieres of original works by local composers.
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