The Making of the Sumi Collection

Many of our collections are grounded in a traditional technique or process, which co-founder Rachel Cope evolves to create her artworks. The Sumi Collection draws on the Japanese tradition of Suminagashi marbling, an art form that involves combining ink and water to create naturally emerging patterns.

To make the Sumi Collection, Rachel floated richly colored inks in a water bath made specifically for creating large-scale marbled prints. She worked with the natural flow of the ink, using subtle gestures to create ripple effects, allowing shapes to expand outwards across the water’s surface. She then submerged a large sheet of paper in the bath, capturing the forms created by the eddies of the ink. The process produced a freely flowing pattern that makes visible the movements of water.

Cereal Magazine captured our Suminagashi process in action here:

Photography by Matthew Johnson