Tanwyn Eacott
Australian Sumi-e Artist
Tanwyn Eacott is a visual artist who practices both sumi-e (Japanese ink wash painting), and shodo (Japanese Calligraphy). She has been studying sumi-e since 2011, and has won awards for her works at Exhibitions held by the International Sumi-e Association at the Tokyo National Art Centre. She began serious studies in shodo in 2021, and trains in both artforms under Master Artist Yumiko Kigoshi Sensei.
Tanwyn is deeply intrigued by the elegance and depth of expression that can be achieved in Japanese ink art, without reliance on colour. A single stick of ink can provide seemingly infinite shades, and the choice of paper, the dryness or wetness of the brush, and the state of the artist at the time the brush meets paper are all potent and engaging variables that Tanwyn enjoys exploring. These variables, and the deep philosophies contained within the two art forms, are fertile grounds for artistic expression.
Tanwyn enjoys exploring expressions of the soul through ink on paper, and the way it captures the ‘essence’ of the artist at the moment it was brushed. The minimalist compositions in sumi-e, and the high value placed on negative space, leave nowhere for the artist to ‘hide’. Once a mark has been made, it is there for all to see, and cannot be re-worked. Shodo too, by its very nature, captures the essence of the artist as each stroke is executed. Every brushstroke carries the feeling of the artist – every confidence, every hesitation, every joy – all is captured by the paper.
Once there, it cannot be undone.
Tanwyn lists her mentors as:
Kinyu Kigoshi Sensei (Yumiko Kigoshi)
Exhibitions and awards include:
2025 (Sept)
Group Exhibition, Kinyu Ink Studio X, Brisbane Institute of Art, Windsor, Brisbane.
2024 (June)
International Sumi-e Association Exhibition, Tokyo National Museum, Japan
2024 (Apr)
Group Exhibition, All Creatures Great and Small, Petrie Terrace Gallery, Brisbane.
2024 (Oct)
Group Exhibition, Kinyu Ink Studio X, Brisbane Institute of Art, Windsor, Brisbane.
2023 (July)
Group Exhibition, Kinyu Ink Studio IX, Brisbane Institute of Art, Windsor, Brisbane.
2022 (Oct)
Group Exhibition, Kinyu Ink Studio VIII, Brisbane Institute of Art, Windsor, Brisbane.
2021 (June)
International Sumi-e Association Exhibition, Tokyo National Museum, Japan
2021 (Feb)
Group Exhibition, Kinyu Ink Studio VII, Brisbane Institute of Art, Windsor, Brisbane.
2020 - covid year, exhibitions postponed
2019 (June)
International Sumi-e Association Exhibition, Tokyo National Museum, Japan
2019 (Oct)
Group Exhibition, Kinyu Ink Studio VI, Brisbane Institute of Art, Windsor, Brisbane.
2018 (Sept)
Group Exhibition, Kinyu Ink Studio V, Brisbane Institute of Art, Windsor, Brisbane.
2017 (June)
International Sumi-e Association Exhibition, Tokyo National Museum, Japan
2017 (Oct)
Group Exhibition, Kinyu Ink Studio IV, Petrie Terrace Gallery, Brisbane.
2016 (Feb)
Group Exhibition, RQAS Showcase, Petrie Terrace Gallery, Brisbane.
2016 (May)
Group Exhibition, Milburn Art Prize Exhibition (finalist),
Brisbane Institute of Art, Windsor, Brisbane.
2016 (June)
International Sumi-e Association Exhibition, Tokyo National Museum, Japan
Awarded bunkasho (cultural award) for Emu
2016 (Aug)
Group Exhibition, Students in Fire (Kinyu Ink Studio III), Petrie Terrace Gallery, Brisbane.
2015 (June)
International Sumi-e Association Exhibition, Tokyo National Museum, Japan
Syourei Syo prize for Pine from my Heart
2015 (Oct)
Group Exhibition, Joy with Ink (Kinyu Ink Studio II), Petrie Terrace Gallery, Brisbane.
2014 (June)
International Sumi-e Association Exhibition, Tokyo National Museum, Japan
2014 (Oct)
Group Exhibition, Qld Kinyu Sumi-e Academy (Kinyu Ink Studio I), Brisbane, Queensland